site update
I keep forgetting to update here, lol.
I've started working on the site afain. Nothing tangible yet, as I like to have everything done and polished before uploading. One word of warning, trhough. If you happen to visit the Comic Scans section, please don't freak out. I know there's no site banner or background. There's a reason for that.
I am working on the sitewide series-specific drop-down menu.
Yes, it WILL be a reality, and soon.
All of the site's contents will be at your fingertips.
Every category.
Every series.
well.... I still have to get my hands on the latest, Transformers: Rescue heroes. Yeah, I didn't think it would go over that well. Turns out not only is it a legit series (not some knock-off), but it has been running for three seasons now!
So, anyway, back to the reason for the comic scans being such a mess....
I've been trying to find a way to incorporate the sitewide series-specific menu into the sections of the site that use Gallery. Not easy, but not impossible.
Instead of trying to learn php, java, and a bunch of other complicated (yikes!) programming languages (all at once. I'm still going to try, eventually), I found another way.
I feel like I've allready said this somewhere before... hmm.
I called DomainsPricedRight to double check and make sure my site wouldn't get shut down (blocked from access) for using frames. (I yelled and ranted in a post about this when it happened). The gut I spoke to was actually suprised that I asked, and suprised that someone would do somethhing like that. He seemed to think it was pretty petty of them to do that also. (although now I understand it. People were using framed sites to access other sites, hack and do other illegal things. I think frames acts like a dns mask.)
So, having gotten a thumbs-up from DPR, I put together the sssddm (sitewide series-specific drop-down menu). Then, I discovered that those wonderful links loaded in the sssddm frame, replacing that 600 pixel height (small!) menu with the page's content.
*sigh*
So I had to go back and replace all (about a hundred or so!) links with a specific tag to make it load in the window (the same one, not a seperate tag! that was headache-enducing!).
Theeeeeeen (and lol) I discovered that they didn't work. Finally I figured out it was just the pages on my computer. The pages onsite are fine.
Finally, I created a double-framed page that would load the sssddm in the appropriate upper part of the page, and the gallery's content into the lower part of the frame. But this required layering, as the sssddm actually drops down in front of the page's main content.
Tonight I discovered a glitch in my beautifully designed pages. All the sssddm links going to the gallery pages loaded OUTSIDE the framed pages. Meaning they had no banner, no background, and an eye-bending shade of off-white grey. yeeeaaah. Cue another "OHNOES" attack.
Then it hit me. I don't have that many gallery pages listed on the sssddm (ha ha, silly me. I didn't look first, did I? nope. Oh well.
After several hours of programming and double-checking pages, (33 of them), I have FINALLY made framed html versions of the pages listed on the sssddm. And some that are listed and don't have content. Not changing that. They'll be there eventually.
Now, the sssddm has three parts: page navigation and view, listst by universe (series), and the search menu. The search menu has categories then universe.
I'm working on making gallery mockup pages for the items listed on the ddm not in the galleries because they will eventually be there. At least the section I'm working on right now, the Comic Scans.
Also, I'll be adding several more to that sssddm. I now have some of the spotlight comics in spanish!
Then there was the matter of the links on the mockup page. Login, register, etc. Yeah. more non-framed eye-bending muckery. But that was only three pages. And the mockups don't have a sidebar. Those lins just go back to the main index page.
lol.
I know it doesn't sound like much when it's being typed, but this took a lot of typing the same thing over and over and over...
and over and over and over and over and..... you get the idea.
And troubleshooting, and nail-biting until the problems get figured out, then going back and redoing pages because the frames have to be a specific size to eliminate those pesky and annoying scrollbars. Gah, I hate those. And for what, TWO PIXELS!? REALLY!?
no, really, that's what happened.
So, I'm going to (try to) get this section finished tonight and get the pages upload, maybe update the site's homepage. Dunno. I kind of want to wait until everything's done in the new layout, but I guess that got spoiled when I redid the fanfiction section.... suprise, there's a sample of the new layout!
(minus the sssddm).
