New theme - see any gremlins?

leoni_v · #1 02-01-2007, 01:21 PM

One thing I've noticed about my web site designs ... there is always something that I've missed. So can I please ask all you wonderful eagle-eyed people to go crawl through my site and see if you can find anything obviously wrong?

I've tried to make the thing work more or less the same in Firefox and IE7, but have not tested it on other browsers. Also, I have a silly old screen and can only test my site at 1024x768 so if you're using a bigger resolution on a wide screen, please tell me if the site looks wrong.

Thanks in advance!

http://www.leo-design.net

Collectors-info · #2 02-01-2007, 01:45 PM

Hi, congratulations on getting IE7 to work. Lol.
Like the site. All the colours look good together, & has that earthy feel. (If that’s the right phrase). Not sure if the scroll bar may look better in a slightly darker colour.

Good luck.

SChajin · #3 02-01-2007, 01:54 PM

A job well done, I too love the colors......I do agree with Chris, have some fun with the scroll bars...Kick it up a notch!

Windameer Farm · #4 02-01-2007, 02:10 PM

Hello,

Nice Job on your site. Great pictures, you have a good eye.
only thing i saw in explorer is i have a bottom scroll, it's not a bad on just can't see all you page on the right. ( can see about half the scroll bar that inside your page.

you have done a good Job , keep up the good work.

Jolen

leoni_v · #5 02-01-2007, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Collectors-info

Hi, congratulations on getting IE7 to work. Lol.
Like the site. All the colours look good together, & has that earthy feel. (If that’s the right phrase). Not sure if the scroll bar may look better in a slightly darker colour.

Good luck.

Thanks!! Haha, the scrollbars ... I run windowblinds so my scrollbars are naturally a darker color already, I didn't even thing of it for the site! I'll give it a look.

leoni_v · #6 02-01-2007, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SChajin

A job well done, I too love the colors......I do agree with Chris, have some fun with the scroll bars...Kick it up a notch!

I'm so glad you think the colors are ok. I've been worried about having a dark background as some people think that's not good design.

Yep, I'm convinced - I'll color the scrollbars <grin>.

leoni_v · #7 02-01-2007, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Windameer Farm

Hello,

Nice Job on your site. Great pictures, you have a good eye.
only thing i saw in explorer is i have a bottom scroll, it's not a bad on just can't see all you page on the right. ( can see about half the scroll bar that inside your page.

you have done a good Job , keep up the good work.

Jolen

Ooh, I'll see if I can do anything about that ... do you know what resolution your screen is at? Possibly it's because my content are are 955 pixels wide and if your screen is 800x600 it won't fit without scrolling.

Glad you like my pictures, thanks for the compliment!

leoni_v · #8 02-01-2007, 03:46 PM

Ok, the inner scrollbar should have some 'earthy' colors now in IE5 and higher. Unfortunately the scrollbar element color is not supported by other browsers so Firefox users such as myself will have to make do with the normal windows colors (or use Stardock's brilliant Windowblinds).

As for smaller screen resolutions ... any opinions on how far one has to be backward-compatible? I mean, in the good old days, computers had 640x480 screens and could show only 16 colors! That was still the case in 1997 (in Africa). Ooh, where did my 10 years go?

Anyway, I'll have a look at making it fit 800x600 - which will be a major re-coding of the css so it may take a while...

Bethers · #9 02-01-2007, 07:57 PM

I'm one of the original naysayers of a dark background BUT you have given proof that if done correctly, it can work and work wonderfully.

(All you others out there - don't get mad when I tell you to get rid of your black background LOL)

The colors are beautiful. It's a wonderful change of pace to have someone say they're a designer - and the site reflects it! You do good work - and I got lost looking at your photopraphy. I love the hand-drawn image of the bird - all those wonderful colors jumping right off the page.

Excellent job of presenting yourself.

Now, for what I don't like. I hate the iframe being used to see your whole page. I would rather you let the entire page scroll down, than make me scroll down within it. I'm against the use of iframes in this manner for entire pages. And this, in my manner detracts from the site. To be honest, I tried to scroll the pages - and couldn't in the traditional manner - so didn't see anything on them.

Iframes like this are great for putting in a long privacy policy, etc - and others might like the page this way. They are bad for the se's and how they'll rank your pages - and it's possible that they might call up the iframe without the rest of the page in a search.

The average person will not find that scroll bar and will never see the rest of your pages.

The other comment - is I never saw any contact page. So, if people want to get your design services, how do they do so?

Bethers · #10 02-01-2007, 08:00 PM

Personally, I don't think the 800 resolution is going to be as much an issue. I find it to be about 10% of the people who visit my sites. And it will continue to lessen (thank God). But if you want everyone to see it the same - then, yes, that's the resolution to go for.

As posted above, I think you'll have more people miss much more of your page with the use of your iframes on every page, than by the current resolution.

leoni_v · #11 02-01-2007, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bethers

Personally, I don't think the 800 resolution is going to be as much an issue. I find it to be about 10% of the people who visit my sites. And it will continue to lessen (thank God). But if you want everyone to see it the same - then, yes, that's the resolution to go for.

