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FAQ - Style System 2
» How do I customize my journal using S2?
Once you have selected S2 as your style system, go back to
http://www.livejournal.com/customize/.
In step 1, you select which layout you wish to use. If you want to see what the layouts look like before using them on your journal, click the (Previews) link. Some layouts are not available to free accounts, as detailed in
http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=145. If you choose a different layout, you will need to click the "Change" button before any layout-specific options appear.
Step 2 allows you to select your journal's primary language and your color scheme. Both of these depend on which layout you have selected. Each layout has its own color schemes and supports different languages.
If you want to customize your layout further, click on the "Customize" button under the Change Individual Settings heading. This will allow you to select the layout-specific options. You can also select a custom range of colors for your journal. A list of layout-specific options can be found at
http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=171.
To set customization options that do not appear on the first page of the Customize page, click on the tabs that appear above the various options, near the top of the page.
Once you have finished selecting your options, click the "Save" button to apply your customizations to your journal. After you first apply your individual customizations, the "Customize" button will change to read "Edit customizations".
Note that some journal options, such as mood icon choices, will remain available through
http://www.livejournal.com/modify.bml even when you are using S2.
Last Updated:
teshiron, 2004-03-01
» Which options are currently supported by each public S2 layout?
Each public S2 layout supports different customization features. The options that are available for each layout will appear at
http://www.livejournal.com/customize/ once you have selected the layout. If the option that you are interested in does not appear in the layout you selected, you can select a different layout that does support that option.
The following public layouts support the following features. Features and layouts marked by a @ are usable only by Paid, Permanent, and Early Adopter account holders.
BY LAYOUT
A STURDY GESTURE
* Color customization
* Font specification
* Friend colors on Friends page
* Link List
* @ Moving the Navigation bar
* Shared journal user pictures instead of poster's user picture
* @ User pictures next to each journal entry
CLASSIC
* @ Changing comment links
* Color customization
* Font specification
* Link List
* Next, Memory, Edit (etc) icons on Entry View page
* Number of journal entries on Recent and Friends pages
* Old-style comment pages
* Page background image
* Shared journal user pictures instead of poster's user picture
* @ User pictures next to each journal entry
CLEAN AND SIMPLE
* @ Changing borders
* @ Changing comment links
* Color customization
* @ Font specification
* Link List
* Next, Memory, Edit (etc) icons on Entry View page
* Number of journal entries on Recent and Friends pages
* Old-style comment pages
* Page background image
* Shared journal user pictures instead of poster's user picture
@ COMPONENT (
http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=s2component)
* Changing comment text
* Changing link underline styles
* Changing navigation text
* Color customization
* Components
* Font specification
* Font size specification
* Free Text
* Link List
* Mini-Calendar
* Next, Memory, Edit (etc) icons on Entry View page
* Old-style comment pages
* Page background image
* Page background image properties
* Renaming "Currents"
* Shared journal user pictures instead of poster's user picture
* Specifying number of journal entries on Recent and Friends pages
* User pictures next to each journal entry
DIGITAL MULTIPLEX (OSWD)
* @ Changing comments text
* Color customization
* Font specification
* Free text
* Leading text for links
* Link List
* Mini-calendar
* Number of journal/friends entries per page.
