SolarSentinel continues the chain of impressive, revolutionary, yet functional RocketTheme templates. It combines incredible styling with refined and powerful code to help your website achieve its maximum potential.
[list class=special-7][li]Javascript Styling: Radios and Checkboxes
One of the many new features in the template is the inclusion of javsascript powered styling for radio icons and checkboxes, such as the ones used on the Polls and the Search pages. Traditionally, styling of these form elements is bland, default and ordinary. However, using special scripts, these elements can be manipulated as to allow styling as is present on the many demo pages. The template styled itself changers depending on body type chosen as well as the type of module class suffix in use. Yet another diverse and additional feature in the May template release.
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[li]Source Ordering: SEO Optimisation
SolarSentinel continues the latest trend of SEO optimised templates. The layout of the template has been constructed differently to the norm. A typical Joomla template, in regards to the mainbody source, will load the left column first, then the right column and finally the main column (where your main articles are loaded). SolarSentinel takes a different approach and loads the main column code before the left and right columns. Therefore, this template loads in this order: Header, Menu, Showcase, Main Column, Left Column, Right Column, Bottom, Footer. This is perfect for SEO purposes as the search crawlers will find your main content before your subsidiary content in your side columns. This is a major step forward and will improve your search engine results for your pages.
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[li]RokStock Module
RokStock, is a Stocks module for your site. It has been finely tuned to give stocks character such as a coloured line graph, coloured indexes, draggable indexes, tooltips and much more. The module fits seamlessly into the template and is perfect for any news site. [/li]
[li]RokGzipper Plugin
RokGZipper is a plugin whose primary aim is to improve the performance and speed of your site. It does this by compressing your CSS (stylesheets) and JavaScript files. For javascript files, it compresses them altogether (via GZip) and places them in the cache folder. It differentiates between the pages so if you have a particular combination of scripts on one page, and a different combination on another, two files will be created and loaded independently. A similar method is used for the CSS but is based on path. To exemplify, all the CSS files in template’s /css directory are combined into one file, with the module CSS files being combined elsewhere. Compressing all these files means your site can load faster.
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RokMicroNews is a new module, perfect for displaying your content. Your content (plus auto loaded image) are displayed adjacent to your article titles and the hover or click of these titles triggers a javascript transition to another article. Perfect for showcasing news items in a small, but structured spaced.
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RokWeather, as the name suggests, is a weather module, using the Google API. You can easily display weather data from regions across the globe. This includes temperature, climate, wind speed as well as being configurable from the frontend via the user. Perfect for any news site.
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The module is an article previewer and rotator. It displays content articles, in a summarised form and, using mootools based javascript transition, rotates through a series of pages displaying articles in a contracted list format.
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RokNewsFlash is a custom mootools module that displays your newsflash tidbits at the top of your site. The RokNewsflash also includes small buttons allowing your visitors to toggle through the different newsflash items you have set up. See it in action on the frontpage.
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RokStories is a great module to display your articles and accompanying images as a featured item. The module itself is facilitated by Mootools to transition between images and articles seamlessly. Perfect for showcasing featured articles on your site, as seen on the frontpage.
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The popular plugin from RocketTheme which allows you to implement typography easily, without fear of the WYSIWYG editor ruining your formatting and allows you, and/or your clients to add them to your content with ease. This is through a method similar to BBcode (as seen in a forum). WYSIWYG friendly syntax can be used, or even custom configured that will transform a set snippet to the correct HTML when it is parsed by Joomla.
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[li]RokAjaxSearch Module
RokAjaxSearch brings fantastic search functionality to Joomla, using the powerful and versatile javascript library, Mootools.
So, what does the module do? The best description is an example, simply type test in the search box in the upper right of SolarSentinel and wait … and a popup shall materialise, showcasing the Joomla search results for you.
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[li]RokTabs Module
RokTabs, the fully independent and incredible flexible standalone version of the former RokSlide.
The module itself is installable into Joomla and can be easily utilised on any template, not just SolarSentinel. As its name implies, it is a tabbed based module to efficiently showcase your content to your visitors.
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[li]RokNavMenu Module
RokNavMenu is now an essential ingredient of RocketTheme templates. It provides various functions which are above and beyond what the mainmenu, and the subsequent template overrides can do. Therefore, a much more sophisticated menu can be constructed providing you with a much greater degree of usability. This makes the incredible advanced multiple-dropdown menu possible. It is an essential install for the integrated menu systems to operate.
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[li]Multiple Column Menu and more!
The multiple column dropdown feature is apparent in the template. Who needs a single dropdown column when you can have as many as you want? This feature is available for the advanced, and sophisticated RokMoomenu and the conservative, yet versatile Suckerfish. Splitmenu menus also accompany this template.
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[li]IE6 Warning Message
For the SolarSentinel template we included a script that will display a message to IE6 users advising them to upgrade to a more secure browser version.
This is not enabled by default, but can easily be turned on or off with a toggle in the template manager. When enabled, users visiting your site with IE6 only, will be able to view the message. By enabling this, you can help fight the good fight that rids the internet of the evil incarnation that is IE6!
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[li]Module Hilites
SolarSentinel is accompanied by 9 module class suffixes / variations / hilites. These are blue, orange, black, green, grey, darkgrey, darkbeige, red and advertisement. These are available in all main, showcase, inset and side positions.
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[li]Stylish Typography
SolarSentinel includes a vast selection of professionally styled typography to bring that extra element to your content. Choose from several typography options including various bullet and number styles as well as much much more.
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[li]32 Module Positions
A full compliment of 32 modules allows you to showcase your content and other site elements in a flexible and differential manner for maximum effect.
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