Testing...

[SinCity R/T]

I'm going to start testing the technology behind the alternative banners...

If you want to see my first test, scroll down to the very bottom of the main forum page and look for the item that says "Dakota Durango Message Board vBulletin 3 Style". You should be able to click on it and select "Alternative Banner Test" instead to see the test style. This is a per-user preference so when you login again you should continue to see the alternative style until you choose to switch back to the original option.

As stated in the original post - my goal is to eventually offer at least a dozen different styles, one for each major type of vehicle. At first we may just stick with a different header graphic, but it might expand into alternative colors on the page and/or additional features.

[JCFDak01]

Looks awesome so far :mullet:

[SinCity R/T]

I added a 2nd test style - so now there's one with a generic logo, and one for 4x4's. These aren't necessarily permanent - I have always wanted multiple options to be submitted for each vehicle type, then allow the masses to choose which one they want to use.

If only the header graphic changes, this is extremely easy for me to implement. I can make dozens of templates on the fly if desired. It will be a little more difficult to implement global color changes per style because I will need the color codes for each shade and then tinker with what goes where.

[340 Dak]

Can you make it so it randomly goes thru the banners on each page load?

[SinCity R/T]

Can you make it so it randomly goes thru the banners on each page load?

I suppose it would be possible (especially if we used a single animated .gif, but the file size would grow pretty large), but my goal is to allow people to change their banner to whatever they choose, and that will stick at the top of the screen every time you login, without interfering with anyone else's preferences.

eg: if you're a Durango owner you can choose the Durango banner, R/T owners can choose the R/T banner, 4x4 owners can choose the 4x4 banner, etc. etc.

[SinCity R/T]

btw it appears that the option to switch styles is displayed on just about every screen throughout the forum, not just the main page - just scroll down to the bottom-left corner to see the style window.

[340 Dak]

Yeah, i like the idea a lot! Years ago i was on a local car board and users could submit pics of their cars. The banner had a common center image of the city skyline, and then someone PSd each of submitted cars into the same banner background (so they blended with the common BG image). The cars were separate images. Then on every page load or refresh, 2 new cars would show up. It was kinda cool. No idea the coding they used, but this was like 8-10 yrs ago so it cant be too advanced

[SinCity R/T]

Yeah, i like the idea a lot! Years ago i was on a local car board and users could submit pics of their cars. The banner had a common center image of the city skyline, and then someone PSd each of submitted cars into the same banner background (so they blended with the common BG image). The cars were separate images. Then on every page load or refresh, 2 new cars would show up. It was kinda cool. No idea the coding they used, but this was like 8-10 yrs ago so it cant be too advanced

I use something similar to that on the main pages of the site - on each side of the main site's logo there is two pictures of trucks that people submitted. In that case the photos are selected at random from a special folder I have stored on the server and the photos are all prepared at 200x150 pixels in size - in order to add more photos to the rotation I have to manually process & upload them.

One of these days I'd be tempted to see if photos can be pulled at random from the forum's photo gallery so the process would be completely automated, but I dunno if it would be too disk/bandwidth intensive since some of those photos are pretty large and would have to be thumbnailed on the fly.

[340 Dak]

I use something similar to that on the main pages of the site - on each side of the main site's logo there is two pictures of trucks that people submitted. In that case the photos are selected at random from a special folder I have stored on the server and the photos are all prepared at 200x150 pixels in size - in order to add more photos to the rotation I have to manually process & upload them.

Sounds like what they did

One of these days I'd be tempted to see if photos can be pulled at random from the forum's photo gallery so the process would be completely automated, but I dunno if it would be too disk/bandwidth intensive since some of those photos are pretty large and would have to be thumbnailed on the fly.

On devilbrad, he has a vbGarage on the forum. On the main index page it had like 5 or 6 thumbnails under the banner that randomly changed with each refresh using pics from the vbGarage

[sunike32]

Looks good Steve. I wonder who photoshopped the pic you used for the Regular Cab layout; that's my truck :jester: It's funny too because that pic was taken when I had the stock hood. I am going to pick up my truck in a few minutes from the body shop because I just had a Reflexxions cowl hood installed, just like in the photoshopped pic, haha.

[Dakudaman]

I like the Reg Cab one the best!

[340 Dak]

Will there be a banner for a broken down Gen 2 on jackstand??

[JCFDak01]

Will there be a banner for a broken down Gen 2 on jackstand??

Ouch lol... :ohsnap:


Lookin' good so far!

[340 Dak]

Ouch lol... :ohsnap:

lol, i have plenty of pics to submit!!

[JCFDak01]

lol, i have plenty of pics to submit!!

You should just for shits and giggles, would add a good laugh to the site banner:jester:.

[340 Dak]

You should just for shits and giggles, would add a good laugh to the site banner:jester:.

Lol, i am one of the co-founders of the BAG2 club afterall

http://www.bag2club.dxmatter.com/

[AllThingsEnd]

I don't know how this board is setup but if you can put PHP code, you can have it select a random picture from a directory on page load.

