[IPython-dev] Website

[Thomas Kluyver]

On 14 June 2011 19:05, Brian Granger <ellisonbg at gmail.com> wrote:

> In terms of splitting up the links, I think there are some natural
> divisions on links:
>
> * Internal links to other places on the website.
> * Links to the "community": lists, github, wiki, IRC
> * Downloads.
> * Links to the documentation.
>
> I think it does make sense to put the internal links in the horizontal
> navigation bar, but there could be something else in this horizontal
> divider.
>

Alright, I'll look into choosing a subset of links to try putting in a
navbar.


>
> Currently, these different types of links are all grouped together in
> the R panel, which creates a disorganized look.  Splitting the R panel
> vertically and using visual elements to partition the different types
> of links makes sense - not because that is what Sphinx does by
> default, but because it organizes the material in a way that helps
> users.
>

I don't think there are such clear divisions - the wiki is between community
and documentation, github is between downloads and community, and the pages
on the website are kind of a miscellany - things which don't need to be on
the wiki, but don't quite belong in docs, like the FAQ.

At present, I've tried to divide links into a key group - docs, bug tracker,
mailing list, and so on, and a secondary group, with a gap between them.
Then the downloads and github links were pulled out to sit with the version
info at the top. I think subdividing them into more than 2-3 groups will
just make it slower to scan through them. I'll see if I can come up with a
better arrangement when I try the navbar.


> This is what I meant to communicate: I don't think the current layout
> works technically and aesthetically.
>

While there's room for improvement, I'm happy enough with the current layout
that I would prefer to build on it rather than reverting to the default
Sphinx output and starting afresh.


> * The width of the content needs to be made smaller than the browser
> Window to frame the content.  Using an alternate color in the R and L
> page margines is one option (what Sphinx does), but we could simply
> leave it as white space.  With todays wide screen monitors, content
> looks awkward if it spans the entire width of the Window - like
> reading a book without margins.
>

I know, and the width is already constrained, although maybe it should be a
bit narrower. The whole thing is limited to 80em, and the main text block to
60em. Obviously whether this fills the window depends on the width of your
monitor/window.


> * We need to use a single font for the entire website, not counting
> the one used for the banner.  Mixing serif and sans-serif fonts
> creates a look that is visually disjoint.
>

I'm sure I've seen serif titles used with sans-serif text elsewhere, but
I'll admit again that I'm not a designer, and agree to try your suggestion.

I'll fiddle with the layout a bit, and let you know when I've got a preview.

Thanks,
Thomas
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.python.org/pipermail/ipython-dev/attachments/20110614/c0ff96e6/attachment.html>