dark theme issues

[eatworksleepdie]

I noticed this a few weeks ago, but the Dark theme is partially broke. The magnifying glass icon that's supposed to be next to the search box in the upper right corner is WAAAY way over to the far far right. Themes are difficult with the new version of VB, so I'm not sure how you'd go about fixing it fiat500usa...

Not a huge deal, the rest of the forum still "works", but thought I'd make mention of it.

kthxbai!

[Fiat500USA]

I noticed this a few weeks ago, but the Dark theme is partially broke. The magnifying glass icon that's supposed to be next to the search box in the upper right corner is WAAAY way over to the far far right. Themes are difficult with the new version of VB, so I'm not sure how you'd go about fixing it fiat500usa...

Not a huge deal, the rest of the forum still "works", but thought I'd make mention of it.

kthxbai!

Thanks for the heads up!

[Ando]

Figured this topic was appropriate so I'll add on to it.

I didn't even notice the position of the magnifying glass until eatworksleepdie mentioned it.

I primarily struggle with the icons that are mouse-over-able ("Thanks", "Reputation", "Report", "multi-quote") and drop down menus (User interaction options; garage; thread tools; etc). For the most part the issue here is that they are displayed as dark grey text on a dark grey background. This is a minor issue.

The text in the white search bar displays as very light grey and I cannot see what I am typing unless I go back and highlight the text afterwards. This is a significant annoyance.

The compose message window is not affected by the dark theme at all, it is as bright as the morning sun. This is probably buried under more code than other items and not worth digging into.

Some users post using black or dark grey colored text which is impossible to read. Sometimes this is completely unknown to the user. In theory if a message is formatted to appear on a white background inverting the color of the text should yield quality visibility on a black background. This is done for "automatic" text flawlessly but isn't something people think of (I haven't checked the color of my font yet, OK just did, it's "auto"). The easy way out of this is to eliminate color formatting as an option on the forum. This might annoy very few members, but is hardly worth being upset over.

Some options have no practical use in this application.
Ok, that's all I can think of. Any other dark theme users out there have things that bother them?

Overall I'm pleased that the dark theme exists and its quirks are worth living with. Every time I'm not logged in to the forum I feel as if I'm about to go blind. =P

[Fiat500USA]

Thanks for the feedback and sorry for the issues. When I initially went to vBulletin, I wanted to go with the best software out there regardless of cost. Unfortunately it is geared towards professional programmers, which was OK at first because I initially hired an experienced guy to set everything up and migrate the old nabble forum to this new site. Regrettably he flaked out and it's been a struggle getting reliable guys since then.

Figured this topic was appropriate so I'll add on to it.

I didn't even notice the position of the magnifying glass until eatworksleepdie mentioned it.

This looks to be an issue on phones even on the default theme. When I check desktops/laptops it is normal. I've been trying to find a mobile alternative for a long time but they all have issues. I've hired a number of people work on this and they petered out. Tapatalk was a favorite, but they have issues with advertising. I don't have a business selling parts to members and I'm not backed by a huge corporation with 600 websites, so we rely on the Google ads and a few vendors to stay in business. Tapatalk is known for destroying a forum's revenue and I've been waiting to see if they fixed that. Doesn't seem they have so that's not an option. There's been other apps out there but each one has issues.

I'm looking to upgrade to vBulletin 5 which is mobile friendly but it has less functionality than the version we have (no garages, and no calendar) plus there have been lots of complaints although they may have addressed that. I'm working with another guy at the moment to see about this as this will probably be ultimately what we do.

I primarily struggle with the icons that are mouse-over-able ("Thanks", "Reputation", "Report", "multi-quote") and drop down menus (User interaction options; garage; thread tools; etc). For the most part the issue here is that they are displayed as dark grey text on a dark grey background. This is a minor issue.

Unfortunately, I'm a car guy and not a programmer, so I've been teaching myself this over the years. As I've mentioned, I've hired guys over the years and they start off good but then flake out. Very frustrating. I did make a change to this a little while ago but obviously still need to work on this. vBulletin 4 is not user friendly and is geared towards professionals which is the main issue. I'm kind of a one man band running two websites which doesn't help.

The text in the white search bar displays as very light grey and I cannot see what I am typing unless I go back and highlight the text afterwards. This is a significant annoyance.

The compose message window is not affected by the dark theme at all, it is as bright as the morning sun. This is probably buried under more code than other items and not worth digging into.

Sorry about this. I didn't realize that. That will be my priority when I finish a project I am working on.