[SinCity R/T]

I don't know how this board is setup but if you can put PHP code, you can have it select a random picture from a directory on page load.

I could easily splice the code from the main page, but I've been hestitant to do so because of the pic sizes and the inability to automate the upload process. I'll have to poke around through the photo gallery code and see if there's an easy way to splice its random photo generator & thumbnail code into the forum's header.

[Captain Chaos]

lol, i have plenty of pics to submit!!

+1:jester:

[homer135]

That is pretty nice!

I like the generic logo :woot:

[SinCity R/T]

FYI - It appears that the header preference is stored as a local cookie on your workstation, so those of you like me who surf at home and work will have to set your preferences separately on both workstations. What's kind of interesting is that I think I can choose different headers for each location - will find out for sure when I head back to work when my lunch break is over.

[340 Dak]

FYI - It appears that the header preference is stored as a local cookie on your workstation, so those of you like me who surf at home and work will have to set your preferences separately on both workstations. What's kind of interesting is that I think I can choose different headers for each location - will find out for sure when I head back to work when my lunch break is over.

Hmmm.... that means there can be a NWS one.... lol

[JCFDak01]

Hmmm.... that means there can be a NWS one.... lol

:drool:

[Blue Basher]

I should thin down my banners, I didnt know how they would look once implimented. Il get on this tonight and il try a few other variations.

Do the rules still apply to what pictures we can use?

[viperkota]

mine was already on the v3 version....though the generic logo is pretty nice and the RC one is nice too




mabey talk to lappy666 i think it is...he may donate a photo for the NWS banner

[Blue Basher]

or clint, I wish we could use the TOM photos for the banners or even the pics that were submited for nominations.

[SinCity R/T]

Do the rules still apply to what pictures we can use?

For the moment, yes - I'd like to see the banners created with only pictures of site subscriber's vehicles. If the samples simply aren't good enough then go ahead and try to make other banners and we'll leave it up to the masses to decide which one they want to use.

[SinCity R/T]

or clint, I wish we could use the TOM photos for the banners or even the pics that were submited for nominations.

I wouldn't mind seeing one single banner that contains all 12 pictures from the 2008 TOTM winners.

[Blue Basher]

will do they will be in this post soon

[Captain Chaos]

Lol, i am one of the co-founders of the BAG2 club afterall

http://www.bag2club.dxmatter.com/

Can I join?


http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j246/ACRTURTLE/FLSDAC/P1183902-1.jpg

[340 Dak]

Can I join?


http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j246/ACRTURTLE/FLSDAC/P1183902-1.jpg

Lol, sure. But I haven't updated anything on that site in years

[Captain Chaos]

Lol, sure. But I haven't updated anything on that site in years

The work to update that side would be monstrous at this point!

[340 Dak]

The thought of how many Gen 2's that have broken down in the last few years is staggering

[Captain Chaos]

The thought of how many Gen 2's that have broken down in the last few years is staggering

16 Hemi Cuda convertibles 9 Running Gen II's

[Blue Basher]

simple version atm I have 6 that are still in the works but I thought I would see how you like it http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j133/Del_ereious/ddbanner2.png

its a lil blury because I made it at that res Iv have a better one that isnt done.
looking at it now with the rest of the site il change the font too

[Captain Chaos]

And to put one useful post in here, I like the reg cab the best!

[Blue Basher]

thanks

[Captain Chaos]

thanks

I didn't realize you made it. Whose truck is it?

[Blue Basher]

W8 u meen the reg cab one thats blue?
thats not me

[Captain Chaos]

W8 u meen the reg cab one thats blue?
thats not me
This one:

http://www.dakota-durango.com/banners/banner03.jpg

[Blue Basher]

lol yeah thats not mine the oxygen's, the others are mine

[Blue Basher]

these ok? more on the way


this one needs a border il add it.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j133/Del_ereious/dd4.png
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j133/Del_ereious/dd3.png

[JBert]

The one thing that I can nit pick about the set up are the overall page colors. Having black or grey offsetting the inner frames of the forum throws me off. The current grey/blue theme is easy on the eyes. Any way for users to change the forum color when they choose a style?

I personally wouldn't mind seeing a black forum.

[Captain Chaos]

I personally wouldn't mind seeing a black forum.

http://www.blackforum.com/

Start one, its for sale!

[SinCity R/T]

The one thing that I can nit pick about the set up are the overall page colors. Having black or grey offsetting the inner frames of the forum throws me off. The current grey/blue theme is easy on the eyes. Any way for users to change the forum color when they choose a style?

I personally wouldn't mind seeing a black forum.

Everything's still in the experimental stages, nothing is set in stone yet. I only tinkered with the backgrounds to help blend with the banners a little better. If desired each style can have completely different colors, not just the background.

[rollers888]

tired of seeing the last post as being 7/11/09. so now a new date to look at for another couple months