Tolkien Trail

Just wanted to say how much I like the Tolkien Trail now that it has several sections up....the concept is brilliant, the way you walk through a story with different content in different places you visit....and the aesthetics are also very good, the design is nice and clear yet attractice, the artwork beautiful.

However...there are some points I should make:

1. The sidebars need sorting out. For example, in one section the sub-links are small and in another they are bigger than the section links! Also within sections the links list differs, and, say, the link to Rivendell is still non-operational for the Bree pages. A suggestion, if you can do it, would be to have a single JavaScript function in a .js file to write the sidebar links using document.write, then they'd all be the same.

2. I think that the opening pages for sections with quotes should be given the normal sidebar/margin/banner. It feels as though I am being taken out of the site and then dropped back in - it feels disjointed.

3. Could we have a time period, like, when it is set in relation to the start of LOTR or something like that plz?

Thanks .

1. I know, the sidebars are screwed up and outdated. But, as you've noticed, they're manually coded into each HTML document so we'd have to go back and edit every single HTML file on the server. I'm pretty much an idiot when it comes to JavaScript, so I'd have no idea how to do that... anyone? Also, I don't want the sidebar too be too cluttered, so there would be a different sidebar for every section, because, for example, only in Bree would the Bree subsections show up. I agree there needs to be some conformity, though. We may even make those image links instead of text links. If you know how to do that javascript stuff, please feel free to help .

2. I personally like those opening pages as a "breath of fresh air" from the cramped text and sidebars. It also serves as a glimpse of the place. Also, since the opening pages are colorful, the grey sidebar would most likely clash with it...

3. We have the time period pretty much worked out, we just haven't put it in concrete terms on the site because we're still playing with it. There are some clues given out, especially the comings and goings of Gandalf: his leaving the Shire, his arrival at Rivendell, etc.

Here is what the basic timeline is, compared to LotR too:

Mid-June - Visitor reaches Bree, heads to Shire, meets Gandalf
Late June - Gandalf leaves the Shire, visitor stays at Green Dragon
July 10th - Gandalf imprisoned in Orthanc
Late August - Visitor sets out for Rivendell
September 18th - Gandalf escapes from Orthanc
Late September - Frodo sets out for Rivendell
Late September/Early October - Visitor reaches Rivendell
October 18th - Gandalf arrives in Rivendell
October 20th - Frodo arrives in Rivendell

This could be made more clear, I think, by doing things like dating the original letter that you get in Bree as June. Also, Gandalf does mention that June is ending as he leaves, then it says you wait two months before setting out. Any ideas as to how to make this more explicit?

1. Ben's fault
2. I agree, but he needs some say too
3. I'm working on it, trying to finalize it. It's hard, believe me

btw, I like working with ben, this sounds sorta negative somehow but 1 is a joke and 2 is something we dissagreed on but I let him have

About having to edit every single page instead of re-doing it all at once - Ben, could you find out if the server supports SSI? Because then you COULD have it so you can manipulate the sidebar all at once. (Except, of course, with the issue of different pages and subsections... so this wouldn't really work, would it...)

With the JavaScript thing (MUCH MUCH MUCH better than server-side script ASP thingys)...I am currently perfecting the method for use on my own SW website...once I've completed it I can write a version for you.

BTW, how are you set up with regard to servers etc? Is it a full-blown professional thing or just an ISP account to start with?