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Layout Rules Compilation #1

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I took my time to look through all the layout related announcements and compile a list of the rules mentioned.

  1. Your layout is meant to give your posts a unique look; not to make them an eyesore.
  2. Make sure that the HTML tags in your layout are properly closed and that your CSS code doesn't overrule any of the site's.
  3. You may never have more than three (3) userbars visible at the same time in your layout.
  4. Userbars are not to be placed in the header, to the left, or to the right of your post. User bars may only be placed below your post.
  5. The use of the <marquee> and <blink> tags in layouts is not allowed.
  6. The space around your post should never be larger than the space reserved for the post itself.
  7. The post text should always be clearly seperated from the rest of your layout.
  8. Your post text should always be aligned to the left
  9. It should never be possible to mistake a part of the layout for the post text, which means you should never put plain text in your post header.
  10. The text in your layout must be easy to read and not blend in with the background.
  11. Your header/footer should never draw more attention than the post text. This means no large images, long texts, flashy animations, etc.
  12. You may not use fixed backgrounds in your layout.
  13. You may not use CSS transparency in your layout.
  14. You may not have "buttons" in your layout (e.g. click to send PM or otherwise).
  15. You may not use code that only works in some browsers in your layout.
  16. It is your responsibility that your layout complies with the rules and looks properly (i.e. the same) in the latest version of every major browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari, etc.).
  17. It is your responsibility that your layout complies with the rules and looks properly on every thinkable screen resolution.
  18. Layouts may not be any larger than 200 KiB in total. Old announcement.
Oh great.

Way too often have I seen irritating layouts, weather it's cause of the text not readable, too big of a sig, or stuff like that.>_<

I hope this can make people stop doing stuff like that now.



And lastly: How about taking other peoples layout-codes? Is that allowed, or not?
It is not our job to prevent that.
Originally posted by Sind
And lastly: How about taking other peoples layout-codes? Is that allowed, or not?

I'd say that unless you're given permission to use somebody else's layout as a base for your own or if you're doing it simply to study HTML/CSS, then you probably shouldn't be taking other people's layout codes. Then again, if you have the knowledge to be able to get the code from somebody else's layout, then you probably don't need it as a study tool and you most likely have the ability to make your own.

As for the rules, I especially hate it when I either can't read a user's post or I mistake a part of the layout for the actual post. It's so frustrating; hopefully this sticky clears everything up with those users.
Think we could get a crackdown on layouts with text that is really hard to read because it's around the same color as the background?

EDIT: Note how I said "crackdown" rather than a rule. I wanna see some nuking before my eyes explode from strain... (I really mean that in the most comical and nicest way possible, I just get reaaaaaaally tired of straining myself and highlighting text just to see what people have to say).
I made a standalone game once, look for Seabug Stampede on Google Play.
No offense, but some of those are a little strict.
Most of them are reasonable though...
Sorry for violateing the rules so many times...
None of these rules are new. They were just scattered in various announcements.
I do not really like rule 8. It seems a little.. unfair. If we don't have any other text in our layout, why does it have to be to the left. (aka left aligned) What if I wanted mine center-alligned and no other text was in my layout?
Just back here to browse a bit.
I agree that centered text is acceptable in rare cases. In most cases, however, it is not. If you believe you can make it look good, feel free to try it. Just keep in mind that the following is true in all cases:

Challenge the rules at the risk of having your layout removed. Readd the layout at the risk of being banned temporarily.
Apparently post-specific formatting doesn't have the same rules that layouts do:
Originally posted by http://www.smwcentral.net/?p=thread&id=7356

Originally posted by Dotsarecool
Does this apply to all the post text?
Say if I wanted to center just one sentence, is that OK?

Originally posted by Star (Boom.dk)
@dots: then it would not be a part of your layout



To center one line of your post, enclose it in <center> tags, for:

HTML</hi>doesworkinlayouts!</center>

An example of a good use of HTML in posts would be using center and header tags to divide an informative post into sections:
Originally posted by A good use of HTML

Section A


This is section A of my post.

Section B


This is section B of my post.


But abusing HTML in posts can obviously get your ass banned; I know DarthRiko got a special kind of banning called an HTML ban that disables use of HTML in posts.


Unexpected end tag (</hi>) at 754, expected </h1>
Unexpected end tag (</center>) at 1010, expected </h1>
Tag (h1) was not closed.
Tag (center) was not closed.
Your layout has been removed.
Would this layout be fine?
Yes, that layout would be acceptable.
Should I consider adding boxes so the text is easier to read?
I just want know if my layout is okay... Is it?
- ignore the watermarks, working on a fix for those
Don't really like your layout myself Mugenman. Seems a bit .. iffy. Ultor, yes, yours seems to be fine.

Also, I'd like to note that this a rules thread by Kieran, not an "is my layout ok thread?" If you're curious to know if your layout is acceptable, please PM one of us.

Thank you.

THIS IS NOT AN "IS MY LAYOUT OK?" THREAD!!! USE YOUR EYES AND YOUR BRAIN AND JUDGE IT YOURSELF!!! WORST CASE SCENARIO, YOU WILL HAVE IT REMOVED!!!



Edit: This is when I realize that SNN made the same statement in the post before me. Oh well.
Thats good that you write the layout Rules.
I hate always the question:"Why is my layout removed!?".

F-Mario X News:C3 Thread Ahead!
By the way, I gaved up hacking SMW. I think I'll come back, but not yet. ~ X-King
Quite ironic for you to say.
The one thing layouts usually suffer from is a terrible choice of text for the background they are using, or vice versa. Here are a few tips to prevent that:

1. If your backround picture is bright or has many colors in it, especially in the area where the post will be, either fill in the post area with a solid color, or use a semi-transparent or different image that has less contrast (aka: a spectrum of like light gray > dark gray rather than white to black). Your image will be seen through a semi-transparent image in a less-contrast form because of the way transparency works.

2. Use of colors that are too far from each other on the spectrum of colors. I'm sorry but blue>orange red>green yellow>purple, etc. background-text combos do not work.

Most of the time either the text or background should be black or white, and the other colored. If you insist on both having color, make them both shades of the same color (I.E. Light blue text on dark blue background).

3. If you have an image that has a lot of contrast, but you'd like to use it for your background, there are way to reduce the contrast. I use GIMP for this, but I'm sure there are lots of other programs you could use.

To reduce contrast, I use the feature "Color Range Mapping", which can be found under the colors>map menu or filter>colors>map depending on which version of gimp you have.

Once it is up, you'll see your image at the top, and a "To" and "From" area each with two different colors, probably both black and white. To reduce the contrast, in the "To" area, change the box that is black to a dark gray, and change the box that is white to a light gray, or something like that. (You can keep one white or black and the other a medium-gray if you want it to be very light or dark).

This will reduce the contrast and make it look more aesthetic in a layout.


Hope these hints help your layouts!
Your layout has been removed.
Boom: Size 7 Text is an eyesore. Technically, you'd be banned.
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