PostNuke

I have run into it some times when I had ~100 users online and the screen was just full of error messages. I got 40 mails, some were coplaining and some where explaining what tey did at the moment when I screwed my site up.
Then I really thought that a system to suspend usage for some time would be good idea in the future.

Here we could take advantage of the user system the way that you (as the admin) have everything working (buggy or not) but all the rest visitors get a custom message from admin, no matter where they clik, on the middle saying that currently we do some maintenance , we started some time and shell be done in xx minutes

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I'd like to take a step back and ask two questions:

What do end users want from a 'Theme System'?

What components make up a 'Theme System'

What do end users want from a 'Theme System'?

Probably divided into at least two major camps:

Those who want to design the layout and content via web based tools

Those who want to integrate PN into existing sites, using a template system

Please add to this list!

Each group would contain users who are comfortable with either HTML or PHP or both.

Are these camps mutually exclusive? I think not - provided we do the functional analysis before the coding.

What components make up a 'Theme System'

Well you have your oft quoted twins: 'Presentation Layer' and 'Content'

In PN most of the dynamic content is derived from the 'blocks' system with the static content derived from the theme code.

Unfortunately, the presentation layer is also partially dictated by the block system, with the theme code struggling to beat it into place.

So what am I trying to say? PN has a lot of legacy structure imposed on it. It's basis was designed and built by one person, based on that one person's needs and ideas.

We need to take a fresh look at the functional requirements of our 'Theme System' and document them before doing any coding.

The PN WIKI seems the most obvious place to solicit end user requirements - an 'RFC' approach...

BTW: Has anyone (been?) volunteered/earmarked to take the lead on the 0.8/theme project? - I do not have the capacity to do this role, but I'd like to actively support/assist the person who does.

A little Belated, but still.. Star-Fleet.org Vistable at www.star-fleet.org Has gone Post Nuke!, While the Following Affilated sites have as well.

Riverina Games Assocation Http://rga.star-fleet.org

#Vampires_of_Normandy Http://Von.star-fleet.org

The Silver Rune Http://garou.star-fleet.org

Thanks to Post Nuke and the Team for the Software this Guy Loves it!

Zelf, Aka Rob Graham

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The site layout is a little special with extensive (but not over-extensive) use of JavaScript and a little framing. Thought it might be interesting, since it is not many (not any i have noticed) that has oped this layout method. The only thing i did was remove the block() functions in the themes to make it "compatible" with frames. (The PN part is located in the main frame area)

Btw, you guys are doing a great job!

Keep 'em coming! ;-)

--Helge Nordgård
helges.net

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