* Old-style comments pages
* Page background image
* Page background image properties
* Renaming currents
* Shared journal user pictures instead of poster's user picture
* Sidebar width
* Sidebar contents
* Width of journal content
GENERATOR
* @ Changing comment text
* Color customization
* @ Entry box resizing
* Font specification
* Link List
* Next, Memory, Edit (etc) icons on Entry View page
* Number of journal entries on Recent and Friends pages
* Old-style comment pages
* Page background image
* Renaming "Currents"
* Shared journal user pictures instead of poster's user picture
* Small userpics on comments
@ HAVEN
* Automatic color customization
* Changing comment text
* Changing current mood and music text
* Color customization
* Font specification
* Free text (Blurb)
* Link list
* Location of title bar customization
* Mini-Calendar
* Number of journal entries on Recent and Friends pages
* Page background image
* Page background image properties
* Page Summary
* User pictures next to each journal entry
* Width of journal content
MAGAZINE
* @ Changing comment text
* Color customization
* Next, Memory, Edit (etc) icons on Entry View page
* Number of journal entries on Recent and Friends pages
* Old-style comment pages
* Page background image
* Shared journal user pictures instead of poster's user picture
* @ User pictures next to each journal entry
NOTEPAD
* @ Changing comment text
* Color customization
* Next, Memory, Edit (etc) icons on Entry View page
* Number of journal entries on Recent and Friends pages
* Old-style comment pages
* Page background image
* Shared journal user pictures instead of poster's user picture
* User pictures next to each journal entry
@ OPAL (LIBRA OSWD)
* Changing comment text
* Changing navigation links
* Color customization
* Font specification
* Free text
* Leading text for links
* Leading text for page summaries
* Link List
* Mini-Calendar
* Number of journal entries on Recent and Friends pages
* Old-style comment pages
* Page summarys
* Renaming "Currents"
* Shared journal user pictures instead of poster's user picture
* Text to display when there are no entries on the day view
* Text to link back to the single entry view from the read comments page
* Text to replace a subject line when no subject is specified
* User pictures next to each journal entry
PUNQUIN ELEGANT
* @ Changing comment text
* Color customization
* Font specification
* Link List
* Moving the Navigation bar
* Next, Memory, Edit (etc) icons on Entry View page
* Number of journal entries on Recent and Friends pages
* Old-style comment pages
* Page background image
* Shared journal user pictures instead of poster's user picture
* @ User pictures next to each journal entry
TABULAR INDENT
* @ Changing comment text
* Color customization
* Number of journal entries on Recent and Friends pages
* Old-style comment pages
* Page background image
* Shared journal user pictures instead of poster's user picture
* @ User pictures next to each journal entry
@ THE BOXER
* Changing date format
* Changing link underline styles
* Changing navigation links
* Changing page width
* Changing page alignment
* Color customization
* Font specification
* Font size specification
* Link List
* Mini-Calendar
* Number of journal entries on Recent and Friends pages
* Page background image
* Page background image positioning control
* Shared journal user pictures instead of poster's user picture
* User pictures next to each journal entry
BY OPTION
Layouts marked by @ are usable only by Paid, Permanent, and Early Adopter accounts. Options marked by # are usable by Paid, Permanent, and Early Adopter accounts in one or more of the layouts listed.
AUTOMATIC COLOR PALETTE
* @ Haven
# CHANGING BORDERS
* Clean and Simple
CHANGING DATE FORMAT
* @ The Boxer
# CHANGING COMMENT LINK TEXT
* Classic
* Clean and Simple
* @ Component
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
* Generator
* @ Haven
* Magazine
* Notepad
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
* Punquin Elegant
* Tabular Indent
CHANGING LINK UNDERLINE STYLES
* @ Component
* @ The Boxer
CHANGING NAVIGATION TEXT
* @ Component
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
* @ The Boxer
CHANGING PAGE WIDTH
* @ Haven
* @ The Boxer
CHANGING PAGE ALIGNMENT
* @ The Boxer
COLOR CUSTOMIZATION
* A Sturdy Gesture
* Classic
* Clean and Simple
* @ Component
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
* Generator
* @ Haven
* Magazine
* Notepad
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
* Punquin Elegant
* Tabular Indent
* @ The Boxer
COMPONENTS
* @ Component
# ENTRY BOX RESIZING
* Generator
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
FONT SPECIFICATION
* A Sturdy Gesture
* Classic
* Clean and Simple
* @ Component
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
* Generator
* @ Haven
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
* Punquin Elegant
* @ The Boxer
FONT SIZE SPECIFICATION
* @ Component
* @ The Boxer
FRIEND COLORS ON FRIEND PAGES
* A Sturdy Gesture
FREE TEXT
* @ Component
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
* @ Haven
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
ICONS ON ENTRY VIEW PAGE
