Argos2 Admin Theme

[Argos]

I'm sorry guys, I focus on Wordpress and Joomla/K2 and ProcessWire right now. Maybe I'll pick WB up again if a newer, and much improved version sees the light. WB will always be my CMS of choice if it does what a client requires. But I'm sorry to say that this is less and less the case.

[cwsoft]

Hi,

Any status update?

I have decided to stop working on the new Argos 2 theme for WB 2.8.4

Think the message it's pretty clear. Just read the full post by Argos for details. If no one else picks this up, there will be no Argos2 in the near future.

Cheers

[rjgamer]

Any status update?

[rjgamer]

I've tested the new version. The admin template is damn ugly!

Please realise your template with the new wb 2.8.4 version...

[Vincent]

Although I find WordPress a pain in the ass, and agree with Tez Oner about the security issues: you have a point, Argos. And it is certainly a bad sign if old timers and contributors like you turn their back on WB.

At least it would be good to know which direction WB is going, and to hear more frequently from the developers on what's happening. Personally I like it that updates are released only occasionally, but 2.8.3 being over(?) two years old doesn't give us/visitors the impression it is alive and kicking.

2.8.4 was released, withdrawn (?) with ample communication: I think it is time to hear some more about what's going on, and what the key focus is on developement, as well as a time line.

So developers: please enlighten us.

Vincent

[Tez Oner]

Hey,

what pity! But regarding to security issues WP isn't something to rely on except when u install loads of plugins

Cheerz,

Tez Oner

[cwsoft]

@argos: sad but true. Your backend theme could have made the difference.

The default backend themes and frontend templates shipped with WB are so outdated, unable to attract any user in 2014. 10 years back it was ok, but not in 201x.

Cheers cwsoft

P.S. WB2.8.4 already ships with the new template engine Twig, also it is only used in some newer updated parts of WB

[Argos]

I have decided to stop working on the new Argos 2 theme for WB 2.8.4. There are several reasons:

1. it's frustrating I can't modify many things in the theme without help from a developer. Help that is sometimes given quick and practically usable, but mostly rather rudimentary and therefore not usable for me as a non-coder. And often support and communication is just completely absent. I don't blame devs for this, it's just the situation that makes it hard for me to continue. I just can't improve the theme like I want to, on my own.

2. the continuing success and development of Wordpress, and the very large number of very useful themes, addons and extensions, makes it less and less desirable to focus on WB. The development of WB is very slow, and while it has some big advantages over Wordpress, the market leader is Wordpress and as a commercial website creator I have to go with the flow. Also WB just can't do many things that Wordpress can.

3. after WB 2.8.4 there will be a new template engine (Twig), so the work I do now cannot be used for the next version. Also the new engine should give more power to non-coders to create good backend themes on their own, so I'm told.

----------

So maybe if WB 2.8.5 (or 2.9, or 3?) will be a major step forward and can catch up with Wordpress in some aspects, I may consider creating a new modern backend theme for WB. Otherwise I'm afraid I will focus more and more on Wordpress, and using WB only for very simple websites.

I think it's a shame to see WB slowly fall back in usefulness. The last years development have almost halted, from a "power user" point of view. The devs seem to have been focussed primarily on internal technical stuff and security issues, strangely enough mostly leading to decreased usability, and very few actual benefits for users and non-coders. It has lead to the current point of near stagnacy in everything concerning WB.

Anyway, I'm focussing on Wordpress now, because I have a business to run and Wordpress is the name of the game right now. But I hope WB will see some real, major development and improvements for website builders and power users in the near future. Otherwise I fear WB will be dead and forgotten within a few years, and probably sooner.

BWT: I will keep my "job" as a moderator here, and try and help people when I can. So I won't leave the WB community. I just quit putting work into the new admin theme I was working on.

[Argos]

Ah! Thanks, now I understand it well. So right now I can only put new language definitions in header and footer? That's not very usefull to me right now, I'm afraid. Is it possible for you to continue with step 3 instead of 2? 

I have no idea about the level of work and complexity all this is for you, and maybe step 2 must be done bfore 3, but I really would love to be able to use the flexible language options you describe in step 3 in my new theme...

[DarkViper]

Ok I'll try to explain:

As first step I activate Translate for the print_header() and print_footer() functions (represented by MyTheme/header.htt and MyTheme/footer.htt).
In this two templates you can use any of the translation definitions from wb/languages/XX.php  and MyTheme/languages/XX.php too.

i.E.:
in EN.php you have the definition: $TEXT['SOME_TEST'] = 'This is a test';
so in the templates you can display it using  {TEXT_SOME_TEST}

You need a completely new translation?
insert $MESSAGE['HELLO_AGAIN'] = 'BliblaBlubber..ups'; into your language file.
insert {MESSAGE_HELLO_AGAIN} into your template. That's all...

As second step am working on is to activate Translate for all addons inside the wb/admin/ folder.
Then each addon can(but must not) have it's own languages/ folder. Here all addon depending translations will be stored. Independent from the theme which is in use.

