JoomlArt Forums 32,862 posts

[mihirc Friend mihircJoin date: December 2008Posts: 597Downloads:0Uploads:3 Thanks: 62 Thanked: 95 times in 39 posts]

#143392

Hello All,

This is my first site that i am posting for a Showcase / Critique.

A bit about the website / firm: Foliage Outdoors is a wildlife tourism and adventure outings related company that is based in my hometown. The earlier site was very very old (typical HTML) and needed a facelift. That is when we decided to make this website, which could now be self updated by the company itself without relying on developers like me to get the job done 🙂 .

So here is the link to the website: Foliage Outdoors

What the site has:
– Joomla 1.5
– SOBI2 with loads and loads of modifications
– Joomlart Ja Pyrite template, again with loads of modifications
– Joomgallery
– Kunena Discussion Forums
– Community Builder
– Quick FAQ component
– Modification to the default Joomla Contact Us to show the Google Map.
– Plus the top login, modifying the Joomlart template to incorporate the dropdown panel on Dynamic drive. This was done to suit my needs 🙂

The site is strictly made for IE8, Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Safari, so do go and check the site out in IE6. 🙂 In India approx 50% ppl still use IE6 and I am on a lone mission to convert them to something better.

I would like to nominate this website to the monthly competition, so how do i do that?

Any criticism and all comments are really really welcome!

Regards,
Mihir Chhatre.

[Arvind Chauhan Moderator Arvind ChauhanJoin date: September 2014Posts: 3835Downloads:74Uploads:92 Thanks: 1240 Thanked: 1334 times in 848 posts]

#313869

Hi mihirc,

Here are some of my observations :

1. The top dropdown control panel >> for login >> in the text input box (where username is written by default) >> to me in Firefox 3.5, the bottom margin of the default text seems to be hidden/cut.

May be you can increase the height of the default input box.. I Know you use firebug too :).

template.css line 939

[php]mod_loginform .inputbox {height:12px !important;[/php]to
[php]
mod_loginform .inputbox {height:15px !important;[/php]Should do the trick.

Still evaluating the site, I shall update this post for more comments if required.

BTW, great site and no doubt great efforts 🙂

regards

Arvind

Update :

To me it looks like you are not using the default typo for the template, other than drop cap.

May be you can edit your typo.css file and remove all the references to typo styles other than drop cap.. that will save you many http requests (currently 142) and loading time also by atleast 20 %. You also have 6 Not Found files, if you reduce the same, you can reduce your HTTP requests by 6 again.

Update 2 :

The bottom /footer seems to be ending abruptly, may be you can leave few px of padding or margin below the footer images…. I ended up trying to scroll down many times, thinking that there is still more to see on the page…

[joeflynn Friend joeflynnJoin date: February 2009Posts: 91Downloads:0Uploads:1 Thanks: 59 Thanked: 3 times in 1 posts]

#313877

Wow! The beauty of the site is a distraction to the technology…and it is so nice that the technology doesn’t distract at all.

I love the aspect that a service company can add their own information.

I like the way the window slides down for the user login…but can you make it so that the cursor then automatically lands in the Name box…it avoids a click and it is so logical for the user. It is something that I wish the JoomlArt drop down login would do.

All that white space is so pleasant. And again, the shots – Wow. Striking.

I have added a snapshot of how Safari 4.0 is drawing one of the comment pages. They go way off to the side of the page.

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Attachments:

1. 

[mihirc Friend mihircJoin date: December 2008Posts: 597Downloads:0Uploads:3 Thanks: 62 Thanked: 95 times in 39 posts]

#313881

Hello,

Thanks for your reply Arvind. I will take a look and fix that! Also I would love to hear your comments on the remaining website 🙂

@joeflynn – Thanks for your comments. And also thanks for reporting the problem! Dunno why its happening! Its time to research and fix the problem.

Regards,
Mihir Chhatre.

[TomC Moderator TomCJoin date: October 2014Posts: 14077Downloads:58Uploads:137 Thanks: 948 Thanked: 3155 times in 2495 posts]

#313889

It’s customization / modification like this that demonstrate the true value and potential of the JA product.

NICE WORK !!!

[scotty Friend scottyJoin date: March 2008Posts: 2339Downloads:0Uploads:13 Thanks: 76 Thanked: 827 times in 595 posts]

#313890

Hi Mihirc, Nice site. I like the way you have integrated Kunena – looks very well.

