We’re thinking of starting a new project with both a magazine and forum, having used EE for our CMS needs since 2004 starting this project with EE and the addition forum module seems like the best way to go, however I’m not sure what you get out of the box in terms of design?

With EE as a CMS of course nothing, that’s perfect just what I want so that I can put my own design in place. However I’ve never designed a forum and would like some form of base from which to start with.

Is there a base template design that functions fully for me to learn from? When I started with EE back in 2004 I used the free templates as a way to get started and to understand what goes where, I tend to only ever read manuals as a last act of desperation.

Thanks

Andy Williamson

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your interest in Discussion Forum!

Indeed, Forum comes with a few themes to start with. One being a Developer theme that is “bare bones”, and intended as a starting point for customization.

I haven’t developed Forum themes myself, but it is a bit different than ExpressionEngine proper. Forums uses a light-weight parser rather than EE’s main template parser.

Some folks swear by Scaffold as a place to start.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Cheers,

Hi Dan,

Thanks very much, that’s what I was looking for, just something to get me past the staring at a blank page bit… And thanks for the tip about Scaffold, looks to be ideal for my needs.

Will order a new licence for EE with forum module later today.

Cheers

Andy

Hey Andy,

You’re welcome and it’s my pleasure!

Is there anything else I can assist you with?

Cheers,