As third step Translate becomes an additional functionality to load language files from active theme or active template (depending from Front- or Backend)

The final result shall be:

Basically Translate loads definitions from wb/languages/
then overwrite/extend this loading definitions from admin/addon/languages/
then again overwrite/extend this loading definitions from MyTheme/languages/ or MyTemplate/languages/
The resulting list then is available to use in *.htt files.

So by default you have all translation definitions from core and the active addon available.
If you need personalized definition in your theme, so add the folder languages/ to your theme and place all language files ( XX.php) into it. Here you can overwrite any previous definition from core or addon. Also you can add completely new, additional definitions.

Any questions more? no problem, i can answer it.
But remember: with Revision 2094 step_1 only is finished yet. The next steps will follow as soon as possible.

Manuela

[Argos]

Revision 2094 has modified admin.class.php and TranslateAdaptorWbOldStyle.php
now in header.htt and footer.htt all translations are available from wb/languages/XX and templates/MyTheme/languages/XX. Simply use it like {TEXT_NEW_STRING} (from $TEXT['NEW_STRING']='jhjjkh'; )
It's enough to insert or modify a translation in the language files to make it available.
Do'nt forget to clean the cache after modifications! (Backend: reload languages  or manually delete the content of temp/TranslationTable/cache/)

Eh... I'm feeling a bit stupid, but could you give me a hand here? I have updated the 2 php files. But I don't understand how to use the {TEXT_NEW_STRING} (from $TEXT['NEW_STRING']='jhjjkh'; ) part...

Let's say I want to add a new language string on some admin page. I add $TEXT['SOME_TEST'] = 'This is a test'; to the theme language file, and {TEXT_SOME_TEST} to the htt file. I reload the language files, but the admin shows "{TEXT_SOME_TEST}" instead of "This is a test". So it doesn't work yet.

But what to do with the {TEXT_NEW_STRING} (from $TEXT['NEW_STRING']='jhjjkh'; ) Do I need to put that somewhere too?

[DarkViper]

It seems the tool.php from the Admin Tools section has no matching template file. So I cannot style it. Dev's: please add a template file for this! It really looks awful otherwise.

I'll see what i can do... without to much changes

I also have a question. The admin themes have a language file, but how can I add stuff to that? I need to have an option to add language variables to the template files.

Revision 2094 has modified admin.class.php and TranslateAdaptorWbOldStyle.php
now in header.htt and footer.htt all translations are available from wb/languages/XX and templates/MyTheme/languages/XX. Simply use it like {TEXT_NEW_STRING} (from $TEXT['NEW_STRING']='jhjjkh'; )
It's enough to insert or modify a translation in the language files to make it available.
Do'nt forget to clean the cache after modifications! (Backend: reload languages  or manually delete the content of temp/TranslationTable/cache/)

[Argos]

*BUMP*

It seems the tool.php from the Admin Tools section has no matching template file. So I cannot style it. Dev's: please add a template file for this! It really looks awful otherwise.

[DarkViper]

It's the same historical problem as everywhere using phplib...
Each translation must be set by example in admin::print_header()

but: not this night.. tomorrow in daytime i'll change the class admin to work more flexible with translations files.

[Argos]

I also have a question. The admin themes have a language file, but how can I add stuff to that? I need to have an option to add language variables to the template files.

[Argos]

It seems the tool.php from the Admin Tools section has no matching template file. So I cannot style it. Dev's: please add a template file for this! It really looks awful otherwise.

[instantflorian]

That looks very good.

-Florian.

[Argos]

And more...

[Argos]

And more...

[Argos]

I decided to stop using static icons, and instead opt for the icon font libary "Font Awesome". See http://fontawesome.io/.

So I had to rework some of the stuff I already did. I think it looks better, I hope you think so too. I removed the old screenshots. Here are the new ones...

BTW I use the form framework Formee for the form stuff. See http://formee.org/

[dbs]

+1 

[crnogorac081]

like !

[dbs]

Looks professional!
Want test ist, work faster. 

[jacobi22]

My preferred solution however would be to ship WB 2.8.4 with Argos2 theme

+1

[cwsoft]

Hi,

Hi, I'm working on the new Argos Theme for WB 2.8.4. It's a completely new theme, and functionally based on the default 2.8.4 WB theme. But with completely other visuals, and partly other HTML/CSS. I will get rid of old table based stuff as muchs as possible, and use DIV's instead. Also other improvements whenever I think is needed.

Cool. The attached screenshoot looks promising and much more up to-date than all WB themes I've seen since WB 2.7.

Would be a great boost, if the final WB 2.8.4 would shift with the Argos2 backend theme as default theme instead of the improved, but still somewhat 90s WB theme.

If the Argos2 theme does not make it into the final WB 2.8.4, I would vote for removing the old Argos theme before shipping WB 2.8.4 in order to reduce the upload package. My preferred solution however would be to ship WB 2.8.4 with Argos2 theme, even if this means some more weeks delay before WB 2.8.4 can be publishe.

Cool job, keep up the great work.

Cheers cwsoft

P.S.: @argos: if you need some beta tester, just send me a PM and I am more than happy to test your theme and to provide feedback