Well, I don't know what Drupal itself can do to address the "problem". The issue is that theming is hard, and theming a plethora of different possible combinations of functionality is exponentially harder. That's more innate in web design than in Drupal itself.
While steps have been taken in each new version to make theming easier (in the next version, for instance, the core CSS file has been broken up by module to make it easier to override), I don't think easy, universal themes are an achieveable goal.
If you find problems with themes on drupal.org, please file bug reports against them (assuming they haven't already been filed). That's the only way authors know what's broken so they know how to fix them.
On Friday 25 August 2006 17:02, Mr Gibson... (Earnest Hern) wrote:
I have tested many themes within just the core and within the core with added mods. I tested about 25 themes and only one was ok. The others seem to have some kind of problem.
I then read a message at drupal.org that the big problem was because of the themes themself. That there should be one theme with different style sheets instead.
From what you have said and the other messages that I have read, I have
determined that I will not install any third party themes, but instead I will wait until drupal addresses this theme problem.
----- Original Message ----- From: Larry Garfield larry@garfieldtech.com To: support@drupal.org Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2006 7:10 PM Subject: Re: [support] themes problem
On Thursday 24 August 2006 19:26, Mr Gibson... (Earnest Hern) wrote:
I am using the latest snapshot drupal-cvs-4-7.tar.gz.
I have noticed that drupal has a very bad selection of themes. Each one seems to have some display problem. Most of the themes found at the
drupal
theme link do not fully work in the laster browsers. The forum table is
not
sized correctly or the hover colours are not correct or the input boxed
are
out of alignment. The only themes to work 100% are the ones packed with drupal. The themes I am installing are for 4.7.0. not the cvs version. Where can I get a good selection of fully workable themes. Drupal may
have
lots of options but if i cant get some good themes, it will be hard to
keep
members. I have tryed the theme garden but at that place is the same
themes
as the drupal site.
Two things:
- The themes projects are just as "unfiltered" as module projects. Some
are
great, some are good, some are broken steaming piles that haven't been updated in 2 years. There's no built-in policing method for that
currently.
So they're all "caveat downloador".
- Are you using any contributed modules? There are so many possible
ways
to
mix and match Drupal functionality that it's difficult if not impossible
to
make a theme that will cover all of them. Even core itself can be
configured
in dozens of ways. Not all themes support all features, and when you add
in
browser stupidity (IE breaks in a thousand ways, Safari breaks in a
different
200 ways, Firefox breaks in its own 3-4 ways), generic theming is down
right
impossible. :-)
I agree that the after-market themes available for Drupal right now are
not
that impressive, but hopefully you can see why. In practice, I think it's
a
good plan to build your own theme for your site, pulling in ideas and code from existing themes where possible. (Eg, I tend to use the bluemarine
forum
code as a starting point.) Beware bugs in browsers.
I'm not sure if that's much help, but hopefully it's worth something. :-)
-- Larry Garfield AIM: LOLG42 larry@garfieldtech.com ICQ: 6817012
"If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the
possession
of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it." --
Thomas
Jefferson
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