Forum:Wikia's "new look"

Forum: The Situation Room > Wikia's "new look"

So in case you haven't heard, Wikia is throwing public opinion to the wind and forcing every wiki to switch over to their "new look."

• The new look
• Transition guide
• Transition timeline and ToU change
• Red Dead Wiki in beta mode

I personally can't stand the look, and to top it off, the Terms of Use have been changed to keep us from making the modifications that pretty much every user will want to make - things like removing user attribution on every image or changing the sidebar width. Short of moving to another wiki farm, we're going to have to learn to live with it. Some things that will need to happen before the switch date:

• A new logo, with dimensions 250 x 65
• Resizing any tables or images that exceed 660px, which is the new fixed article width.
• Some kind of discussion on a background image or color, since now everyone will have to see it

There's more, but I'll list them later.

Something else: while the terms of service prohibit making sitewide changes like the ones I discussed, it's still allowed on personal stylesheets. I would suggest making a Wiki 24 special page describing how to modify one's css pages so that the wiki doesn't look as much like the social blog hell Wikia wants to turn all their sites into. There's some css floating around that makes the new look more tolerable; once I find it I'll paste it here, and then users who are so inclined can put it into their personal style sheets. It won't affect anons, but at least the major editors here will be able to benefit. --Pyramidhead 20:49, September 28, 2010 (UTC)

Here it is:

.picture-attribution {
  display:none !important;
}
.GlobalNavigation {
  display:none !important;
}
.WikiaHeader nav {
height: 40px !important;
}
.WikiaHeader li {
margin-top: 13px !important;
}
.WikiHeader {
padding-top: 0px !important;
padding-bottom: 0px !important;
top: -10px !important;
}
.AccountNavigation {
line-height: 0px !important;
top: -25px !important;
}
.WikiaHeader {
border-top: 0 !important;
top: 0px !important;
}
.WikiaPage {
padding-top: 20px !important;
}
.WikiaHeader .wikia-button {
top: -6px !important;
}
.wikia-ad { display: none; }
.WikiaPageHeader.separator { padding-bottom: 3px !important; }
.WikiHeader .shadow-mask { display:none !important;}

Pasting that into User:<username>/oasis.css on any of the beta wikis does slightly improve the overall experience. --Pyramidhead 21:23, September 28, 2010 (UTC)

I heard about this some time ago, was seriously disillusioned after looking into the details, and then pretty much shut it out of my mind. But I'm glad you're bringing it up. In a word, the changes in my opinion are scatological. Your descriptor of "social blog hell" is also on the money. We're going to have to live with it however. Since Monaco is going to be completely deleted, we need to make every effort to get this place looking as close as possible to its current look. Some Staff members helped us with the transition from Monobook to Monaco, and I intend to pester them again for help in this. Ultimately, however, the content will be less readable and visually more disruptive and I suspect this is the beginning of the end for Wikia communities as we know them. However, once the transition is all done I'll still be here.

Pyramidhead thanks for taking the initiative in introducing this. Regarding some of the points you brought up, I believe we should keep the same color scheme. Artistically I'm useless but Simon is a beast, maybe he can get a cool idea for the background image. Let me know if there is anything I can do. Blue Rook  talk  contribs 21:33, September 28, 2010 (UTC)

This code makes the current pages the same width as they'll be in the new skin; use it to fix anything that currently exceeds the width (i.e., every single table). --Pyramidhead 21:11, September 30, 2010 (UTC)

/* Fixed width */
.monaco_shrinkwrap {
   margin-left: auto !important;
   margin-right: auto !important;
   width: 912px !important;
}

Another possibility is that we pack up shop and move to a different wiki host, like a lot of Wikia sites (WoWWiki among them) are now preparing to do. All the articles, images, and histories would be preserved, although every user would have to re-register - but we barely get any traffic outside the same four or five people, so that's hardly an issue. ShoutWiki seems to be a popular option. --Pyramidhead 21:35, September 30, 2010 (UTC)

Moving isn't the answer, as I see it at this point. If we were to move, we would permanently lose community members who (for varying reasons) won't make the transition, and there will be 3 wikis for 24 on the internet if you count that absurd Neoseeker thing. Wikia will almost certainly maintain this one in our absence—they won't let us redirect the articles to wherever we moved to. Also, recall what happened to StBacchus's wiki when she struck out on her own: it became a permanently lawless wasteland for spam-bots and vandals before it collapsed. Blue Rook  talk  contribs 23:17, September 30, 2010 (UTC)

