Recent Changes to site layout?

I agree Keith on both statements :-)

Maybe it was just the shock of having a site layout that i was happy to view, as so many commercial sites have gone for the 3 column fixed size look, that i was enjoying the fullscreen feel of it all.

Andrew

That sounds interesting, look forward to seeing that.

Thanks Michelle, not complaining just throwing a suggestion out there for all to see. :-)

I personally dislike white space as it takes up valuable bandwidth ;-) Seriously though, it must be hard to balance the look and feel that you require with so many browsers, screen resolutions, operating systems etc each displaying the same info differently.

The problems with the current setup (albeit visual problems) is that such things as the search box on the left is oversized, and i'm sure (though can't be 100% sure) that the menus (the whole left column) were slightly larger when viewed on my screen previously

I was just wondering if it is feasible to have the best of both worlds.......1024 sizing AND scalable?

Thanks for your answer......Bring it on :-)

Andrew

Hi Andrew - everything you have to say is valuable input. Gosh, without you guys using it and telling us what's great, and what's not, we wouldn't have a site now would we!

Trust me there are major considerations with site changes as you seem to appreciate, however David's the genius here. I am so excited to show you the NEW look - its fresh and clean and nice on the eyes.

We have previously mentioned in past newsletters that we've been crunching around in the backend of the site - bit of a bore for you guys looking in from the front end but there's some really cool, smart stuff we can do now that the back end is getting the works.

We are going to try to launch the new site layout changes later today/tonight but in our office we're already using it and it makes such a difference. Obviously Rome wasn't built in a day, and there will still be a lot of spit and polish to be added even after we launch - this is just step one. The page groups (eg. Forum vs Trader, vs Articles, vs Trek Notes vs Places vs PlotSwap etc) will all be handled next so you'll have to move around the site and get out of the Forum to fully visualse the changes we are about to launch and then we can work on the refinements of the specific site areas within the site wrap. ie. big picture first, specifics next.

Launch will be announced in the today's planned newsletter. Better go and get back to it so we meet our own deadlines eh?!

>> is that such things as the search box on the left is oversized,
Mine is about 1/2inch wide, with 2inch of white space to the edge of screen... (1280x1024 at home n work)

>> i'm sure (though can't be 100% sure) that the menus (the whole left column) were slightly larger when viewed on my screen previously

Tips and quotes are only 2 or 3 words wide and 10 long on mine...

Tonight/tomorrow you'll be seeing the left and right margin content increase in width to 130 pixels. They are currently 92 as they always have been. The reason the left margin looks smaller to the eye today, is that with the centre fixed width site wrap rather than growing horizontally to the right when viewed at full screen, it is adding white space to both left and right of the fixed internal 1024. So no need to view the site at full screen if you have the right resolution. You'll be seeing the page at the same fixed size whether you have a full sized window filling your monitor or if you set your browser window to 1024 pixels. Give it a try you'll see what I mean and when we publish the new wrap with the wider margins it will be even better. The development site looks NOTHING like what you see right now.

Bruce - can you send me a screen shot of the issue - try this page for the capture - it is closer to the new format than the forum is at present - www.exploroz.com/Vehicle/Tyres/HT.aspx - thanks.

Just don't run a full screen window, ie. use a smaller window, this will get rid of the fixed white on teh outer edges that are beyond the fixed 1024. ie. most 17' monitors are wider than 1024 pixels.

G'dau Michelle,

I never use a full window, always a smaller one, but the text does not wrap anymore.

x2 with what bush said. the text dont fit on a smaller screen,.

Looks good to me - particularly the tyre page link you put up for truckster to look at.