September 5, 2002
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SKINS
Craftygirl asks:
My question is why do the skins only format the home page? When I go to an individual blog, that page is in the old colors.
Why?
Posted 9/5/2002 at 12:43 pm by craftygirl
Glad ya asked, crafty.
There are two main pages on Xanga Sites:
- Your List of Posts
- aka home.asp
- A Specific Post with comments
- aka item.asp
Right now, the skin only applies to the first page: your list of posts. There are specific tags that you need to put in there to display:
- the Date of the Post
- the Time of the Post,
- and the Post itself…
In addition, there are other tags you need to put in the skin so that Xanga knows what HTML to repeat over and over as it lists out each post.
Anyway, these tags aren’t very helpful for the second page: the Specific Post with comments. So we can’t just “apply” the skin to the second page, because those tags don’t mean anything on that page.
Eventually, we’ll create a separate skin for the second page as well (your individual post page). That way, you can skin both pages… and Look and Feel will only really apply to your Public Profile (and internal private pages).
Hope this makes sense! I hope people dig skinning both pages! My only concern here is that it would make skins a bit more complicated… do you think it’s worth it?
- Your List of Posts
Comments (12)
Hell yeah it’s worth it! I mean, we already have to put the work into the L&F settings to coordinate the comment pages with the skins, so why not just direct that effort towards a skin instead?
I think it’d be great….especially if I understood them well enough to have one work for me.
Sure its worth it!!!
I just starting using a skin for the first time this week and I was VERY disappointed that the “look” is not “uniform” throughout my site. I’d love it if ALL of the pages looked alike. I know this is some extra work, but I’d be willing to do it, if I could have a private/home.asp page and a comments page that looks like my Public page.
(I’m a UI-writer/editor and so I am extra picky about continuity and conformity.) I do really like my Public skin, though, so I think I will keep it for now.
Yes..!
This is like nice facade with ick underneath.
You mention that there are three specific tags that have to be added. Is there a way to make one instead? Are there really people who leave out the time, date or post tags? I have yet to run across it, but I don’t visit everywhere.
I love the skins, of course. I have been playing with them since they first came out. The mis-step I have seen, often, is people not paying attention to Xanga specific tags… even those who have a fair bit of html knowledge!
I still think the skins should be completely devoid of any external information, and thank you for keeping it that way. But, a singular tag that would make it easier to get the stuff people usually want on their site (i.e. posts with date, time and comments all in one) would be super keen.
Another good idea might be to make a couple of templates that have this. Oh, that’s what the skins directory is for? *sigh* I better go check that out before the next person asks for help!
Here’s a heads up: my guestbook is dysfunctional. On a hunch, I checked VeryModern’s too: also dysfunctional. What’s crunching?
I think the idea is faboo… zangaroo. LOL
I suppose that it would be nice to have certain things that are deemed necessary all in one tidy tag. And to be able to have the skin cover all aspects of our site. That was the one main reason I haven’t used them yet… I’d almost rather have just the html I use, because it makes it all uniform.
I like what VM said… “This is like nice facade with ick underneath.” It’s kinda true…
http://myweb.ecomplanet.com/CORS8318/default.htm
HI!! Just built this tonight!! Please visit!! ~Anagames~
yes yes yes.!
Well if I were premium (as soon as I get my account sorted out here I’m gonna do that) and if I had a skin (which I’m considering as soon as issue one is closed) then hell yeah I’d skin both!
Thanks for replying.
cg
The skins are kinda cool I guess, and I suppose if you like them you would want them on all your pages. What I find is that they make pages hard to navigate and often hard to read, so mostly I dont’ read skinned pages. Where I do I subscribe so I can have plain text on the SIR pages to read. I hope messing with skinning the 2nd page won’t break that.