Improve Cobalt "looks" - css options on type/field templates

This was always a very complicated matter in Joomla. It is hard to make it beautiful because everyone have its own perspective on a beauty. We make gray background and another half will say "What a ugly background". The art is not certain. You cannot please anyone. One like modern, other lake classic.

In addition to that, absence of tools in Joomla make it even harder. You know like this mess with Bootstrap versions. If I use Bootstrap 2 people with BS3 templates say it is ugly and vice versa.

So, out aproach do not ingage into that game of beauty. We make more like markup templates. Templates that position diferent proprties differently. And we try to make templates such a way that it inherit most of the styles from your current Joomla template.

I know that we could make fixed styles but that will not work. K2 did it. They articles looked the sme on every site. You could tell from first look. We do not want that.

Sergey I know that we could make fixed styles but that will not work. K2 did it. They articles looked the sme on every site. You could tell from first look. We do not want that.

Nonetheless it is a good solution in terms of "compatibility"!
Hence, there is an option to turn it OFF. So, it is quite easy to disbale the "default" style,
and replace it with a total customization, which fits into the main template style.

No doubt, there are a lot of CSS framework issues that have a negative impact on the user's satisfaction and impression. For sure, Cobalt is not to blame here... you just have to deal with what you get from the initial system.

Probably, that is a biggest difference and problem today. It was not an issue in the beginning and rise of K2! The responsive solutions and CSS frameworks came later on... lucky guys!

Basically, I think it is not a bad idea to have such a very "basic" and "default" style. I mean, a very common and clean look. Nothing fancy. Actually I am thinking more about "under the hood" and "lightweight stuff", that doesn't collide with the major CSS frameworks. But here is the major problem: Positioning and advanced form display. This is where CSS frameworks come into play: It's not easy to separate appearance into "design" and "layout", it is a very thin line between them.

Really hard to find a common answer and solution for everyone. ;)

Oh, please don't get me wrong.
I don't disagree with Cobalt simplicity in the sense of how it looks itself.
Neither do I question the subjectivity of "beautiful". Each to his own.

What I asked is if possible for Cobalt to have fields for admin not only for functionality but also for design/looks.
In other words, allow admin to change the looks of the Cobalt templates for sections/categories and/or types/fields so that admin can make it beautiful without going into coding templates.

A good example perhaps for Joomla core is Visual Style Modules - not working for components.
I was just thinking, what if I had such buttons for Cobalt templates?

Now, if too much and impossible, sorry, I just asked :)

geojoomla In other words, allow admin to change the looks of the Cobalt templates for sections/categories and/or types/fields so that admin can make it beautiful without going into coding templates.

Ah, I see. You were thinking of "interactive layouts", right?

It would be good if it will be possible, because many of Cobalt users spend most of time in creating custom tempaltes for their Cobalt installation and also I think this is why can many users give up on cobalt when they start working with it, because most of joomla users like joomla and other CMS solutions, because they don't need coding knowledge.

I am also weak in php and js coding, but for this moment my knowledge is enough to do what I need, if it will not be enough I can, but there are some people who have no knowledge in web development and don know even abc of php, and what can you tell them go use K2?

I have used K2, Zoo and many other extensions, they are not so powerful as Cobalt, but they have custom compatibility templates for popular Joomla templates and this is why people chose them they can very fast.

As was I once, because that time K2 and Zoo did well for me and I only moved to Cobalt when I saw that I need more, but if Cobalt will try to steal some users from that extensions with creating soemthing like geojoomla is asking for, I think it will help not only users but also Cobalt to move on to the Infinity and beyond :D

It will be good even something like joomboost cobalt templates functions will be added to Cobalt default tempaltes.

Yes, pepperstreet, you understood, but not necessarily "interactive"
For example, I wouldn't die for a "preview" button - (don't really need it). But it would be great to just have (some of) those buttons that in fact add css codes in the right places.
Giorgi explained in other words what I said in my initial post.

Thank you both.

I don't know how difficult would be, but at least to start with smth "simple", like, for example:
* pick the colour of type background
* decide on field positioning and layout (center etc, or offsets) when published
* pick field background colour
* pick field value colour (e.g. text colour) when published
* allow rounded corners (radius) on field value (text or image field)
* etc

With only few options like above (colour/position/shape) you can almost completely change the looks of the standard Cobalt published.
And you can make your Cobalt website look "cool" (depending on your taste, obviously). :)

geojoomla I don't know how difficult would be, but at least to start with smth "simple", like, for example:

That would be very dificult. template providers create their own farmeworks like T3, Wrap or other just becuase it is not a trivial task. You cannot add it simply. That is way it is a base and they you build your templates for all other CMSs on top of that.

May be i am exaggerating bot for me it would be very complex task.