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Adding a left side bar?

brandofamilybrandofamily Registered Users Posts: 2,013 Major grins
edited November 12, 2013 in SmugMug Customization
When I try to add a left side bar all I get is a space. I am not seeing the colored background at all. I set the left side bar to on in layout, then went to my theme and set the color to #1f2021 and opacity to 80%, but I see no shaded region, just the space.
I've since turned it off. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong?
BTW, I only want it on the homepage if that matters.

Edit: Adding the side bar AND seeing the colored background only seems to work if I add it to the entire site.
Can I add it to only the homepage?

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    ChancyRatChancyRat Registered Users Posts: 2,141 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    brandofamily wrote: »
    When I try to add a left side bar all I get is a space. I am not seeing the colored background at all. I set the left side bar to on in layout, then went to my theme and set the color to #1f2021 and opacity to 80%, but I see no shaded region, just the space.
    I've since turned it off. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong?
    BTW, I only want it on the homepage if that matters.

    Edit: Adding the side bar AND seeing the colored background only seems to work if I add it to the entire site.
    Can I add it to only the homepage?

    I have a left sidebar on my home page only and I see the same background (image) for all parts (body, header, etc.).
    I also have not understood what the options are for the theme (with the color options and opacity options). So I tweaked them just now (taking a deep breath, lol).

    What happens if you clear all the color choices for the theme sections? Click the X for each color choice, which I think reverts them to default? That's what I have so that I get the full background on my site.
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    brandofamilybrandofamily Registered Users Posts: 2,013 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    I don't want the left sidebar to have the same color. I want something like I did here, but I do not what to switch layouts and loose my customizations...

    http://www.onbroadwaydancers.com/
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    ChancyRatChancyRat Registered Users Posts: 2,141 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    OK I think I got it. In this image I changed the color of the left sidebar.
    After this I tried another variation, which was to choose a light grey, and then slide the left sidebar Alpha bar to the left, which adds transparency.
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    ChancyRatChancyRat Registered Users Posts: 2,141 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    I would add that I first tried this on "page only", but nothing happened. I don't know why it it needs to be on entire site. I did check and since I don't have a leftbar on any other page on the site, the color variance doesn't show anywhere else except the home page.

    I wonder what the page only section in the Theme custom for background, does?
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    ChancyRatChancyRat Registered Users Posts: 2,141 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    And : eek7.gif for putting "Alpha" on a bar that is not about the alphabet, but about transparency to color. eek7.gif
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    brandofamilybrandofamily Registered Users Posts: 2,013 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    ChancyRat wrote: »
    OK I think I got it. In this image I changed the color of the left sidebar.
    After this I tried another variation, which was to choose a light grey, and then slide the left sidebar Alpha bar to the left, which adds transparency.

    Did you have to revert the background colors to default to get it to work?
    I tried what you did but I do not see any color change unless I do the entire site... which I want to avoid so I can have more room for thumbs and pics etc on the inner pages.
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    ChancyRatChancyRat Registered Users Posts: 2,141 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    brandofamily wrote: »
    Did you have to revert the background colors to default to get it to work?
    I tried what you did but I do not see any color change unless I do the entire site... which I want to avoid so I can have more room for thumbs and pics etc on the inner pages.

    My background is an image, not a color and I didn't do anything to it.
    I don't think tweaking this on entire site will affect your subfolders unless you also have a left bar on them? I only have a left bar on the home page and did not see any changes on the inner pages.

    Did you try this with the entire site section and then check your inner pages?
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    ChancyRatChancyRat Registered Users Posts: 2,141 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    I did try not adding a color at all and just tweaking the transparency bar (on the entire site section), but this did nothing to the background image (no transparency). So conclude one must add a color before the transparency can take effect.
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    brandofamilybrandofamily Registered Users Posts: 2,013 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    ChancyRat wrote: »
    My background is an image, not a color and I didn't do anything to it.
    I don't think tweaking this on entire site will affect your subfolders unless you also have a left bar on them? I only have a left bar on the home page and did not see any changes on the inner pages.

    Did you try this with the entire site section and then check your inner pages?

    I too have an image background. I must be doing something wrong. If I add the sidebar to just the home page I just see the space, not color added. If I add it to the entire site I see the color but then the bar is added to every page.
    ne_nau.gif
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    ChancyRatChancyRat Registered Users Posts: 2,141 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    Are you sure you don't have a left sidebar added to the entire site section?
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    ChancyRatChancyRat Registered Users Posts: 2,141 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    Wait - what about, when you are clicked onto the Homepage section, click the Green Settings at the very top, and choose the option to turn on Independent Homepage?
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    brandofamilybrandofamily Registered Users Posts: 2,013 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    ChancyRat wrote: »
    Are you sure you don't have a left sidebar added to the entire site section?

    I only see the sidebar IF I add it to the entire site. Right now it's turned off completely.
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    brandofamilybrandofamily Registered Users Posts: 2,013 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    ChancyRat wrote: »
    Wait - what about, when you are clicked onto the Homepage section, click the Green Settings at the very top, and choose the option to turn on Independent Homepage?

    What does that do?
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    ChancyRatChancyRat Registered Users Posts: 2,141 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    An independent home page is not affected by changes to the entire site.
    (Quote from the ? on the setting.)
    Practically what this has meant is that for my entire site, I have a top navbar, but it does not show on the home page. I could add one to the home page but I put a left sidebar navbar on the home page. If I wanted a top navbar on all pages including home, I would have to add a navbar separately on both the home page and entire site, and then set the links twice.
    You can turn the feature off it if has undesired side effects.
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    ChancyRatChancyRat Registered Users Posts: 2,141 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    And I can't piece the logic together of why this works:
    independent home page +
    leftnav on home page +
    theme/background/entire site left sidebar color & transparency
    =
    sidebar color and transparency on home page only

    I tested this - I added a sidebar to all folders. The color and transparency I had set per the above, still shows only on the home page left sidebar.

    If you didn't want to make your home page independent - did you set up the left sidebar on entire site? Maybe limit it to homepage and folders.
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    brandofamilybrandofamily Registered Users Posts: 2,013 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    ChancyRat wrote: »
    And I can't piece the logic together of why this works:
    independent home page +
    leftnav on home page +
    theme/background/entire site left sidebar color & transparency
    =
    sidebar color and transparency on home page only

    I tested this - I added a sidebar to all folders. The color and transparency I had set per the above, still shows only on the home page left sidebar.

    If you didn't want to make your home page independent - did you set up the left sidebar on entire site? Maybe limit it to homepage and folders.

    I set up the sidebar on homepage only and get no color just the space.
    I set it up on entire site and get the bar on ALL pages including homepage w/ the color. I cannot get it on JUST the homepage w/ the color.
    Trust me, aside from doing the Independent Homepage route I have tried all the possible combinations and played w/ all the settings...
    I cannot get it on the homepage ONLY... WITH the color showing... ne_nau.gifdunno
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    ChancyRatChancyRat Registered Users Posts: 2,141 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2013
    I trust you. :)
    Since I only have the independent home page, I don't have a solution.
    Why not make an independent home page?
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    brandofamilybrandofamily Registered Users Posts: 2,013 Major grins
    edited November 12, 2013
    Tried it... it did not work either.
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