To start with, I have to say that this is quite simply, the best joomla extension I have ever purchased, and I fully intend to keep subscribed for as long as I work with Joomla.
That being said, I do wish there were several other features implemented within Template Creator - I have used the Gantry framework for several years and REALLY like the way some of its functions work (I know that Templae Creator creates templates and is not a Framework like Gantry, but I still feel that you could 'borrow' some of its features.
Since you do not have a roadmap (or a 'to-do list') on your site,Im going to list a few of the features I would LOVE to see (a few of these I have mentioned in the past, but I would like to get them all down in one post)
1. The ability to combine several templates
When you are at the Template Creator Admin page, I would love the ability to select several templates and have them combined into one template with different styles.
I now do this manually myself with several templates I created using template creator, and I posted the code I added in order to have the ability (and you assisted in getting the front end code sorted out for me).
This would involve selecting a primary (default) template and then the various sub styles. It would involve renaming the template.css, the template_rtl.css and the custom.css files for each of the templates that are combined (and possibly any images used aswell). Alternatively, the css files could just be segregated into their own folders for each template style, and the name of the folder used is set when changing stlyes.
2. HTML5 video backgrounds.
Again, another one I mentioned before. Preferably available for page background and wrapper backgrounds.
3. a Global block/module/module title style you could set in the parameters.
Speaks for itself really. Instead of having to copy/paste the css from block to block, this could set the default style for the template which you could then over-write on an individual basis if you wished.
4. The ability for horizontal menus to switch to a mobile version (either dropdown or selectbox) when a certain screen size is reached. I currently use another Joomla extension to facilitate this, but would love the functionality embedded into the template itself.
5. A back-end logo picker within the template options.
You can set the link, the title and the description. I would love to be able to pick a logo image in the template settings as well (would probably need to be size-specific though from your initial logobloc settings.)
6. The ability NOT to have a logo - just the Description.
May seem a bit odd this one, but sometimes, the end user just wants to input a word/sentence here, and not have a logo image show - I have been using a 1 x 1 px transparent image for the logo to get this to work
7. The Custom HTML Block
The ability to replace ANY standard MODULE with a custom HTML block/module in its place.
An example would be the logobloc - there are currently 3 items in this block - bannerlogo, a module, and a menu. Having a custom HTML module in there too would allow things like positioning the logo and description on the right of the screen easier.
example:
a custom HTML Module on the left at 80% width carrying no content and the logo 20% width on the right. boom - the logo sits exactly where you want it. IN fact, it may work even better with 2 Custom HTML modules so that you could work spaces either side of the logo. The same could be said of any block, where you do not want a module to be positioned (perhaps to work around a complex background image) - having the ability to place an empty module (without any relevant position for the end user to use) there would be fantastic.
PLEASE Understand that these are, in NO way, complaints about Template Creator CK.
They are merely suggestions about what I would like to see in the future.
Even if these were not implemented, I can still see myself using Template Creator over the next few years.
Keep up the great work on a great extension.
(and pleeeease post a road map of what you have planned in the future (preferably with NO dates on it so that people wont complain if a function doesnt get put in by a specified date))
Regards,
Andy
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