07-28-2009
You are viewing a working demo of the free XHTML-based "Greytness" skin by Adammer for DNN 4 and DNN 5. This skin uses the CSS-based NavMenu module (included in the skin package).
Get the skin here: http://skinsbyadammer.com/Greytness/GreytnessDownload.aspx
07-29-2009
Wow...what a good, free skin from Adammer. I can't tell you how many times I've had to point clients towards "paid" skins when all they needed was a good, basic skin with no particular need for certain colors or a particular layout. The vast majority of free DotNetNuke skins I've seen either suffer from a distinct lack of "polish" (poor layout/styling resulting in a "non-professional" look) or are too "themed" (not general enough in styling to be used across a variety of site types).
"Greytness" easily surpasses expectations for a "free" skin and does much to create an impression of Adammer as a solutions provider with an emphasis on polish and detail.
Installation
I tried the DNN 4.x version of "Greytness" (both 4.x and 5.x versions are included in the same download package). The first important step is to read the "README.TXT" file included in the ZIP package. Actually, you'll be doing yourself something of a disservice by not checking the "GreytnessDocumentation.pdf" file instead of "README.TXT". The PDF is short, good-looking and is much easier to read than the TXT file. The PDF includes the same installation info as the TXT file plus a couple of paragraphs of explanation regarding container titles and the use of the "Display Container" module settings option.
Installation comes down to uploading the included CSS menu module and then uploading the corrent skin version based on the version of DNN you are using. Adammer made an excellent choice when packaging the CSS menu as a module as it means that you, the consumer, do not have to deal with anything "under-the-covers". Anyone with module upload rights can easily add this menu provider without impacting the default menu provider.
The instructions say to install the menu module first and then the skin but it won't hurt anything to do it the other way around. I know this because that's exactly what I did: installed the skin, applied it to a test page, saw an error message, then read the installation instructions and finally installed the required CSS menu module.
Layout Options
There's not much left to want when it comes to layout options. Adammer has provided 21 panes across 12 rows to choose from when inserting modules including two panes above the menu and a pane below the footer. You can pick a layout from one up to four columns. The only real limitation you'll see is in mixing layouts. For exampl, if you want four columns across the top followed by two columns, you'll have to edit the skin to move row definitions around a bit since the four-column row is, by default, defined below all three of the two-column row options. You can hardly consider this a fault, though, since the same "fixed row order" limitation is true for most any DNN skin. The truth is that Adammer has provided more pane options in "Greytness" than is standard for most DotNetNuke skins.
Containers
No skin is complete without a set of containers designed to complement the skin. "Greytness" includes 19 containers comprised of six sets of containers (three variations to a set) plus one "banner" container. A few example containers are as follows: