Fixed width layout

[Jυra]

Would be nice it these support forums had a fixed skin.

[TheMime]

New to IPB so hope you don't mind if I chime in.

Why would you make a fixed width forum be 1024px wide? That would not account for browser UI elements on computers with 1024 resolution width. Even the default IPB width of 980 is cutting past the standard generic safe zone. The design standards still demand we do 960 to be safe for IE users and their extra widgets and such. This would partly depend on demographics (i.e. if you make a site for gamers their monitors tend to sway larger) but it's still the primary standard I use with all the big companies I deal with, particularly when you need to design for a wide demographic of users.

I have also found from years making websites that there are many users who don't like full-screen browser windows when they use larger monitors, including myself. I have a cinema display and I don't view web sites full screen very often unless I'm checking how a site will display if the browser is maximized in various resolutions or watching an HD video. They are too wide for me because either you get tons of dead space or fluid sites become less user friendly as the balance of the layout is thrown off, and it's hard to follow text going across 2560 pixels, or even 1920 or 1600 for some. I also hate the lag some browsers have when scaling the window with fluid forums as they resize the divs and text has to re-justify itself. This forum does that in Safari on my workstation. I do however extend background images for larger screens and make sure they don't do a funky tile and at least look pretty and glitch-free if someone happens to maximize the browser with a large monitor. You can also detect screen resolution and adjust CSS accordingly if you have the time, budget, and know-how.

I do agree that giving users a choice is a good idea. A simple button in the UI somewhere (like a header link or toggle button) or a setting in the CP to switch themes or CSS styles. This let's them easily choose or switch between formats with a single click and keeps everyone happy. This may be a bit jarring to some users if some pages/sections of a site are fixed but the forum is fluid. This would have to be weighed depending on how often you think people will go to those pages from the forum and how they reach the site.

If people are concerned with iPad, you can use HTML to detect if an iPad or iPhone is being used and you can have an alternate stylesheet load. I'm new to IPB so not sure if any of this is built in it (maybe themes can be switched based on browser in the ACP), but you should be able to do it manually without too much fuss. You can do that on regular sites or wordpress sites with a few lines of code so probably would just need to edit the header of the template if the ACP doesn't have settings for it. A google search should turn up hundreds of pages with copy/paste code for mobile Safari.

Whatever the case it's always a good idea to look at the users as a whole and not so much from us who create the sites. You'd be surprised how many people do not have massive screens and still use Windows 98, how many actually still use 800x600 screens, and how many people with large monitors don't maximize browsers. In fact, if you have ever dealt with a large web project this is the kind of thing you have to remind clients about and show them with hard data to make sure people are all having a similar experience across all major browsers on all major platforms, including mobile now. Things like this that might seem mundane, or a choice you can make from your own personal preferences, can make companies lose money if not done with specific, calculated intensions. Google analytics is great for this kind of data at no cost, and if in doubt, ask your forum users for feedback to see what they would like. Direct user feedback is far better than any guesswork, even if it is based on relevant data.

Anyway, just my 2¢