Essential theme: Difference between revisions

Essential theme
Type	Theme
Set	N/A
Downloads	https://moodle.org/plugins/view.php?plugin=theme_essential
Issues	https://tracker.moodle.org/browse/CONTRIB/component/12748
Discussion	https://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?id=46
Maintainer(s)	Julian Ridden

Revision as of 23:11, 8 April 2014

This is a contributed (third party) theme for Moodle written by Julian (Moodleman) Ridden and shared on Moodle.org

Essential is a three column Responsive theme based on Bootstrap for Moodle 2.5 designed to provide a more professional and clean website focused look and feel. It provides Admins with an image slider and Marketing spots on the homepage to drive users where you need to. The theme also makes strong use of Font Awesome to provide icons throughout the design.

The theme is highly customisable through Moodle's theme settings. You can adjust images, text and colours all without changing code. As this theme has several advanced functions, this page exists to provide some basic instruction on it's use. Please be sure to target any questions related to this theme in the Theme's forums at moodle.org and bugs to the Moodle Tracker

Theme Objectives

The aim of this theme was to provide a template that challenged what could be done with theme design. To create a Moodle instance that looked more like a professional standalone website and less like a Moodle instance.

This theme will not suit all audiences because of this. For a full list of contributed themes including Rocket to find one that meets your needs please check the Moodle Plugins database.

Configurable Options

As themes are, by nature, a visual medium, these instructions will reference the screenshot listed below. This theme makes strong use of Moodle Theme Settings, Custom Theme settings and Custom Block locations.

Theme Settings

The only setting to be aware of here is the Custom Menu. This is what generates the dropdown menu in Zone 3.

One item however is automatically appended to the Menu if you choose to activate it. This additional item is the "My Courses" addition. This will automatically show a dropdown of courses your users are enrolled in when they are logged in.

please note that if you have not enabled at least one item in the Custom Menu then the "My Courses" dropdown will not appear either.

Custom Theme Settings

This theme makes very strong use of Moodle 2's new Custom Theme settings to enable admins to customise the look and feel of the theme without needing to touch the code.

To access the Custom Settings for this theme go to Administration > Site Administration > Appearance > Themes > Essential.

More information on this will be available soon.

Custom Block Locations

More information on this will be available soon.

Advanced Customisation Tips

If you want to get your theme looking really fancy why not check out some of these Advanced Tips and Tricks

Download link

This theme is only available for Moodle 2.5 and above. You can download the theme from http://moodle.org/plugins/view.php?plugin=theme_essential

Official Moodle Review

From General comments by Joseph Thibault

Best. Theme. Ever. If you want your Moodle to look better than the best Wordpress sites or to give students a really enjoyable site to navigate I think this is your ticket.

Lots of great ways to market courses at the front end or to call attention to your organizations initiatives with the rotating banner and marketing spots. A super theme if you want to sell courses or provide a better front page to current and potential users.

@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 ===Theme Settings===
-The only setting to be aware of here is the '''[[Theme_settings#Custom_menu_items|Custom Menu]]'''. This is what generates the dropdown menu in '''''Zone 3''''' of the screenshot above.
+The only setting to be aware of here is the '''[[Theme_settings#Custom_menu_items|Custom Menu]]'''. This is what generates the dropdown menu in '''''Zone 3'''''.
 One item however is automatically appended to the Menu if you choose to activate it. This additional item is the "My Courses" addition. This will automatically show a dropdown of courses your users are enrolled in when they are logged in.

Documentation