2 negatives… The 6 boxes you have on the front page…. why have you used images to display the text? Google can not read this text. Also the images you have used have a lot of jpeg artifact in them due to over compression.

The slideshow at the top… because the slideshow is larger than it’s containing div the border is only showing on the top and left. I’d get rid of the border altogether and I’d try and style the slideshow into the header a bit more. The way it sits now with ‘raw’ edges in my opinion looks ugly. Maybe make the whole area above the menu green and make the logo white or put some kind of shadow/frame around the slideshow?

Beautiful images used throughout!

[mihirc Friend mihircJoin date: December 2008Posts: 597Downloads:0Uploads:3 Thanks: 62 Thanked: 95 times in 39 posts]

#313920

<em>@scotty 140247 wrote:</em><blockquote>Hi Mihirc, Nice site. I like the way you have integrated Kunena – looks very well. </blockquote>
Thanks 🙂

<em>@scotty 140247 wrote:</em><blockquote>2 negatives… The 6 boxes you have on the front page…. why have you used images to display the text? Google can not read this text. Also the images you have used have a lot of jpeg artifact in them due to over compression. </blockquote>

Yea, I understand. Sadly by default sobi2 pulls the Introtext fields from the categories desc. What we wanted was that there should be more description about the categories. I am trying to fix that, bcz it is a concern for me as well. But i didnt want to be late for submitting the site for the competition 🙂 I am working on fixing that!

<em>@scotty 140247 wrote:</em><blockquote>The slideshow at the top… because the slideshow is larger than it’s containing div the border is only showing on the top and left. I’d get rid of the border altogether and I’d try and style the slideshow into the header a bit more. The way it sits now with ‘raw’ edges in my opinion looks ugly. Maybe make the whole area above the menu green and make the logo white or put some kind of shadow/frame around the slideshow? </blockquote>

Yes. I had fixed that, then my webhost did some backup restore and it got lost. I noticed that tonight!!! So fixing that now.

Beautiful images used throughout! – Thanks these are all taken by people from the company or me 🙂

Do feel free to post any other comments as well. Helps me improve the site.

Regards,
Mihir Chhatre.

[mihirc Friend mihircJoin date: December 2008Posts: 597Downloads:0Uploads:3 Thanks: 62 Thanked: 95 times in 39 posts]

#313921

Hey,

Thanks for the inputs.
<em>@drarvindc 140226 wrote:</em><blockquote>
1. The top dropdown control panel >> for login >> in the text input box (where username is written by default) >> to me in Firefox 3.5, the bottom margin of the default text seems to be hidden/cut.

May be you can increase the height of the default input box.. I Know you use firebug too :).

template.css line 939

[php]mod_loginform .inputbox {height:12px !important;[/php]to
[php]
mod_loginform .inputbox {height:15px !important;[/php]Should do the trick.
</blockquote>
Fixed 🙂

<em>@drarvindc 140226 wrote:</em><blockquote>Update :

To me it looks like you are not using the default typo for the template, other than drop cap.

May be you can edit your typo.css file and remove all the references to typo styles other than drop cap.. that will save you many http requests (currently 142) and loading time also by atleast 20 %. You also have 6 Not Found files, if you reduce the same, you can reduce your HTTP requests by 6 again.</blockquote>

Actually I am not using much typo, so yea I will remove the typo.
<em>@drarvindc 140226 wrote:</em><blockquote>
Update 2 :

The bottom /footer seems to be ending abruptly, may be you can leave few px of padding or margin below the footer images…. I ended up trying to scroll down many times, thinking that there is still more to see on the page…</blockquote>

Hm… I think I see what you are trying to say. I will just give it a thought and then do the necessary changes. Thanks for letting me know.

Regards,
Mihir Chhatre.

[GeoVi Friend GeoViJoin date: January 2009Posts: 278Downloads:4Uploads:17 Thanks: 226 Thanked: 8 times in 1 posts]

#313923

<em>@tcraw1010 140246 wrote:</em><blockquote>It’s customization / modification like this that demonstrate the true value and potential of the JA product.

NICE WORK !!!</blockquote>

I couldn’t agree more! Fantastic looking site. I love the vision you had in using Pyrite for your site. I like Sobi and Kunena, too. Pyrite’s one of my favorite templates.

