I have been thinking about doing a layout where the "main" column is actually the left column. I know TYPOlight can do this, you only have to tell it where to put the article. Or you could do some fancy CSS and get everything to float the right way.



To make this kind of layout easier, where the left or right column of three is actually the main column, I suggest giving an option to choose which column is the "main" column. And instead of calling the middle column the "main" by default, call it "middle" or "center" or something.

I was thinking about this some more, and I remembered something else. In the image above, on main reason it's important for the right column to be the "main" column is if I want a liquid layout. E.g. the left and middle columns are static, but the right column stretches with window.

As it is, I believe only the middle column would stretch in the above layout if classified as "liquid". So the ability to choose which column is the "main" column would allow a user to specify which column stretches.

Is there an easy way to accomplish this with the current system?

it is easy to get via proper css, but since Leo introduced very stable layout framework
It is no use.

But still now you can edit it to make layout as flexible and liquid as you wish

Yeah, I can do it no problem with some CSS magic, but it would basically completely circumvent the "page layout" settings.

Hi guys,

as far as I can tell, Logan only proposed that the main column is renamed. If you want to make the left column the "main column", simply assign the respective modules to it. BTW, there is no chance that the main column will be renamed, since its ID is in use already and changing it would require to adjust all style sheets.

Regards
Leo

No not renamed. I realized later that my first post made it sound like that was what I am asking. Keep the name the same, just give the option of defining which column is named the "main" column. Then all the styles that are already in place would be applied to that column. All I am saying is that the middle column is not always the main column, sometimes it's the farthest column to the right or left of three columns.

If someone wanted the left sidebar and the middle column to be static, but the right column to stretch, there is no way in place to make this feasible with the "page layout" tools as far as I know.

Logan,

It sounds like what you are requesting is to have an option added to Page layouts where you define which of the three columns is liquid. I'm not sure if the naming of the columns is so important, so long as you can choose the liquid column, right?

YES! That's exactly what I am trying to say. Thanks Ben... I was having trouble articulating the concept precisely.

Since the "main" column is the only one that stretches no matter what (i.e. it doesn't have a percentage width applied to it), it would require us to be able to specify which column would have the class (or id) of "main", regardless of whether it is the right, left or center column.

Hello everyone

I have also been wondering about a similar issue to this. If I want a 3 column layout with 2 narrow right columns and a wider left column (that will contain the main info), it can be done but the middle column being the main column is the default for article information. It would help if I could set the left column to be default as it is easy for my clients to forget to change the default when they are adding new articles.

Hope this makes sense.

Mark

Hi guys,

I got the point now. You can accomplish that by modifying the CSS code. If you want two right columns, you have to add something like:

Code:

#left {
    float:right;
}
#main {
    margin-left:0;
    margin-right:300px;   /* Add the width of the left and right column */
}

You can accomplish any column order via CSS, although some definitions might be a bit tricky.

Regards
Leo

@Leo,
Yes you are right. Almost all things are possible with CSS.

The feature request, then, is to have this capability built into the "page layout" options.

Hi Leo

I understood that I could do it with CSS but was wondering if it could be built in to the pagelayout section. ie choose which column would be the default for the articles.

cheers

Mark

Hi mark,

there is no default column for articles. It depends on where you put the modules in the layout section.

Regards
Leo

Haha, I just realized my subject is supposed to say "right" instead of "left". Never could get the hang of the whole right/left thing in elementary school.

@Leo, (about being able to choose the liquid column in "page layout")
Is what I am requesting too difficult? It seems simple at first but the more I think about it the more I think it might require a lot of work.

Logan,

This one works well for me. If you hold up your left hand, your index finger and thumb form an L.
(I just fixed the thread title for you.)