Also, wouldn't moving erase all article history and user contribution? If not, I still think it could be a viable option from what Pyramidhead's telling us. --SignorSimon _{(talk/contribs/email)} 11:26, October 2, 2010 (UTC)

No, he's right when he mentioned they would be preserved. It's very easy to export articles with the full edit history. Blue Rook  talk  contribs 17:58, October 2, 2010 (UTC)

Will the changes in look be so drastic as to warrant a move to another site? I mean, I do get Pyramidhead's point on the one-sided nature of the change, but the core of the wiki is the information and not the background or the overall look of it. Will it be something that we won't get used to? Thief12 03:56, October 3, 2010 (UTC)

I made a mockup of what the wiki might look like after the switch. The logo and background, of course, are certainly subject to change. Keep in mind this is a photoshop job on a WoWWiki page, so the button/header color and the photos aren't exactly the same as what we'd see. --Pyramidhead 00:05, October 6, 2010 (UTC)

With an image on the right

Very cool. I wouldn't have a problem if that was the final look. ... However, there really isn't any way to get rid of all that shit that has appeared to the right of the content? Blue Rook  talk  contribs 01:14, October 6, 2010 (UTC)

If you mean the sidebar: Not sitewide, no, but I'm sure it could be done on your personal style sheet. What's really stupid is that, after the spotlight section, the entire sidebar is just blank space for the rest of the page, while the actual content stays restricted to that 660px area. Basically, any article longer than a stub will have a mile long strip of wasted real estate. --Pyramidhead 01:32, October 6, 2010 (UTC)

But, this can't be serious. Certainly this is some kind of oversight. Blue Rook  talk  contribs 02:01, October 6, 2010 (UTC)

If only it were... --Pyramidhead 02:15, October 6, 2010 (UTC)

Looks like it's begun. :( Well, you know the drill: I can't edit either Wikia.css or the new "Theme Designer," so one of you will have to do it. --Pyramidhead 19:40, October 6, 2010 (UTC)

Jesus Christ, I knew it wouldn't be great, but this is shaping up to be intolerable. My name is plastered across every single episode guide I've written! --Pyramidhead 19:47, October 6, 2010 (UTC)

Frankly I'm not seeing anything new, yet. Just Monaco. Maybe because I'm on a Mac? Blue Rook  talk  contribs 04:51, October 7, 2010 (UTC)

Today they activated the new skin for every wiki. Go to your preferences to switch to it.

I made a test wiki to try out some styles - [1], [2] - and I've gotten a look that's pretty close to our Monaco skin while downplaying the more annoying new features. To get that look on here, here's what you'd need to do:

1. Go to Special:ThemeDesigner on this wiki.
2. Choose the default "Oasis" theme; it won't matter since we're overwriting it in a minute
3. In the "Customize" section, choose the following:

• • Background: black #000000
  • Background image: None (gets added later)
  • Buttons: Navy blue (middle of the bottom row)
  • Links: #70B8FF (what it is on here)
  • Header: #00416A
  • Color: #2D2D2D

1. For the wordmark, upload the png logo I made (also at the bottom)
2. Once the theme is set, copy and paste everything in this stylesheet into MediaWiki:Wikia.css. That will take care of the rest of the changes. --Pyramidhead 05:14, October 7, 2010 (UTC)

I will never mess with the way only I see things on this wiki, because then I am in my own world, and I'll fail to see what new people are seeing. So my question is, how can I make your awesome changes default and mandatory to everyone, instead of just me? Also, can you upload a site icon that uses our current Wiki 24 Main Logo. The CTU logo you added is mega-copyright-infringey to have at the top of everything. Blue Rook  talk  contribs 07:05, October 7, 2010 (UTC)

No, those instructions will affect the entire site. MediaWiki:Wikia.css is the one sitewide stylesheet for the new look; there's no more Common.css. On the 20th, the new look will become the default for every user, logged in or not.