Great job, Mihir!!

Best regards,
GeoVi

[mihirc Friend mihircJoin date: December 2008Posts: 597Downloads:0Uploads:3 Thanks: 62 Thanked: 95 times in 39 posts]

#313952

<em>@GeoVi 140287 wrote:</em><blockquote>I couldn’t agree more! Fantastic looking site. I love the vision you had in using Pyrite for your site. I like Sobi and Kunena, too. Pyrite’s one of my favorite templates.

Great job, Mihir!!

Best regards,
GeoVi</blockquote>

Hello,
Thanks a lot!

I personally agree with Cornelios footer which says “A template is only a starting point . . . The magic is in what you do with it from there.”

Do vote for me in the upcoming competition (if its still on 🙂 )

Regards,
Mihir Chhatre.

[mihirc Friend mihircJoin date: December 2008Posts: 597Downloads:0Uploads:3 Thanks: 62 Thanked: 95 times in 39 posts]

#314364

Hello All,

Done the necessary changes except for the HTTP requests.

Regards,
Mihir Chhatre.

[mfcphil Friend mfcphilJoin date: September 2007Posts: 2866Downloads:3Uploads:218 Thanks: 211 Thanked: 388 times in 133 posts]

#314369

Site is looking great….just a couple of things if I may…

Try the following code to fix the issue your site has in ie8 (BACKUP FIRST)

<!–>
<style type=”text/css”>
.clearfix {display: inline-block;}
</style>
<!–>

and change to:

<!–>
<style type=”text/css”>
.clearfix {display: block;}
</style>
<!–>

and just a suggestions…have you thought about losing the grey arouund the boxes, it makes it look like they were just pasted there, if you know what I mean.

[sunrise Friend sunriseJoin date: February 2007Posts: 920Downloads:0Uploads:5 Thanks: 103 Thanked: 166 times in 114 posts]

#314473

Hi Mihirc, I like your site, and it really fits will with the outdoors. Great pictures too. Did you take them. I just ha a couple of comments if that is OK.

I noticed that “Username” seems to have a line cut off at the bottom. Not sure why.

The top three modules, with pictures and text could maybe have a bit more grey space on top. The other three do, and they have more space on the bottom. It maybe help it look better.

I saw soneone else mentioned the text is jpg instead of text. Text also looks cleaner, if you want to change that.

Another very minor thing I just happened to see is the nice favicon. I think it looks great, but maybe it should be with the white transparent. Not a big thing really and most people will never notice, but if you have some extra time one day…..

Over all though a great site. You must have put a lot of time into that one.

[joeflynn Friend joeflynnJoin date: February 2009Posts: 91Downloads:0Uploads:1 Thanks: 59 Thanked: 3 times in 1 posts]

#314499

<em>@mihirc 140321 wrote:</em><blockquote>
Do vote for me in the upcoming competition (if its still on 🙂 )
</blockquote>

I have never seen this competition. Is there a link?

[mihirc Friend mihircJoin date: December 2008Posts: 597Downloads:0Uploads:3 Thanks: 62 Thanked: 95 times in 39 posts]

#314500

Hello,

I think there is a competition called as SOTM which takes place every month!

Hi Mihirc, I like your site, and it really fits will with the outdoors. Great pictures too. Did you take them. I just ha a couple of comments if that is OK.
– Thanks and yes I love the comments / suggestions.

I noticed that “Username” seems to have a line cut off at the bottom. Not sure why.
What Browsers? I checked them! Dont see the problem on my PC.

The top three modules, with pictures and text could maybe have a bit more grey space on top. The other three do, and they have more space on the bottom. It maybe help it look better.

Will try doing that!

I saw soneone else mentioned the text is jpg instead of text. Text also looks cleaner, if you want to change that.

Yes I knw, problem is sobi2 allows only a few words to be put as description for a category and hence I had to make these images.

Another very minor thing I just happened to see is the nice favicon. I think it looks great, but maybe it should be with the white transparent. Not a big thing really and most people will never notice, but if you have some extra time one day…..
I tried making it transparent but I went somewhere wrong!

Over all though a great site. You must have put a lot of time into that one.
Yea, a lot. Because of the modifications related to SOBI2. Also minor modifications to the contact us, photogalleries, forums, etc.

Regards,
Mihir Chhatre.

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