I will keep working, and keep you posted. Later!
I've started working on the site afain. Nothing tangible yet, as I like to have everything done and polished before uploading. One word of warning, trhough. If you happen to visit the Comic Scans section, please don't freak out. I know there's no site banner or background. There's a reason for that.
I am working on the sitewide series-specific drop-down menu.
Yes, it WILL be a reality, and soon.
All of the site's contents will be at your fingertips.
Every category.
Every series.
well.... I still have to get my hands on the latest, Transformers: Rescue heroes. Yeah, I didn't think it would go over that well. Turns out not only is it a legit series (not some knock-off), but it has been running for three seasons now!
So, anyway, back to the reason for the comic scans being such a mess....
I've been trying to find a way to incorporate the sitewide series-specific menu into the sections of the site that use Gallery. Not easy, but not impossible.
Instead of trying to learn php, java, and a bunch of other complicated (yikes!) programming languages (all at once. I'm still going to try, eventually), I found another way.
I feel like I've allready said this somewhere before... hmm.
I called DomainsPricedRight to double check and make sure my site wouldn't get shut down (blocked from access) for using frames. (I yelled and ranted in a post about this when it happened). The gut I spoke to was actually suprised that I asked, and suprised that someone would do somethhing like that. He seemed to think it was pretty petty of them to do that also. (although now I understand it. People were using framed sites to access other sites, hack and do other illegal things. I think frames acts like a dns mask.)
So, having gotten a thumbs-up from DPR, I put together the sssddm (sitewide series-specific drop-down menu). Then, I discovered that those wonderful links loaded in the sssddm frame, replacing that 600 pixel height (small!) menu with the page's content.
*sigh*
So I had to go back and replace all (about a hundred or so!) links with a specific tag to make it load in the window (the same one, not a seperate tag! that was headache-enducing!).
Theeeeeeen (and lol) I discovered that they didn't work. Finally I figured out it was just the pages on my computer. The pages onsite are fine.
Finally, I created a double-framed page that would load the sssddm in the appropriate upper part of the page, and the gallery's content into the lower part of the frame. But this required layering, as the sssddm actually drops down in front of the page's main content.
Tonight I discovered a glitch in my beautifully designed pages. All the sssddm links going to the gallery pages loaded OUTSIDE the framed pages. Meaning they had no banner, no background, and an eye-bending shade of off-white grey. yeeeaaah. Cue another "OHNOES" attack.
Then it hit me. I don't have that many gallery pages listed on the sssddm (ha ha, silly me. I didn't look first, did I? nope. Oh well.
After several hours of programming and double-checking pages, (33 of them), I have FINALLY made framed html versions of the pages listed on the sssddm. And some that are listed and don't have content. Not changing that. They'll be there eventually.
Now, the sssddm has three parts: page navigation and view, listst by universe (series), and the search menu. The search menu has categories then universe.
I'm working on making gallery mockup pages for the items listed on the ddm not in the galleries because they will eventually be there. At least the section I'm working on right now, the Comic Scans.
Also, I'll be adding several more to that sssddm. I now have some of the spotlight comics in spanish!
Then there was the matter of the links on the mockup page. Login, register, etc. Yeah. more non-framed eye-bending muckery. But that was only three pages. And the mockups don't have a sidebar. Those lins just go back to the main index page.
lol.
I know it doesn't sound like much when it's being typed, but this took a lot of typing the same thing over and over and over...
and over and over and over and over and..... you get the idea.
And troubleshooting, and nail-biting until the problems get figured out, then going back and redoing pages because the frames have to be a specific size to eliminate those pesky and annoying scrollbars. Gah, I hate those. And for what, TWO PIXELS!? REALLY!?
no, really, that's what happened.
So, I'm going to (try to) get this section finished tonight and get the pages upload, maybe update the site's homepage. Dunno. I kind of want to wait until everything's done in the new layout, but I guess that got spoiled when I redid the fanfiction section.... suprise, there's a sample of the new layout!
(minus the sssddm).
I will keep working, and keep you posted. Later!