Some users post using black or dark grey colored text which is impossible to read. Sometimes this is completely unknown to the user. In theory if a message is formatted to appear on a white background inverting the color of the text should yield quality visibility on a black background. This is done for "automatic" text flawlessly but isn't something people think of (I haven't checked the color of my font yet, OK just did, it's "auto"). The easy way out of this is to eliminate color formatting as an option on the forum. This might annoy very few members, but is hardly worth being upset over.

Some options have no practical use in this application.

Good point. Turning it off may be the solution, although I'd rather not lose functionality. I guess people don't realize there is another theme. Whenever I see that I fix it, but I'm sure I miss it as I use the default theme. I think James uses the dark theme, so I'm sure he fixes this when he sees it. I'll check with Robert. Both these guys are part time and have busy lives, so they get on when they can but I'm not surprised if they miss stuff.

Ok, that's all I can think of. Any other dark theme users out there have things that bother them?

Overall I'm pleased that the dark theme exists and its quirks are worth living with. Every time I'm not logged in to the forum I feel as if I'm about to go blind. =P

Thanks again for the feedback. I came up with the dark theme because Fiat500USA.com uses a dark theme and I wanted continuity. vBulletin is really a pain to work with but I've invested a lot of time and money in it, so I'm leaning towards going to the latest version which hopefully is more back end novice friendly, so I don't have to hire and rely on guys who can't respond to emails. If you know of a reliable programmer that knows vBulletin let me know.

I appreciate your and everyone's patience.

[Ando]

Thanks for the thorough response.

I want to reiterate, I'm very thankful that the dark theme exists at all, I used the forum for a number of months in default and was so pleased when I finally found the option. This isn't your job, I don't expect you to drop everything and fix issues. I will continue to use it with its quirks, but wanted to document them for your reference.

Just as a data point the only time I access the forum on a mobile device is to reference instructions while I am out in the garage, therefore mobile friendly functionality doesn't hold much value for me.

Sorry to hear you have had such a hard time finding good help for the vBulletin stuff. I work with a bunch of talented mechanical engineers and their eyes glaze over whenever our software engineer starts talking about programming. It truly is a completely different thought process.

[Fiat500USA]

Thanks for the thorough response.

I want to reiterate, I'm very thankful that the dark theme exists at all, I used the forum for a number of months in default and was so pleased when I finally found the option. This isn't your job, I don't expect you to drop everything and fix issues. I will continue to use it with its quirks, but wanted to document them for your reference.

That is my pleasure. I appreciate you (and everyone) taking the time to bring issues to my attention. One of my goals of the forum was to offer a first class place for Fiat owners to get together, so that is why I purchased the top of the line vBulletin software. I want the best site we can have, so you can say it is my job. LOL

I take it very seriously that someone takes time out of their day to visit my sites so I owe it to them to do the best I can. It's especially frustrating that it is so hard to get reliable help. I've been willing to buy new software for years to upgrade the site, but vBulletin can't even make a compelling case to go to version 5. I've spent an hour when I got home from work looking at upgrading to the newest version and their support forum team doesn't even recommend it as a clear cut improvement. Pretty nuts in my book.

Just as a data point the only time I access the forum on a mobile device is to reference instructions while I am out in the garage, therefore mobile friendly functionality doesn't hold much value for me.

Sorry to hear you have had such a hard time finding good help for the vBulletin stuff. I work with a bunch of talented mechanical engineers and their eyes glaze over whenever our software engineer starts talking about programming. It truly is a completely different thought process.

As far as programming goes, I always say I know enough to be dangerous!

That's good to know others also use a desktop. Google is killing me with the 'non-mobile friendly' messages. I had a guy work up a responsive mobile test theme, but they stopped answering emails. I just want to pay someone and get it done, but who would think it is so hard to give people money.

[Fiat500USA]

Some good news for those who use the dark theme. I fixed some of the issues and anoyances that were popping up on that theme. Thanks for the input and thanks for putting up with them while I figured it out.

Figured this topic was appropriate so I'll add on to it.

I didn't even notice the position of the magnifying glass until eatworksleepdie mentioned it.

This one looks like it could be if the forum is magnified. I don't see it, so let me know if it is still messed up.

I primarily struggle with the icons that are mouse-over-able ("Thanks", "Reputation", "Report", "multi-quote")

Still working on finding the buried setting.

...and drop down menus (User interaction options; garage; thread tools; etc). For the most part the issue here is that they are displayed as dark grey text on a dark grey background. This is a minor issue.

I'm happy to say I made some changes which should be an improvement. Let me know.

The text in the white search bar displays as very light grey and I cannot see what I am typing unless I go back and highlight the text afterwards. This is a significant annoyance.

I didn't notice this, but I'll double check to see if I can change the color in the search. Is the text here OK?

