I need an Expert to explain to me on how to build and design my own forum!

I've notice there were some several good hitskins being donated by the person who created the Forum theme through using the HTML Dock-type Body..

I recently visit one of the popular gaming forum site and happen to see how expose the code is. I copy the entire code and paste them in my HTML management and hit a preview, I was actually shock to see that it copy the entire thing from that other forum site but choose to not submit it for fear that it could result in a copy right infringement. I'm sitting there knowing the fact that it has something to do with the HTML that take control of your entire look on the forums. Are there anyway some expert can come forward and explain to me on how to get that set up where I can began my work to create forum design, change the body, make it more sick than it is now?

Hello @TheLa5tStandV8,

The design of your forum is something you have to think of by yourself. Our work here is to help you with your questions on some of your problems. We are not here to sit and design or fix/create what you guys want. There are thousands of skins to choose from so i suggest you find the best one you like, add it and then do all the modifications you want as you like it!

What are you asking precisely? I can't tell whether you're asking how to copy another forum's skin or how to initiate your own. If it's the former then I'd recommend contacting that forum's administrator and asking for their permission to use their skin, otherwise it might rise some legislation claims if the skin had original code/art included. However, if it's the latter then it's actually pretty simple.

You first create a forum, pick a skin - preferable a default skin - then choose the version of your forum, it can be PunBB, Php3, etc. Then proceed and enter your forum's AP. A proper way to make a skin of your own is to have some kind of an idea in your head. Google different site concepts just so you're more informed onto what is popular nowadays around here.

You then start making your own CSS and customize your forum's appearance. You can learn the element's classes and IDs by checking your browser's console. If you want to further customize your forum then you can start editing your templates HTML pages and add a few lines of your own, or remove those you render unnecessary.

Though you shouldn't expect to make something extraordinary right off the bat. First you should play around with the skin and figure out what your limits are. Not everything is editable.

Hope this helps you out.

Well that very informative but the thing is, I have done all the stuff you just told me on how to find the skins on hitskins site and add them to my forums, and from there I just have to change the color, add my own theme blah blah god know what come next. The point is there no software out there for me to physically see and to create my own theme bare to the bones. Some people like me are kinda puzzle by this different skins that been created by a person who probably had the software to do so to manipulate the shape of that forum and to add a bunch of crazy stuff. I'm really desperate and I'm sick and tire of having to fill in the CSS which is very easy to do so, but where is the source of that code information that show the image of each code that get added into the CSS line. I've seen nothing out there that being more legit and more specific on how these code appear and how they work on the forums. This whole thing you just said out of your mouth, sound a whole lot to learn about C++ computer programing which is very similar to CSS as well

You edit it by directly adding your CSS code. There is no software as far as I'm informed.

I'm also a coder for Xbox360 games and i have done a lot of work on C++ in order to run the game online. But this forum is way different, it very limited like you just said and what bother me is how come there isn't a software that they can provide me with to get started on making a forum, it kinda like visual C++ 2010 or 2015 where they give you the power to add plugins and so much more to view and see what you're doing. So again I have experience all of this stuff but again I have never experience making a forum entirely out of scratch on my own, other than using someone else skins that they made for all.

Ok explain to me what the different between editing Html and CSS? I'm really confuse right now.

I thought CSS is more like editing the stuff inside of that forum site but not the entirely the entire forum body structure, so therefore I was thinking that HTML is more focus on the structure of the entire body of the page itself.. correct me if I'm wrong.

TheLa5tStandV8 wrote:I thought CSS is more like editing the stuff inside of that forum site but not the entirely the entire forum body structure, so therefore I was thinking that HTML is more focus on the structure of the entire body of the page itself.. correct me if I'm wrong.

Please don't double/triple post. Your posts need to be separated by 24 hours before bumping. Please use the edit button, instead! Please read our forum rules: ESF General Rules

@TheLa5tStandV8 the themes is your choice. You can select the theme you want and then do any modifications you want with it. All the themes that are added to hitskin are made by people who got the default theme and changed it to how they wanted it to be.

Both CSS and HTML can be used to design themes.