Originally Posted by Dave McMullen
Thanks Joe.
I'm using a Surface Pro, so maybe too small a device...
And sorry to everyone for the use of all caps in my last post. I was quite disappointed and I wanted to make sure to make it clear the web site was not working well at all at least for some. I will be patient and hope it gets better now.
Dave
Dave,
I just found the "secret" to making the new web page layout, actually work as well as the good old one. The problem (or bug) in the new page design is that the side panels DO NOT automatically "scale" themselves to the view screen width.
Then I discovered, using my 24" monitor, that all is well if I switch to "FULL screen" view. As an after thought, I then tried using the smaller display width, but gradually shrinking the width until the display screws up everything, again. There is an optimal web page display width, or switching point, where the side panels back-off, and let the center be used for the ads, fully displayed.
So, choose just THREE (auxiliary) columns - e.g. Seller, Price, and Date - you don't really need the other column categories most of the time. Then gradually reduce the sides of your window until the HUGE right panel pops itself right into the middle of the screen, hiding the middle third, including your LOGIN. That's now too narrow.
For some reason, the right panel expands itself from the ideal smaller size, and then blocks our view. At this point stretch your window size BACK a bit wider again, until you just see the slider bar at the bottom of the window. Now, the left and right panels shrink back to their old style "reasonable" sizes.
That will be the "breakpoint" between, seeing all 3 extra columns (besides the photo and description). In fact, at this "optimal window width", the DATE splits itself quite nicely between two lines, making things look far better, wasting less of the valuable screen space AstroMart supporters are really interested in.
Would have been nice to have "column dividers" in the header, (as in Windows), so we could choose our own column width - especially for mobile devices. But, the above work around works well enough, once you get the hang of making this adjustment, just once. Of course, if you resize your browser window width to view a different website, you will have to re-adjust using the above kludge again.
It should NOT have been made this difficult to use ASTROMART.
... So, now I can finally live with the mess made in the new AstroMart web page design.
Works almost as well as the old one did - once you optimize window width.
Hope this works equally well, Dave, with using your Surface Pro.
Joe