* Classic
* Clean and Simple
* @ Component
* Generator
* @ Haven
* Magazine
* Notepad
* Punquin Elegant
LEADING TEXT FOR LINKS
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
LEADING TEXT FOR PAGE SUMMARIES
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
LINK LIST (
http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=169)
* A Sturdy Gesture
* Classic
* Clean and Simple
* @ Component
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
* Generator
* @ Haven
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
* Punquin Elegant
* @ The Boxer
MINI-CALENDAR
* @ Component
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
* @ Haven
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
* @ The Boxer
# MOVING THE NAVIGATION BAR
* A Sturdy Gesture
* Punquin Elegant
NUMBER OF JOURNAL ENTRIES ON PAGE
* Classic
* Clean and Simple
* @ Component
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
* Generator
* @ Haven
* Magazine
* Notepad
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
* Punquin Elegant
* Tabular Indent
* @ The Boxer
OLD-STYLE COMMENT PAGES
* Classic
* Clean and Simple
* @ Component
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
* Generator
* @ Haven
* Magazine
* Notepad
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
* Punquin Elegant
PAGE BACKGROUND IMAGE
* Classic
* Clean and Simple
* @ Component
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
* Generator
* @ Haven
* Magazine
* Notepad
* Punquin Elegant
* Tabular Indent
* @ The Boxer
PAGE BACKGROUND IMAGE PROPERTIES
* @ Component
* @ Haven
* @ The Boxer
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
PAGE SUMMARIES
* @ Haven
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
RENAMING CURRENTS
* @ Component
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
* Generator
* @ Haven
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
SHARED JOURNAL USER PICTURES
* A Sturdy Gesture
* Classic
* Clean and Simple
* @ Component
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
* Generator
* Magazine
* Notepad
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
* Punquin Elegant
* Tabular Indent
* @ The Boxer
SIDEBAR CONTENTS
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
SIDEBAR WIDTH
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
SMALL USERPICS ON COMMENTS
* Generator
TEXT TO DISPLAY WHEN NO ENTRIES IN DAY VIEW
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
TEXT TO LINK TO SINGLE ENTRY VIEW
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
TEXT TO REPLACE SUBJECT LINE WHEN EMPTY
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
# USER PICTURES ON RECENT ENTRIES
* A Sturdy Gesture
* Classic
* @ Component
* @ Haven
* Magazine
* Notepad
* @ Opal (Libra OSWD)
* Punquin Elegant
* Tabular Indent
* @ The Boxer
Last Updated:
teshiron, 2004-03-01
» I am using S2. Why are some customization options not available?
Some layouts under S2 are reserved for Paid, Permanent, and Early Adopter accounts. These layouts are "Component", "Opal (Libra OSWD)", "Haven", and "The Boxer". Also, some options under S2 are also not available for free accounts. Even if a particular S2 layout is available and supports a customization option, that option may not be available for free users.
In particular, customized comment pages which appear in the same style as the selected layout are only available to paid and Permanent accounts. Other account types must upgrade to a paid account to use this feature.
A full list of which options are available with each layout, and whether or not each option is available for free accounts, can be found at
http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=171.
Information on how to upgrade to a paid account to gain access to the reserved features of S2 is available at
http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=21. For information on the other benefits of a paid account, see
http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=131.
Last Updated:
teshiron, 2004-03-01
» What is a Link List? How do I put a Link List in my S2 style?
A Link List is a new feature in S2 that, as the name implies, allows you to create a list of links to your favorite webpages. Current S2 system styles that support Link Lists are:
* A Sturdy Gesture
* Classic
* Clean and Simple
* Component
* Digital Multiplex (OSWD)
* Generator
* Opal (Libra OSWD)
* Punquin Elegant
* The Boxer
To create or edit a Link List of your own, make sure you are logged in, then visit the Link List management page at
http://www.livejournal.com/manage/links.bml. Put in a URL and title for each link you'd like to make, then press the "Save Changes" button at the bottom of the page.
If your account type allows for more links, you can press the "More ->" button near the bottom of the page to add more links. Users with Free accounts are limited to 5 links, users with Early Adopter accounts to 15, and users with Paid and Permanent accounts to 30. Links, titles with no URLs, and blank lines all count toward this limit.
To change the order of your Link List without wiping out your existing links, you can modify the link order numbers, which can be found in each link's "Order" field.
