Preserve journal style/app style preference

[allchildren]

Title:
Preserve journal style/app style preference

Area:
Styles

Summary:
When user changes journal themes, the journal style checkbox "Show entry pages in my journal style rather than the app style" is reset, with the app style defaulting into place. I propose that the user's previously stated preference be preserved throughout theme changes.

Description:
DW users choose styles: Tropospherical, Celerity, etc. They also choose whether to view those styles on entry/comment pages or to view comment pages in the style of the journal theme, aka app style, by checking or not checking the box marked "Show entry pages in my journal style rather than the app style." (I find this language very vague and confusing since everywhere else on the site "theme" is prevalent over the term "app style," but that's probably another suggestion.) However, every time the user changes journal theme, that box resets itself and site display defaults back to entry/comment pages in the app style.

My philosophy is that once a user has checked a box to state a preference, that preference should remain unless specifically changed. Particularly during the current development of new themes, I am interested in trying out new themes, and to have my preference for entry pages displaying in Celerity undone is incredibly annoying. Since journal style and theme are different things that are controlled on different areas of the site, it makes no sense that this single style preference should be tied to theme changes. At the very least, the journal/app box should be made more obvious in relation to theme changes, if it must be reset every time the user changes their theme.

The main drawback I can think of is that users changing theme may expect their entry pages to follow suit regardless of their previous preference. I think many users may not be aware of the journal/app style checkbox at all, so possibly that needs some better publicity or language. My alternate suggestion is to move the journal/app style checkbox to the theme page so it is more convenient for the user to re-check the box rather than go to a different page entirely.

Poll #1316 Preserve journal style/app style preference

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 25

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
22 (88.0%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
0 (0.0%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
1 (4.0%)

(I have no opinion)
1 (4.0%)

(Other: please comment)
1 (4.0%)

Comments

[denise]

This is very similar to something we already have planned and logged into Bugzilla, but I let this suggestion through to see if anyone had any ideas on what they'd want this feature to do, or what they'd consider "can't live without", for when we implement it.

[cesy]

If it helps, Tropospherical and Celerity are normally referred to as "site scheme", whereas things like Transmogrified, Negatives, Drifting, etc. are "journal style/layout/theme".

And yes, I would agree that that setting is separate from the details of your style, and should be preserved when changing style as well as when changing site scheme.

[yvi]

Other things are preserved through changing styles (they are userprops, not style settings then, I suppose?), so yes, this should be made one.

[susanreads]

I found that really confusing when I was new here, combined with the distinction between site schemes and journal styles and the fact that some people have their comment pages site-styled, so that I can't reload them in my style unless I select to read all comment pages in my style (which is another setting I know is in there somewhere but can't remember where).

I think it would be useful if all the settings that affect which pages appear in which layout were together; without looking, I can't remember what's in Manage Account: Display and what's in Profile, and there are some things in Customise Style that I want to apply regardless of the style or theme I'm currently using, esp. the navbar appearance (which does stay put) and the order of modules (which apparently doesn't).

[cesy]

There are a couple of bugs open to make it so that all the major journal pages can be read in either sitescheme or journal style. For instance, it will be possible to view /icons and /profile in your style or light style, and /tags and /2009/09 in site scheme. Once that's done, settings will be added so you can choose both what you want to display on your journal and what you want to see. I think that's part of the reason that fixing the mess that is the current "view comment pages in my style"/"make my comment pages site-schemed" system hasn't yet been done - it's silly for them to do that when it's only going to change again. But once that's sorted, it will be a lot more customisable.

[ratcreature]

YES! This bugs me every time I change my style.