Uploaded a new logo. --Pyramidhead 07:24, October 7, 2010 (UTC)

Just to be clear: changing Wikia.css won't affect the Monaco skin at all; only users who switch to the new skin will see the new version, for now. It'd be best to do it sooner than later though, since eventually everyone will be using it. --Pyramidhead 07:54, October 7, 2010 (UTC)

I changed it to the new skin but all the colours are still messed up, is that because we haven't made those changes you listed above Pyramidhead? This new design is horrific! --SignorSimon _{(talk/contribs/email)} 19:23, October 7, 2010 (UTC)

No, we haven't. This is the default skin. --Pyramidhead 19:35, October 7, 2010 (UTC)

Changed the instructions - the theme designer restricts the background image to 100 KB, but it can be set manually to something above that. --Pyramidhead 06:43, October 8, 2010 (UTC)

So are you saying that if we make those changes then the design will be like the images you uploaded to the right here? Because for me, everything's white. I've reverted to the old skin for now. --SignorSimon _{(talk/contribs/email)} 19:05, October 8, 2010 (UTC)

For the third time, yes. The changes above will change the new skin for everyone who has it switched on. --Pyramidhead 19:52, October 8, 2010 (UTC)

Just so everyone's aware, Monaco will be eliminated by November 3; only Monobook will stay on as an alternative personal option, and even then it can't be applied for all users. --Pyramidhead 20:24, October 8, 2010 (UTC)

OK, I've made the changes. I deleted everything from MediaWiki and replaced it, that's what you meant right? (as opposed to adding it on the end). Also, I uploaded a different logo that is more in-keeping with the old one. But it's up for discussion to all help decide on a new one if people don't like the current one. --SignorSimon _{(talk/contribs/email)} 10:49, October 9, 2010 (UTC)

More problems: Icons no longer work and there's no link to the Latest intel. --SignorSimon _{(talk/contribs/email)} 10:55, October 9, 2010 (UTC)

Great! The icons are going to be a problem; I don't see any place in the new layout where we could stick them. Maybe make them smaller and replace the "Read more" section? Also, "Latest intel" is the same thing as the Wiki Activity button, I don't know if there's a way to change what that says. --Pyramidhead 19:11, October 9, 2010 (UTC)

On the logo, I don't really like how the characters jut out of nothingness. Part of the reason I put Jack in the background was to make up for losing them on the icon. The "WIKI" font looks a little odd. --Pyramidhead 19:45, October 9, 2010 (UTC)

Also, it looks like visited links in the main content aren't the right color. Somebody stick this on the end of Wikia.css:

a:visited, table.gallery td a:visited {
color:#7078FF;

I'm just using the new look. Just want to say I like the old skin more. --Station7 21:29, October 9, 2010 (UTC)

Okay, put this into Wikia.js and it should put the icons on the end of the history bar, replacing the "Read more" part:

addOnloadHook(
    function () {
         $("details .categories").remove();
         $("details").append($("#title-icons"));
    }
);

I'm not sure the icons thing has worked. Also, the "Wiki Activity" isn't exactly latest intel, it's some shitty stripped down version of it that you have to click to and then you can get to latest intel properly. I don't even care if it's called "Wiki Activity", I just want it to go to the more useful page because that one currently is useless. This is ridiculous, how can they find these changes beneficial? --SignorSimon _{(talk/contribs/email)} 11:18, October 10, 2010 (UTC)

Hmm, it works on my global javascript. The icons pop up on the right end of the history bar. --Pyramidhead 01:58, October 11, 2010 (UTC)

Looks like I may have been mistaken. Try putting it in Common.js instead. --Pyramidhead 02:03, October 11, 2010 (UTC)

I see what you mean about latest intel. If you want, you could make that one of the four items on the top menu, which should probably be changed so that they're not all community-related. Right now they seem to be held over from the old sidebar menu. --Pyramidhead 02:08, October 11, 2010 (UTC)

Yeah, the only thing is I don't know how to change that. The page that was editable before for the sidebar doesn't work to change this; they must have made a different page that codes that top section and I don't know what it is. We don't need "current events" as much as latest intel. In fact, I'd like to get rid of Wiki Activity and Random page and have all the stuff we had in the sidebar before instead! That would be much more useful. --SignorSimon _{(talk/contribs/email)} 08:42, October 11, 2010 (UTC)