As posted above, I think you'll have more people miss much more of your page with the use of your iframes on every page, than by the current resolution.

Wow, thanks for the wonderful compliments and comments! Funnily enough, I am actually not using a single iframe. It's merely a div with overflow:auto.

But I will certainly consider what you said. It's a left-over from when I had a really complicated bunch of 'background' pictures that had to stay in exactly the same place. Now I'm using a single background picture and you've made me realize there's no reason to continue that way...

There's a link called 'Graphic Design' on the sidebar that gives my e-mail address ... I'll rename it, thanks for the suggestion!

As for the 800x600 issue ... I'm now wrestling with alternate stylesheets and php and stuff, who knows where it'll end up... <grin>

Bethers · #12 02-01-2007, 09:11 PM

Like I said - I love your work - and I want everyone who comes to the page to find it.

LOL about the contact info being on the Graphic Design page. I wouldn't have been looking there for it - BUT - this is a point of not realizing or thinking to scroll down within the page. I didn't - so didn't see it. And on your pages, this is especially so - because I am see the footer/copyright - which makes me think I'm seeing the whole page.

:)

wiggytuftuk · #13 02-01-2007, 11:49 PM

Hi Leoni,
Firstly may i say that your site looks really great and your work is truly lovely.I would be well happy if you would consider designing a logo for my site,keep up the great work.
regards

Charles Shaw · #14 02-02-2007, 02:00 AM

This site and its contents © Leoni Venter 2006
I am seeing the above overlaying the second paragraph on your homepage, above it is an orange line.

Really like the way you have arranged your site. Have not had time to peruse it all, but what I have seen so far is very well done.

Saludos,
Charles

Bethers · #15 02-02-2007, 02:48 AM

There you go - Charles' post is proof that people won't know to use the interior scroll bar! And that from someone who has built websites.

Dream Lady · #16 02-02-2007, 05:00 AM

WONDERFUL! I love your colors, pictures, etc. Everything about your site makes me want to come back. I do see what Beth means about the scrolling. Other than that what a GREAT design!

deesdogcare · #17 02-02-2007, 07:01 AM

I have to admit that I missed the interior scrollbar the first time or two that I stepped into your site . . . but it may have been that I was just in awe of the sheer beauty in there! I'll have to go back and play more, so I saved it for viewing on breaks & such!

leoni_v · #18 02-02-2007, 08:15 AM

Right, well I have to say I am overwhelmed by everyone's positive feedback! I never thought people would like my pics...

I've re-done the theme to scroll down alllll the way - no interior scrollbar anymore.

I'm still working on a way to allow visitors to choose a stylesheet depending on their screen resolution, so for now the theme looks best at 1024x768 or larger.

I've added a "Contact me" page on the sidebar.

Would you all please quickly go see if it works any better ... AND if I missed anything in the re-coding? I tend to fix one thing and break three others <grin>.

leoni_v · #19 02-02-2007, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiggytuftuk

Hi Leoni,
Firstly may i say that your site looks really great and your work is truly lovely.I would be well happy if you would consider designing a logo for my site,keep up the great work.
regards

Hi Jay, thanks for the compliments! What do you have in mind, logo-wise?

Bethers · #20 02-02-2007, 08:53 AM

Don't know what you did - but am not getting the same website now - seeing what appears to be your blog - blue - Fractal Parrot?

leoni_v · #21 02-02-2007, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bethers

Don't know what you did - but am not getting the same website now - seeing what appears to be your blog - blue - Fractal Parrot?

Haha, yes oops, that was me. It should be ok now!

You accessed the site at the very moment I was (yet again) uploading the stylesheet ... WordPress seems to have reset itself to the default theme because of that. LOL.

Like I wrote to my friend on MSN just now, 'that was 18 hours of boredom followed by 2 minutes of utter panic'!

Dream Lady · #22 02-02-2007, 09:42 AM

Looks Great! The only foo pa I saw was on your home page right below your header on the left end of the line, this text overlaps the line and is not very readable...This site and its contents © Leoni Venter 2006 That was the only problem I could see. No problem missing the scroll now!!
SUPERB!!

leoni_v · #23 02-02-2007, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dream Lady

Looks Great! The only foo pa I saw was on your home page right below your header on the left end of the line, this text overlaps the line and is not very readable...This site and its contents © Leoni Venter 2006 That was the only problem I could see. No problem missing the scroll now!!
SUPERB!!

I think you just need to hit 'Refresh' to fix that one, it's still trying to use the old positioning of the copyright notice.

leoni_v · #24 02-02-2007, 01:36 PM

Well, after much sweat and coding (which didn't work and got thrown out) I found a cool little plug-in that does exactly what I wanted...

So now I have a little drop-down box at the top of the sidebar labeled "Themes". It contains two versions of my current theme, one for 800x600 and the other for 1024x768 or larger. Choose one, let the page load in...