To include your Link List in your S2 style, look for the "Link List Support" option in the customization wizard (
http://www.livejournal.com/customize/), then change the setting to "Yes".
Last Updated:
kamara, 2004-02-02
» My friends' comment pages are displaying in different styles. How do I change this?
Paid and Permanent accounts using S2 (
http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=168) can customize their journal comment pages to match their journal layout. You may follow a link from your Friends page to see differently-customized comment pages.
If you don't want to see the customized comment pages, go to
http://www.livejournal.com/editinfo.bml and select the "View comment pages in your journal style?" option. This option adds "style=mine" to the URLs of comment pages linked to from your friends page, causing other users' comment pages to be displayed in your chosen site scheme (
http://www.livejournal.com/manage/siteopts.bml). (S2 users who opt to use the "new style" comment pages will see the comment pages of others displayed in their own journal style.)
Even if you do not wish to use this new option, you can append "?style=mine" to the URL of a comment page at any time so it does the same thing. (Note that if the URL already has an argument attached to it, such as "?mode=reply" or "?nc=," then you will need to change "?style=mine" to "&style=mine.")
Last Updated:
burr86, 2003-11-27
» Where can I go to learn more about advanced S2 customization?
Paid Accounts, Permanent Accounts, and Early Adopters can use the Advanced Customization area of S2. This area is designed for people who are interested in learning the S2 language.
Once you learn the S2 language, you can have exact control over your journal's layout. S2's advanced customization is more flexible and more full-featured than S1's style system. However, that increased flexibility brings increased complexity, and creating new S2 layouts currently requires a willingness to learn the S2 programming language.
S2 developer documentation can be found at
http://www.livejournal.com/customize/advanced/. There are also various communities that specialize in S2 customization assistance, which can be located through community searches. Details on finding communities can be found at
http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=85, "How do I find a community?".
You can also read
http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=176, "What are the different S2 layer types?" and
http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=177, "How do I create a custom S2 style?"
Last Updated:
kamara, 2004-02-02
» What are the different S2 layer types?
Style system 2 (S2) was designed from the ground up to allow a much-increased level of flexibility when customising your journal. Because of this, the structure of a custom style in S2 is different from that of S1.
S2 styles are composed of "layers". Each layer in a S2 style deals with a different aspect of the style, ranging from color to translation to HTML options and settings. A complete S2 style is the result of putting its different layers together for use.
For a basic list of definitions that are used in S2, you can see
http://www.livejournal.com/doc/s2/quickstart.intro.html#quickstart.intro.terms.
To become familiar with the various layers available to you in S2, go to the Advanced Customization area (
http://www.livejournal.com/customize/advanced/) and click on "Public Layers". You will be presented with a page that lists all of the available system layers, starting with the Core Layer.
The Core Layer is the center of S2. This layer defines all of the most commonly used data types (such as integer, string and boolean variables), properties (colors, text and presentation options), classes (pages, journal views, entries, comments) and functions. All other layers inherit the functionality of the Core Layer.
The next layer is the Core Internationalization Layer. This type of layer defines how text properties and date/time formats, among other things in the Core Layer, would be displayed in a different language.
A Layout Layer combines the functionality from the Core Layer and the relevant Core Internationalization Layer to create the pages people see when they visit your journal. (If you've previously created custom styles in S1, this concept will be familiar to you, though the execution has changed.) A single Layout Layer controls all of the views of your journal: the Recent Entries view, the Friends view, the Calendar view, the Day view, the Month view, and your individual comment pages.
You can define a custom set of properties in your Layout Layers, which can then be configured at S2's basic Customize area (
http://www.livejournal.com/customize/). Because of this, once your Layout Layer is done, you may never have to change it again -- you can change your customizations by altering your Theme Layers and your User Layers.
Each Layout Layer can have up to three different types of child layers. (For an example, click on any of the "children..." links on the Public Layers page.)
A Layout Internationalization Layer performs many of the same functions as the Core Internationalization Layer, but it is specific to your personal Layout Layer. This is useful if you want to make your Layout available in different languages to other users. If your Layout Layer has an Internationalization Layer beneath it which converts everything to German, for example, then users who have selected German as their preferred language on
http://www.livejournal.com/manage/siteopts.bml will see your navigation links, custom text etc in German, without any additional configuration on their part.
