Forum Layout

[ImpartialGeek]

Hey team! I really love this software. The experience is great for SO many things. The only thing I am having issues with is layout and UI. It seems redundant to have to always have a forum category, then a forum then a topic. I would love for my forums to be laid out in a grid based on FORUMS and not have to have top level categories. It just adds another block that I personally don't feel is needed.

I like the way invision has their forums laid out on the home page: https://invisioncommunity.com/forums/

However, when you look at mine, they do not look like this. I have a subforum section (https://geekslife.com/geeks)  showing that pushes all the content down almost below the fold. I would much rather see all the content up as close to the nav bar as possible. That way people see content sooner which will encourage them to stay.

I want my forum to be ALL images with image headers on each CATEGORY as well, if I am going to be forced to use them. Does anyone know if this is possible, or know of any plugins etc that would allow me to make the forums much more visual, and eliminate the extra step? If I could eliminate FORUM and go right to topics or eliminate CATEGORY and go right to forums that would help.

Thanks!

 

[Dean_]

Yes this is possible if I read it all correctly. When making your category you have the option of making it a forum instead, removing the need for the category. This way you’d have loads of separate forums.

[bfarber]

You can set up your forums to display in table, stream and grid layout. There's a setting in the AdminCP to adjust the default layout, and whether users can use alternative layouts.

[ImpartialGeek]

4 hours ago, bfarber said:

You can set up your forums to display in table, stream and grid layout

Yes, I have it as grid layout, that is not the issue. It's that I have a page that has the main forum landing page which is laid out with categories. Then it shows subforums and to get to those you have to click in and go a level deeper. Then from there you go into each individual topic taking you even another level deeper.

I am wanting to do something like this: 

This would make it all so much easier to navigate and get rid of a TON of wasted space on the top of the pages. 

 

[Morrigan]

That's how it works now. If I click on "Movies" on your site it takes me to the "Movies forum" and shows me a list of topics. When I click on the "topic" it shows me the post.

I guess I'm confused as to what you're clicking on.

[ImpartialGeek]

6 hours ago, Morrigan said:

That's how it works now

See my updated post just above yours. I am showing you the layout I am trying to accomplish. I am going to see about getting a developer to create it for me.