Turning Jomsocial into WebApp using simple template

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Jay Discussion started by Jay 6 years ago
Hello folks,

Im starting this thread because I'd like to understand how you set up your Jomsocial-based web site in conjunction with plethora of available Joomla templates and offer some solutions to common problems.

It's important to understand i will not talk about mobile phone application because that is completely different animal outside the scope of my expertise, but will focus on turning Jomsocial into web application as much as multiple frameworks allow.

Multiple Frameworks Problem:
As you already know, Joomla is built with Bootstrap, the template you are currently using is probably built with some third-party framework, did you know Jomsocial also have it's separate template system that can be called framework... do you see how this is becoming a problem? There are frameworks layered on top of frameworks which inevitably clogs the web site making it slower on the long run.
The solution i propose is to have the template that relies on Joomla built-in Bootstrap, but since Joomla 3 uses obsolete and heavily modified version of the Bootstrap this might not be such a good idea. The only thing left for us is to wait and see if Joomla folks will learn on their mistakes and make joomla 4 run on vanilla (unmodified) Bootsrtap 4. If this is the case, then we will have so much freedom that basically third-party templates with their own (silly) frameworks won't be even needed.

Templates For Joomla Problem:
Don't get me wrong, there is no issue with the Joomla templates if you'd like to build a simple company web site or blog, or web-shop etc. However, when it comes to social network website the major issues i had with EVERY Joomla template is how it fails to give proper exposure to a component around 99% of user interaction revolves.
And lets face it, if you have community extension like Jomsocial installed, then the majority of user generetad content happens there.
Sure, there are templates with overrides for Jomsocial which make it blend into overal site design but that's where "integration" stops leaving you with same layout regardless of what type of site you want to build, and more often then not you are limited to same design as if you wanted to build a corporate web site or web shop, with not much room for improvisation.
The solution i propose for this problem is to have the template that will totally submit to community extension, make the user and generated content more prominent while keeping the integrity of Joomla template but still looking as an web application.
What i have in mind is easily seen on site like https://www.twitch.tv/directory

Solution:
To have a template built on Bootstrap 4 framework so it will be easily modified to load Joomla 4 framework if they opt to go for unmodified version of Bootstrap 4
Template would have all the features of web application putting user and user generated content first.
I have made few case studies and some mock-ups that i'd like to share with you and discuss them further.

Mockup 1 Desktop View:
Link: https://ibb.co/dBb9dz
In the desktop view, user will be presented with visible off-canvas sidebar that contains all important account information and links to commonly used features. User should be able to access the profile settings, their own groups, events, files, photos, videos etc..
On top, there is a button to slide of-canvas sidebar away, notifications, main menu and search bar.

Mockup 2 Mobile View:
Link: https://ibb.co/gSisgK
Mobile view immediately shows what is most important - notifications and the content

Mockup 3 Mobile View Of-canvas sidebar expanded
Link: https://ibb.co/ezGZve
Expanding the sidebar will push the content to the right giving room for all the features of the sidebar


Please note, this is just a mock up. I haven't yet started developing this template and if i do, it should abide to strict Joomla standards while providing all the options you expect from Joomla template, like changing colors, changing logo etc.

If you're interested in such template, lets discuss it first.
What would you like to see as a feature in such template, what would you expect from it, and how much would you pay for such treat?

Best regards,
Jay
Replies
Jay
Jay Interesting, it would seem the idea would gather more traction, nevertheless, i'm having the first working demo to show (and share) with you, hoping it would spark more interest

Download link: www.sendspace.com/file/8ihm6c<br />(note: download link is active for 30 days only)

Please note, the template is in very early stage and it's not meant to be used on production web sites. It is just a demo...
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app.zip (1.34MB) - SendSpace.com

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6 years ago
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Jay
Jay Hi folks
After almost 2 months, I am glad to present a first working version of App Template that fully integrates JomSocial to fit into design perfectly.

You can see the demo here demo.j-hacks.com<br />
Template use Bootstrap 4 as a framework, have two color accents (dark and light) and can change skin with multiple different colors.
It requires JomSocial to be installed (can't work without it) as it...
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6 years ago
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Jay
Jay Some ideas on top of my head?

- Template has to pass HTML validator (there are couple of warnings that can be fixed easily) validator.w3.org/nu/ />- Lock the template for unregistered users so nothing can be seen until user is registered. It's awesome for private networks.
- Improve menu navigation to support dropdowns .Works right now but it's not the best as ironically, Joomla menu module does...
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6 years ago
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