A Theme Layer is used to override color, image, font and sound properties provided in the Layout Layer. For users familiar with S1, the Theme Layer offers a greater level of configurability than existing S1 Color Themes. Any defined Theme Layer "children" can be chosen from within the Customize area.
The final type of Layer is known as the User Layer. This is the layer in which all Layout-specific options, configured via the Customize area, are saved. A layer of this type will automatically be created for the user upon saving their Individual Customizations.
A more detailed explanation of the different layer types and what each type can do can be found at
http://www.livejournal.com/doc/s2/layers.html. Information on how to create a custom S2 style can be found at
http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=177.
Last Updated:
rahaeli, 2003-09-13
» How do I create a custom S2 style?
Users with Paid, Permanent, and Early Adopter accounts can create S2 styles. If you are interested in purchasing a paid account, see
http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=21. For information on customization available to free users in S2, see
http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=170.
Before you begin to create a custom style in S2, you should become better acquainted with S2's structure and terminology, even if you have prior experience in creating custom S1 styles. More information can be found at
http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=176.
In order to create a custom style, you must first create and design a Layout layer. To do this, first go to the Advanced Customize area (
http://www.livejournal.com/customize/advanced/) and click on "Your Layers". Under "Create top-level layer", select the type Layout, and click Create. This will take you to the Layer Editor, where you are presented with a blank layer.
Now you have created your Layout layer, you will need to design, or "code" it. This involves knowledge of the S2 programming language, which is explained in the official S2 documentation (
http://www.livejournal.com/doc/s2/). For many users, the documentation alone will not be of much help in understanding S2. You can also learn by looking at the source code of existing public layers and referring back to the documentation from time to time.
To view the source code of a public layer, go to the Advanced Customization area and click on "Public Layers". On the Public Layers page, click on the name of the layout of your choice, then click on either "Download" to view the raw source code, or "View as HTML" to see the raw source code in a colour-coded format. Note that you cannot view the source code of paid-only styles, such as Component and The Boxer. If you do not feel comfortable creating a Layout layer from scratch, you are free to copy a Layout layer's source code in its entirety and tweak things to your liking.
When you have designed your layer to your liking in the Layer Editor, you will have to pass it through the S2 compiler by clicking "Compile", so it can check for any errors in your code. Your layer will not be saved on LiveJournal's servers until it has passed through the S2 compiler without encountering errors. You should use an external text editor (such as Notepad or TextEdit) to design and store your layers locally, so you do not lose your work if either your computer or web browser crashes.
Once the S2 compiler reports "No errors", your layer will be saved on LiveJournal's servers and can be seen on the Your Layers page (
http://www.livejournal.com/customize/advanced/layers.bml). At any time, you can return to this page and edit your new Layout layer to your liking, providing you remain a paid user. More importantly, you can now use your new Layout layer to create a custom style.
Going back to the Advanced Customize area, click on "Your Styles". Under "Create Style", choose a name for your custom style and click "Create". You will then be asked to choose a base language (optional), and a Layout Layer: here, choose the Layout Layer you just created, and click "Change". On the next page you will be asked to choose a layout-specific Language, Theme and User layers; these are all optional and do not need to be defined. Click "Save Changes", and you will be taken back to the Your Styles page where your new custom style will be listed alongside its assigned ID number.
This ID number can be used to see how your new S2 style will look before you actually start using it with your journal. Appending "?s2id=" plus this ID number (for example, "?s2id=19871") to one of your journal pages will cause the page to be displayed in your custom style. Note that if the URL of a page already has an argument attached such as "?nc=" or "?mode=reply", you will need to add "&s2id=" rather than "?s2id=". Additionally, for security reasons you can only preview your style as it would appear if applied to your own journal pages.
Once you are satisfied that your custom style is ready for use with your journal, go back to the Your Styles page and click the "Use" button next to your desired custom style. Your journal will then appear in your custom style.
Last Updated:
lyspeth, 2003-09-19
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