Site design changes

By Jon Sandys

Thu 18th Sep 2008

Nothing major, but I've realised of late that the navigation bar on the left is getting more and more cluttered (the blogging version here's even worse) - while it's a handy way to access all the different bits of the site, there are now so many links that it's too overloaded. As such, coupled with a bit of javascript experimentation, I've come up with the layout linked below:

New navigation bar

All being well, the majority of people will see a list of links under "submit something" - rolling over them will result in a brief yellow glow, and clicking them will unfold all the regular links for that section which are currently on the navigation bar. If you've not got javascript enabled then it'll just look like the existing setup, so even if you're a non-javascript user you won't be missing out on anything except some design flourishes. If things look weird or don't work properly, please let me know, including what browser you're using.

My thinking is that this will make it easier for people to find the links they want without having to scan a load of other links, while also providing access to all areas of the site if people just fancy a browse. It's also entirely search-engine friendly, if anyone cares. Please take a look and let me know your thoughts, on this specific change or on the look/feel of the site generally.

There's also a link on that page called "log in pop-up window" - that's just a random idea to replace the current login screen for members. More an experiment than a major change, but figured I'd run it past people too. For any members reading this I'll seek advice in the forum too, but I've been obsessing over so many random bits and pieces of late I keep forgetting to pop in, and at the time of writing I'm too knackered to give enough attention to the various threads which probably need it! I've become properly nocturnal recently, even moreso than my usual weird hours, and I've got to get back to a vaguely normal sleeping pattern! And yes, bed at 4am counts as normal for me...

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.