Question Options for Customizing Subforums?

Are there any methods to customize sub-forums (or categories) other than colors?

I'm currently hosting another site's message board on a stand-alone forum but would like to convert. I need some way though to provide for their navigation, etc. They have a category & several forums under that category.

For example:

Is there a way to introduce a side column that persists throughout their category/subforums, but does not appear outside those categories/subforums?

or

Is there a way to add any custom html above the tabs, just in their category/subforums?

or

Is there a way to pull up a category/subforums outside of my Joomla template (e.g., in an IFrame or such)?

or something else altogether.

Thanks for any guidance.

JBMoney wrote:

Are there any methods to customize sub-forums (or categories) ... for example:

1. Is there a way to introduce a side column that persists throughout their category/subforums, but does not appear outside those categories/subforums?
2. Is there a way to add any custom html above the tabs, just in their category/subforums?
3. Is there a way to pull up a category/subforums outside of my Joomla template (e.g., in an IFrame or such)?

1. I don't think there's an easy way to do this in Kunena.
2. As part of the Category Description you can write text and images to explain each category.
3. You could create separate menu items for each, or specific, forums. See Menu Item to Forum Category

You can also use different images for each category. See Change category icons? for more information. I wrote an explanation of the process a while ago but the topic has now been locked. I will update the information here for others to read:

Category images can be customised: you can use different images for each category. The images, however, act as a tri-state indicator that show:

• if you are not logged-in;
• if you are logged-in and there are unread messages in the category; or
• if you are logged-in and there are no unread messages in the category.

This means that if you want to customise icons for each category, you need three separate images, one for each of the abovementioned states.

To illustrate this point, I've created three example images (for those who know anything about rugby league, it also shows what my favourite football team is), as follows:

• 
  filename 36_notlogin.gif (for not logged-in)
• 
  filename 36_on.gif (for logged-in with unread messages)
• 
  filename 36_off.gif (for logged-in with no unread messages)

The general approach is to create three files: <catID>_notlogin.gif, <catID>_on.gif and <catID>_off.gif (where <catID> is the forum category number) corresponding to the three states I've described.

This same approach can also be extended to child boards: likewise create three images <catID>_childsmall_notlogin.gif, <catID>_childsmall_on.gif and <catID>_childsmall_off.gif. Obviously you should design these images about half the height and width as the images for the parent board.

These custom images need to be uploaded to ../media/kunena/attachments/legacy/category_images. The solution is independent of whatever Kunena template you are using.

I added some PHP code to the site template that did a page include based on catid. I tried to add it to Forum templates but I couldn't place anything above the tabs that way.

Maybe it would be possible in the future to add a spot for Custom HTML in each Forum, but place it outside of all the Forum Divs so there is a little more control?

Anyhow...

Normal: bressler.org/bressler-forum
Sub-Forum: bressler.org/bressler-forum/39-uss-midway-forum

Probably the same answer, but...

Is there a way to introduce a side column ONLY on the category index?

My previous answer is still the same. Let me add a further rider: please read my comments in another discussion . Basically, the message I'm trying to get across to people is to resist the temptation to customise Kunena because, in so doing, you could be creating obstacles that hold you back from upgrading to new versions in future.

Would you like to show us the benefits of this "side column", what it would look like and how you intend to use it? From the general description, it sounds complicated ... and I don't like "complicated". :lol:

Just found this thread and have a suggestion:

At the moment there are only GIF's accepted - maintaining transparency without any "stair effect" is hard to manage. Also GIF's are BIG and only support 256 colors.

I opened up listcat.php and changed all .gif-references to .png. Maybe an idea to add support in backend for other image formats in the future? With my png's this now looks really nice

The correct path for Kunena 1.6.1 (my current version) is this one:

{joomla_root}/media/kunena/category_images

and it works perfect!!!

Only need to put the three images bundle with proper id prefix, like:

n_notlogin.gif
n_off.gif
n_on.gif

where n is the Category ID

Hi
I read all the post now regarding custom icons in the categories with the correct ID number and and and - Yet I still don't get mine to work.
I noticed that the folder path to the icons are almost changing with every Kunena upgrade.

I USE 1.6.3 - Here is my forum: http://localhost:8888/thombesafari/index.php?option=com_kunena&view=listcat&catid=0&func=listcat&Itemid=291

Now I noticed that images and path it is directing it to get the images from are: root/components/com_kunena/template/default/images/icons/folder_nonew.png

Now this is where it is getting my images from: I also tried to put images in the root/media/kunena/category_images but had no luck.

COULD SOME OE PLEASE TELL ME WHERE TO FIX THIS?????

sozzled
I am sorry, I did not niticed that I posted the last post on 2 places in the same forum, at the time I had more than a few post, tabs and browsers open and could not keep track anymore - I was multitasking a bit at that stage.

Here is my screen shot with firebug, please not where the page is getting the icon files from.

The problem is I don't even have this {joomla_root}/media/kunena/category_images folder.

What should I try to do.

joelouw: Please create a new topic, in the K 1.6 Support category, with the subject "Missing ../media/kunena/category_images folder". Please post your K 1.6 configuration report and we will see what you may need to do.

The image that you gave in your message give ambiguous results. Please do not ask me to try to read a small image. Highlight the area you want us to look at and write the text of what you see in your message.