New 1.6 front-end templates

[Deak]

Fantastic work on the release of 1.6. There's some excellent features (and welcome refinements) in there and I'd like to thank everyone who worked on it. This CMS continues to get better and better. My personal fave new feature... forgotten password for admins! Very welcome! I've not had a chance to play with the new Permissions yet, but they look cool too.

I also think the new front-end templates are very nice. However... and this is just a small gripe on the default install...

I think having 2 templates -- both of which are active -- on a default install is confusing and odd. Clicking from the homepage (NCleanBlue) and having the site completely change underneath you is jarring. It even goes from fixed-width to full-width.

I think the goal of a default template should be to create a simple and coherent platform that shows web designers how to build up their own templates -- e.g. NCleanBlue should be used throughout and have variations of itself for homepage, 1 col, 2 col, etc. (Also, for me, one of the hardest parts of CMSMS to learn was the Menu Manager... isn't the prospect of skinning a drop-down menu a bit advanced for new users?)

I hope that this criticism can be taken in the spirit in which it is offered -- e.g. honestly and constructively.

Thanks for all your work.

[alby]

I think having 2 templates -- both of which are active -- on a default install is confusing and odd. Clicking from the homepage (NCleanBlue) and having the site completely change underneath you is jarring. It even goes from fixed-width to full-width.

Content » Pages  check right checkbox, in above dropdown select "Set template" and Submit
Choose your preferite template and Submit again

Now you have all site of your preferite template

Alby

[Deak]

Content » Pages  check right checkbox, in above dropdown select "Set template" and Submit
Choose your preferite template and Submit again

Now you have all site of your preferite template

Thanks Alby, but that's not really the point I was making. Specifically I was concerned about: 1) How new users CMSMS might react to the double template thing; and 2) How the double template situation + drop-down menu might be overly complicated for a default template that people will be looking to learn from.

[calguy1000]

Multiple templates are placed there as 'examples'... to give people an idea of how to do certain things.

[Deak]

Multiple templates are placed there as 'examples'... to give people an idea of how to do certain things.

Yep, definitely, this is really important. I was concerned about giving people such a thorough/complex starting point. Also it's a starting point that doesn't "flow" like a real website would (see my jarring comment above).

No worries if people don't agree with me. 

P.S. Calguy, check your PMs/email...