If nothing appears to happen, please Refresh your browser window. I notice that IE doesn't always bother to check the datestamp on stylesheets.

I'll be glad for any more comments, suggestions and feedback. I really appreciate every comment so far, as you've definitely made me do more than my usual lazy thing to make this site as good as possible!

Bethers · #25 02-02-2007, 08:31 PM

That's a neat little plug-in - now, the question is, how many people will use or understand it? LOL - But I wouldn't worry about it - the vast majority of searchers are now on 1024 or above.

Looks good - I like it much better without the scroll bar in the page!

And isn't it always the case - that I caught the site right during a transition :)

Charles Shaw · #26 02-02-2007, 08:36 PM

Well, there you go, Bethers, just because someone can use BV and design a website, doesn´t mean he knows what he is doing! Still don´t know what you meant by scroll thing, but the line and the copy have now moved and the copy to the bottom
of the page, but the line is overlapping "previous entries".

Saludos,
Charles

Bethers · #27 02-02-2007, 09:53 PM

LOL Charles - you just made my point in a previous post - and you didn't even realize it! It was karma, I think :)

Charles Shaw · #28 02-03-2007, 12:33 AM

Well, then let´s hope we meet again in such a way! How fun.

Charles

leoni_v · #29 02-03-2007, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charles Shaw

Well, there you go, Bethers, just because someone can use BV and design a website, doesn´t mean he knows what he is doing! Still don´t know what you meant by scroll thing, but the line and the copy have now moved and the copy to the bottom
of the page, but the line is overlapping "previous entries".

Saludos,
Charles

Ah, I know what's causing that .. thanks for reminding me, Charles! I fixed it in the 800x600 layout but not the 1024x768 one.

It'll be just a minute ... <grin>

leoni_v · #30 02-03-2007, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bethers

That's a neat little plug-in - now, the question is, how many people will use or understand it? LOL - But I wouldn't worry about it - the vast majority of searchers are now on 1024 or above.

Looks good - I like it much better without the scroll bar in the page!

And isn't it always the case - that I caught the site right during a transition :)

Ah well, at least I know it's there if someone really wants it <grin>.

Considering how many times yesterday I uploaded modified files (like I'm doing right now!) it's surprising that it didn't happen more...

Thanks again for your constructive comments, you've helped a lot!

Charles Shaw · #31 02-04-2007, 03:03 AM

Hola, sorry to say, but I still see the orange line overlaying "previous entries" at the bottom of the page.

saludos,
Charles

Charles Shaw · #32 02-04-2007, 03:06 AM

I am using netscape, which I find does that with lines... :(

C

leoni_v · #33 02-04-2007, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charles Shaw

I am using netscape, which I find does that with lines... :(

C

Sigh... oh, these browsers... ok, I'll see if I can push it down a bit further. Thanks for letting me know!

Edit: I've added a 100 pixels to the distance between the last entry and the footer. I hope Netscape will follow the instructions <grin>. Otherwise, might I recommend you upgrade to Firefox? It's a very nice browser with close ties to the Mozilla/Netscape legacy.

leoni_v · #34 02-04-2007, 09:42 AM

That little 'Theme Switcher' plugin has been bothering me since I triumphantly installed it on Friday. The main reason is because it really switched between two whole themes, which meant re-loading the entire page with all the graphics. Now obviously one wouldn't do that more than once, but it's still not exactly what I wanted.

I want a CSS stylesheet switcher. The graphics and the content should stay put, only the layout should change.

And this morning I finally found the perfect solution: a javascript that allows you to choose and load in alternate stylesheets. I found it at Dynamic Drive and it's easy to install and implement.

Check out my site for a demo... top of the sidebar <grin>.

I know some people surf the web with javascript disabled. That shouldn't interfere with the loading of my default stylesheet, so my site should still be viewable. And such visitors must have decided to forego some of the web's functionality for greater security, so I'm not going to worry about them.

I think I can now relax and enjoy the rest of my weekend...

fnt · #35 02-04-2007, 09:47 AM

hey,
cool site..
do have a contact page? so we can email you or send a message to you through your website?
thanks
paul

i stayed in johannasburg a while back.. it was so cold, we used 5 blankets..
we visited zululand, and i cant remember the others, but its beautifull over there,
Lucky Dube? have you heard of him?

leoni_v · #36 02-04-2007, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fnt

hey,
cool site..
do have a contact page? so we can email you or send a message to you through your website?
thanks
paul

i stayed in johannasburg a while back.. it was so cold, we used 5 blankets..
we visited zululand, and i cant remember the others, but its beautifull over there,
Lucky Dube? have you heard of him?

I'm happy you like my site! There's a "Contact me" link on the sidebar, under "Pages" - you can find my e-mail address there.

Or you can just leave a comment on my site and I'll get back to you.

Yes, Jo'burg can get pretty cold in winter, if you're from Hawaii <grin>. I'm sure people from Iceland will think winter in Jo'burg is nice and balmy.

Yes, I've heard of Lucky Dube - he's quite well-known and I like his music.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)