Question [SOLVED] Category Text Color on default template

Hey thanks! I do have two questions though..

1. At first I didn't think it worked.. Using FF still shows the dark text color for some reason. Any idea why and how to fix that? Works fine on IE, least IE9 for sure.. Tried closing / restarting FF, and even used another PC which had never been to ths site before.

2. Is there any way to those color modifications into files held by the actual Kunena template itself? If not, how do you know which Joomla template file to stick it in? EG. do the modifications always go in that general.css file? If I wrote a template from the ground up (mostly, lol) could this stuff be incorporated in the Kunena template 100% - meaning, is this limitation of having to edit the Joomla template done because of choices the Beez_20 designer made? Just trying to wrap my head around the modification locations, lol.

Rooster wrote: Is there any way to those color modifications into files held by the actual Kunena template itself?

Our advice is, unless you really know what you're doing, you don't want to do that. It may only be my opinion but I believe simple changes, like colour changes, belong in your site template file(s). If you change your site template then you may not even have to change Kunena at all. It's best to leave Kunena alone. That way, when there are new releases of Kunena, you don't have to worry about whether you have to change things all over again.

Now, of course, it's possible to create your own Kunena template but, I have to admit, the instructions in the Wiki are complicated and you need to invest a lot of time (and energy) to understand the procedure. If you're technically gifted then, of course, that wouldn't be a problem. However, only one person in one hundred who asks questions on this forum about how to change colours - a fairly basic thing to do - has no understanding of the basic principles of how to use browser developer tools (e.g. Firebug) let alone how CSS works.

There are always options - lots of options - available to people who don't have the technical skills but who still want to make a few fancy layout changes. Some of these options rely on the choice of Joomla template you use (see My Joomla site template makes a mess of Kunena ); other options involve engaging a professional web designer to make the changes for you.

In conclusion, however, my answer to this question is to modify your main Joomla site template CSS file if you want to tweak a minor Kunena web element style.

As far as your first question is concerned, you need to force a browser page refresh and then you will see the changes. Use Google to learn how to force a browser page refresh (or clear your browser cache) so that you download a fresh copy of your CSS files.

Indeed, don't know what happened, as mentioned I even tried a different PC running FF that didn't hit the site ever, and it did the same thing.. That said, I just refreshed to log back in, and low and behold the colors worked. Maybe it was a server-side glitch or something, who knows, but thanks a million for the assistance!

I appreciate what you wrote in regard to teh css and what belongs where. Not sure with the "blend with Joomla" option that is in the template manager I necessarily agree 100%, to me it seems the css should belong in the area of which it is controlling, and a user should rename his template (as I did, calling Beez_20 swgm in my case) to avoid issues down the road with future Kunena/Joomla updates - The same argument could be made at what you said in regard with Joomla. When Joomla updates, it could overwrite all the color code changes I've stuck in the Joomla css files, rendering me in a worse position as my "joomla"-only update has now not only affected Joomla, but Kunena as well. That said, we all have different opinions of how things could be, and I respect your opinion, and moreso, the valuable time you've spent helping me out. Thanks again for taking the time!

Thanks. I'm pleased to see the issue is resolved.

We could forever kick around the question about where CSS customising belongs. We could also debate what other switches could be incorporated into Kunena templates (and, in reality, you're only limited by what's in the XML file and the PHP that processes it) but the fact remains that the Blue Eagle template that ships with K 1.7 has a limited number of parameter settings (controlled via the Kunena Template Manager) and that's really all that can be said on the matter. The settings that exist don't suit everyone's particular taste.

By all means, if you are fluent in CSS, XML and PHP then you can write your own template: see How to create a template for Kunena (the basic instructions of what you need to know are there). For everyone else, the easiest advice we can give is How do I change the colours of my template in Kunena?

BTW, there has not, to my knowledge, been a Joomla update that has affected the standard templates that ship with Joomla in the four years that I have been using it. Doesn't mean that it won't happen, but the chances are extremely unlikely.