The compose message window is not affected by the dark theme at all, it is as bright as the morning sun. This is probably buried under more code than other items and not worth digging into.

I made a change that gets rid of the bright white background in favor of a more eye friendly greyish color. Again, let me know how it is.

Some users post using black or dark grey colored text which is impossible to read. Sometimes this is completely unknown to the user. In theory if a message is formatted to appear on a white background inverting the color of the text should yield quality visibility on a black background. This is done for "automatic" text flawlessly but isn't something people think of (I haven't checked the color of my font yet, OK just did, it's "auto"). The easy way out of this is to eliminate color formatting as an option on the forum. This might annoy very few members, but is hardly worth being upset over.

Some options have no practical use in this application.

This one is going to take some more time. I'll keep an eye out for posts with unreadable fonts. If anyone comes accross one, just hit the "report a post" button and let me know and I'll fix it.

Ok, that's all I can think of. Any other dark theme users out there have things that bother them?

Overall I'm pleased that the dark theme exists and its quirks are worth living with. Every time I'm not logged in to the forum I feel as if I'm about to go blind. =P

Really glad you mentioned this and I'm happy to make adjustments. If anyone has feedback, lay it on me! I'll do my best to address anything that will make the forum better. Thanks!

[Ando]

Woohoo! Nice work!

RE: Search bar
Text color fixed, black on white, good to go. I'm at 100% (default) zoom. I actually think the magnifying glass is where it supposed to be, but my window is collapsed a bit causing things to overlap. I've noticed this when I throw my browser over to my portrait orientation monitor, the top links overlap. If you could get them to overflow onto a second line that would be ideal, but isn't a deal breaker. Don't think that is a dark specific problem.

RE: Drop down menus
They look perfect now, thanks!

RE: Compose window
The black on grey looks good, plenty of contrast while still being easy on the eyes.

RE: Invisible posts
I can think of a couple posts that display poorly, I'll go tag them (or PM you links if you prefer) when I get a spare moment.

Thanks for all your hard work!

[Fiat500USA]

Woohoo! Nice work!

Thanks!

RE: Search bar
Text color fixed, black on white, good to go. I'm at 100% (default) zoom. I actually think the magnifying glass is where it supposed to be, but my window is collapsed a bit causing things to overlap. I've noticed this when I throw my browser over to my portrait orientation monitor, the top links overlap. If you could get them to overflow onto a second line that would be ideal, but isn't a deal breaker. Don't think that is a dark specific problem.

Cool. I really want to move the search box down to the next row where it says advanced search.

RE: Drop down menus
They look perfect now, thanks!

RE: Compose window
The black on grey looks good, plenty of contrast while still being easy on the eyes.

I normally take one last look at the forum while I am in bed (usually 2AM!) and I know what you mean by the bright white background especially in a dark room. It used to blind me, too! Sorry I didn't get to do this earlier. Glad it is readable and easier on the eyes.

RE: Invisible posts
I can think of a couple posts that display poorly, I'll go tag them (or PM you links if you prefer) when I get a spare moment.

Thanks for all your hard work!

The easiest thing is just report the post. There is no penalty or anything like that. It just automates the process for me. I'll get an email and a direct link to the post so I can click a couple of buttons. I also get a record of what I did. This also will make it easier on you (or anyone who wants to report the issue) because you don't have to copy and paste an url or even put my username in like when you make a PM. A bonus is maybe one of the moderators can fix it too.

Of course anyone is welcome to PM me with suggestions, too. PMs sometimes take a little bit for me to respond to as I get slammed with emails an messages and only have a limited bit of time in morning or late late at night to get to them.

Thanks for the kind words!

[Ando]

Got a new one.

The overall forum search box is fixed, but the sub-forum specific one next to "forum tools" (advanced search maybe?) is still goofy.

Forum Search Box.JPG

Also: Not sure if it is related to dark theme or not, but it has always bothered me that the inbox for private messages has the message icons swapped. What I mean by this is unread messages display as an opened envelope (with the tab up in a pentagonal shape) and read messages display as a closed envelope (tab down, rectangle). I'm the best nit-pick I know!

[Fiat500USA]

Got a new one.

The overall forum search box is fixed, but the sub-forum specific one next to "forum tools" (advanced search maybe?) is still goofy.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]28634[/ATTACH]

Also: Not sure if it is related to dark theme or not, but it has always bothered me that the inbox for private messages has the message icons swapped. What I mean by this is unread messages display as an opened envelope (with the tab up in a pentagonal shape) and read messages display as a closed envelope (tab down, rectangle). I'm the best nit-pick I know!

Hi Ando,

Hmm... I've got to check those out. Never noticed the message thing. I wonder how that got screwed up!