The way I've successfully tweaked back office stuff is to use a program that can search folders for specific text, then look for text near where I want to make my edit. For example if you want to add a note of some kind to the write tab page searching for "Select main category in target blog and optionally check additional categories" would point you to where that comes from, and therefore probably show you where you could add a bit of your own info. Since I don't do it often I can't tell you which file does what, but I can tell you that Agent Ransack is freeware that will search folders for text.

I'm unravelling this, bit by bit. The CSS files under Skins_adm seems to be the place to go for several of the lower priorities on my list.

I'm puzzled: skins_adm>legacy>rsc>css has four folders in it. Looks like there are two stylings of the Legacy admin skin--Legacy and Desert--another (Variation) that imports Desert and adds to it, and one (Sidebar) that is invoked to fix some IE problems... More puzzlement: the css in the Evo admin skin also says it is for Desert style.

I'm running Legacy for the admin skin right now--which one am I looking at? (= which one do I change, to change which I am looking at?)

For that high priority--putting some text beside the Write box--is less clear. _adminUI_general.class.php does not seem to be the equivalent of _main.php. Agent Ransack will have to wait till tomorrow.

Ultraedit is a programmer's editor with many capacities... not the least of which is the ability to search in files. You can have it search through numerous files and directories and sub directories (folders) and return all of the locations for particular text. It lets you have multiple files open with tab access.

Plus, Ultra edit will take you right to a line of code when you need that feature. After you use it you can see why so many programmers find Ultraedit invaluable.

Concerning your questions... I too would like to be able to widen the posting window. I have hacked around on it a bit... but my methods I don't recommend to others (be sure to always create a safe copy of each file you want to change before messing around).

The posting area seems to be specified in the inc/VIEW/items/_item.form.php and in the inc/VIEW/items/_item.simple.form.php files.

But, I would like for a professional (someone who knows what they are doing) to give you guidance on how to make that form wider. I am a slash and rip kind of guy... and crash a lot while doing it... restoring back with my safe files (then having another go at it, until I'm satisfied). A pro... can tell you exactly what to do the right way (avoiding consequences, which might be insidiously hidden in damaged code with subsequent disastrous consequences as a result of my methods).

Thanks for the tips about Ultraedit and Agent Ransack. But are you SURE we need to cut a new path through the jungle like this? Admin_skin has a section in the documentation (http://doc.b2evolution.net/v-1-9/li_admin-skin.html )--but that section hasn't been written yet. Surely somebody knows something about it.... ?

I think I was adding (editing in) additional comments while you were posting...so you might not have read what i was saying there.

But, I'm with you... "cutting a new path through the jungle" is not necessary with expert help... but I find that I usually get what I want with my machete style tactics. (just be sure to have that safe file at the ready.)

Try ../blogs/inc/VIEW/items/item.form.php and _item_simple.form.php

That's what I said, Afwas, in my earlier post... but what do you do there to widen that form?

Sorry samredman, didn't read your answer (or really: I found these files independent of you and didn't bother to read previous posts before posting myself).

You can easily add a line like under the title of the post or just before 'actions' that is, between the post area and the buttons. There is not much room for a picture but you could try between CATEGORIES and VISIBILITY / SHARING.

samredman wrote:

That's what I said, Afwas, in my earlier post... but what do you do there to widen that form?

It appears to be fluent, so if you've got a bigger screen, you've got a bigger textarea. The settings are (line 384 in desert.css):

.left_col {
	vertical-align: top;
	float: left;
	width: 80%;
	clear: left;
	/* border:	1px solid #f00; */
	margin: 0;
	padding: 0;
	overflow: hidden;
}
.right_col {
	/* border:	1px solid #f00; */
	width: 19%;
	vertical-align: top;
	float: right;
	margin: 0;
	padding: 0;
	overflow: hidden;

Here I changed to 80% left and 19% right. It works on my 1024x768 screen.
All css'es are equal. You could change only one (desert). In the backoffice you can switch stylesheets (right top, V or D or L)

Very nice afwas.... you have helped me many times with lots of clues... Thanks so much. This worked great for me.

samredman wrote:

But, I'm with you... "cutting a new path through the jungle" is not necessary with expert help...

The "experts" are the people who've figured something out the hard way, then stick around and share their knowledge or add to the manual. Just sayin...

Edb... you are one of the experts I rely on. Generally, when I want to know something, I do a couple of searches on the subject, but I also include an author in the search. I do one with Edb in the "author" field (and the other with ¥åßßå). This is a secret method that I am passing on to everyone. Amazingly... I generally find the answers that way.

Heh! Sometimes it's still funny to me that I'm an "expert" at this stuff. All I know is what I stumbled my way through and to, and some stuff I blantantly stole from others who have gone before. Man you shoulda seen my first couple of hundred posts! 8|

Anyway all I know about this topic is what I already shared, and to be honest there just hasn't been that much sharing of knowledge about tweaking the back office. Hopefully one day someone comes along who happens to magically understand all sorts of stuff 'back there' and sticks around to share what they know.

EdB wrote:

Heh! Sometimes it's still funny to me that I'm an "expert"

lmfao, I'll make allowances for your age, they say that the mind goes first, but I still remember the buzz I got when I saw my name in one of yer plugins ...... mind you, that was ages ago, before your mind went and stuff :|

EdB wrote:

Hopefully one day someone comes along who happens to magically understand all sorts of stuff 'back there' and sticks around to share what they know.

I've gotta admit, the admin_ui is a tad more complicated than the normal skin, but you can still tinker with it ....... you can only tinker with the "outside" though, the "page specific" stuff in the center ( mostly ) requires core hacks.

¥

Someone mentioned enlarging the write pane in the back office.

If you use FireFox, there's a nifty add-on called "Resizable Form Fields", which allows one to resize (Width + Height) text areas on-the-fly.

Works great in the back-office (but only expands vertically and some horiz, before the text box is lost UNDER the right sidebar).

Might help tho. :D