Styles: refactor one-column mode to allow modules to go either above or below entries

[ninetydegrees]

Title:
Styles: refactor one-column mode to allow modules to go either above or below entries

Area:
styles

Summary:
In one-column mode make Group One (also mistakenly called Sidebar) modules go above entries and Group Two (also called Footer modules) go below entries, as in EasyRead.

Description:
The current system, inherited from Core2, makes all modules go below entries in one column no matter their setting. I think it doesn't make a lot of sense to allow for different positions when they're basically the same and I think EasyRead's way of doing this is more rational and more useful. I love one-column layouts but only if I can have stuff above entries too.

Poll #3191 Styles: refactor one-column mode to allow modules to go either above or below entries

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 32

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This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
17 (53.1%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
2 (6.2%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
0 (0.0%)

(I have no opinion)
13 (40.6%)

(Other: please comment)
0 (0.0%)

Comments

[afuna]

I like the thought of doing *something* with the modules in the one-column view rather than just leaving them to splat down at the bottom: but I'm worried about two things:

* changing existing layouts, because where the modules had been below the text before, they'd now be up top
* accessibility issues -- putting the modules up top means putting a whole lot of text before the main content on the page (entries, comments, etc). The default position of modules in easyread were pretty carefully selected, I think it's the navlinks and page summary up top, both of which are helpful for navigating the journal and the page.

[ninetydegrees]

Yes, because we don't have a time machine, this is going to be a tough decision to make. It's easy to suggest this when I'm not the one who's going to make it.

[zvi]

Except that a change like this is very easy for a user to change back to what they had before. In those instances where it's relatively simple for the user to make the correction, if the style change is a real improvement, I think those are the changes we should be most eager to make. We can make an improvement for everyone who comes after, and provide clear and simple directions for people who want to go back to the old way.

[sky]

My "with changes" = I'm using one-column layouts with the 'sidebar' stuff coming below the main content right now on a couple journals, and I'd enjoy an option to change that, but I'd also want to see the current functionality preserved.

[ninetydegrees]

The current functionality would be preserved since you would still have the option to make your modules go below the entries, and you would have the possibility not to display any module above entries. If you mean implementing two systems for one-column so that one wouldn't have to update their current options, then I'm afraid DW won't do that as it's not very sensible. Either they do this or keep the current system (or think of another new one).