NearDark Template

Purpose

NearDark is a 'drop-in' replacement for Template 8 that has a brighter color palette, more legible fonts, conserves space better, and comes with a number of useful features that support customization without changing any PHP code. Mom and Dad Side links from Template 8, surname clouds from Template 12, and scrollable content sections can all be customized in template settings or turned off entirely. The template is internationalized and supports English, Spanish, and German out-of-the-box.

A new installation Mod NearD Support can be used to make all the required changes to templateconfig.php and the language support files without editing. Icon and link clustering on the left, which used to be supported by the Icon Gravity Mod, is included as part of the installation.

Designer

Bill Herndon

Download

v10.1.0.2 for TNG 10.1.0 through 11.0.2 is the latest version of NearDark.

Features

Mom's Side / Dad's Side Links

This is same feature supported by Template 8 but with the ability to turn it on and off from template settings. The heading for each can also be set in template settings.

Surname Cloud

This is the same feature supported by Template 12. The number of surnames displayed can be set in template settings, and the feature can also be turned on or off. When turned off, the template will recalculate distances so that the home page maintains the same approximate size. The default number of surnames is 40, and the template is sized to handle up to 50 surnames when scrollable content (see below) is turned on.

Scrollable Content

By default, this feature is turned on and causes the index page's three main content sections to scroll their content while maintaining a maximum size. Turning the feature off in template settings will cause the page height to accommodate all content without scrolling.

Three-part Headers

Three-part headers from Template 8 are supported.

Internationalization

NearDark is fully localized for English, Spanish, and German out-of-the-box, and many page items can be changed by the user. For example the 'Site Menu' has default settings for Spanish and German, but these can be changed by the user in template settings.

NearDawn Palette

For an alternate color palette, but one that has all the same features, check out NearDawn.

Preview

NearDark

   

(Click for full size views.)

Template 8

   

Requirements

• A working TNG installation (10.0.2 - 11.0)

Installation

• Download the .zip file to your template directory and unpack it.
• Edit your templateconfig.php file adding the code in the box below. (These variables are really just placeholders for the parameters you can set in Template => Setup):

$tmp['tNearDark_headtitle1'] = "NearDark";
$tmp['tNearDark_headtitle2'] = "Template";
$tmp['tNearDark_headtitle3'] = "";
$tmp['tNearDark_headsubtitle'] = "Mom's family, Dad's family, and a whole bunch o' other families.";
$tmp['tNearDark_headimg'] = "img/titletop.jpg";
$tmp['tNearDark_showmom'] = "yes";
$tmp['tNearDark_momside'] = "Mom's Side";
$tmp['tNearDark_momsidenames'] = "Smith/Jones";
$tmp['tNearDark_momperson'] = "I1";
$tmp['tNearDark_momtree'] = "mytreeid";
$tmp['tNearDark_showdad'] = "yes";
$tmp['tNearDark_dadside'] = "Dad's Side";
$tmp['tNearDark_dadsidenames'] = "Johnson/Williams";
$tmp['tNearDark_dadperson'] = "I2";
$tmp['tNearDark_dadtree'] = "mytreeid";
$tmp['tNearDark_showcloud'] = "yes";
$tmp['tNearDark_cloudnames'] = "30";
$tmp['tNearDark_mainpara'] = "<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Etiam pharetra, tellus sit amet congue vulputate, nisi erat iaculis nibh,
vitae feugiat sapien ante eget mauris. Pellentesque ac felis tellus. Aenean sollicitudin imperdiet arcu, vitae dignissim est posuere id.
Duis placerat justo eu nunc interdum ultrices. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Etiam pharetra, tellus sit amet
congue vulputate, nisi erat iaculis nibh, vitae feugiat sapien ante eget mauris. Pellentesque ac felis tellus. Aenean sollicitudin
imperdiet arcu, vitae dignissim est posuere id. Duis placerat justo eu nunc interdum ultrices.</p>";
$tmp['tNearDark_latestnews'] = "<p><b>Today</b> - You switch to the most stupendous template ever designed for TNG.</p>
<p><b>25 Dec 2008</b> - Years and years of family research result in a compilation without equal.</p>
<p><b>1 Jan 2003</b> - Darrin invents TNG, the be-all and end-all of genealogy software.</p>
<p><b>1 Jan 2000</b> - Once again...world does not end.  Experts blame Y2K.
<p><b>5 May 1821</b> - Napolean dies in exile on St. Helena.</p>
<p><b>19 Oct 1781</b> - Blaming, \"...that burrito I ate last night,\" Lord Cornwallis sends an aide to surrender his sword after Yorktown.</p>
<p><b>19 May 1536</b> - Anne Boleyn fails to keep a level head.</p>
<p><b>9 Sep 1492</b> - Columbus threatens to, '...turn this boat right around,' if the crew doesn't stop complaining about the food.</p>
<p><b>1013</b> - Sweyn Forkbeard invades England and Aethelred II \"The Unready\" flees to Normandy.</p>
<p><b>1 Jan 1000</b> - The world does not end-Catholic Church blames the Julian Calendar.</p>
<p><b>21 Apr 612</b> - Sir Robin bravely runs away.</p>
<p><b>3 Apr 33</b> - Brian takes one for the team.</p>
<p><b>15 Mar 44 BCE</b> - Julius Caesar murdered.</p>";

• Edit your languages/English/cust_text.php file adding the variables in the box below:

$admtext['showmom'] = "Show Mom's Side ";
$admtext['showdad'] = "Show Dad's Side";
$admtext['showcloud'] = "Show Surname Cloud";
$admtext['cloudnames'] = "Number of Surnames";

Compatibility

Unlike the previous version, this version of NearDark probably won't work with TNG r9. The template should, however, be mobile compatible, but if you find any issues, especially on mobile devices, please let me know.

Add any other compatibility issues here.

Notes and Caveats

None

Revision History

Version	Release Date	Comments
v10.1.0.1	27 Feb 2016	This update brightens the color palette, adds the ability to turn the Mom's Side and Dad's Side on or off from the template settings, and adds the Surname Cloud feature from Template 12. The default font has been changed to Tahoma for readability, and most emboldened titles have been removed.
v10.1.0.0	17 Jul 2015	Initial release

Sites Using NearDark

If you download and install this template, please add your TNG site to the table below.

URL	User	Note	Template Version	TNG Version
Lindell-Herndon Genealogy	Bill Herndon	Template designer	10.1.0.1	11.0.2
Porterfield Junction			10.1.0.0	10.1.2