Version: 0.5 | Last Update: 2010-08-15
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About the Project
Google Redesigned originally started as a single CSS userstyle which tried to redesign Google's Gmail service. It has since grown to incorporate Google Calendar and Google Reader, and is slowly taking on other services one by one. Google Redesigned is built for Mozilla-based browsers running the Gecko rendering engine, such as: Firefox, Flock, IceWeasel, Songbird, Prism, etc... As of this date other browsers are not supported.
Google Redesigned is an open source project, which means we welcome all suggestions, comments and bug reports. The extension and all its styles are licensed under the GPL license and are free to download. Because Google Redesigned uses dozens of images and is used by hundreds of thousands of users we rely entirely on user donations to pay for maintenance costs. If you use the extension and wish to support our efforts please send us a dollar or two using the button on the right.
To see some screenshots of what Google Redesigned does click here.
How Does It Work?
Google Redesigned first detects when you're visiting a supported page (such as Gmail). When it detects that you are looking at Gmail it will load a new CSS file from the extension overtop of your current Gmail page. This changes the way the interface looks.
Every now and then, Google Redesigned will automatically connect to our servers and check to see if it's got the latest version of the styles. If not, it will download and install the update for you so that you're always using the most recent and best version of the styles.
Google Redesigned has no access to any of your data or personal information. Google Redesigned also doesn't change the functionality of any Google services, it only changes their appearance.
Try it with "Integrated Gmail"
Google Redesigned worked in conjuction with the popular "Integrated Gmail" addon too. You can try both Google Redesigned and Integrated Gmail together by clicking here, or using the dropdown arrow option next to the "Install" button above.
Globex Designs, Inc. and Google Redesigned are not affiliated in any way with Google Inc. or any Google Inc. products. The Google name and logo are trademarks of Google Inc.
Styles
Google Redesigned uses an individual CSS userstyle for each Google service. These styles are released for the OpenSource community in 3 types: standard, embedded and developer, and can be downloaded independently. These files are available here only for review and development purposes. You should NOT use these for everyday use. These styles are automatically loaded in the Google Redesigned extension and there is no reason to manually load them on your computer.
The Standard version is a compressed version with linked images on our server. The Embedded version is a compression version with URI embedded images, and the Developer version is an uncompressed, notated version with tabs and descriptions about each of the classes and IDs.
Gdocs Redesigned
- Currently in beta testing.
How to Use
To start, click the Install button above to install the Mozilla extension.
After you install the extension and restart your browser, everything is already setup. However, before you do anything, it's a good idea to update your styles to ensure you're running the most recent versions.
To do this, click on the small
Google Redesigned icon in the bottom right corner of your browser and choose "Check for Style Updates". This will tell the extension to connect to our servers and update your styles. When the update process is done, a notification window will come up letting you know which styles were updated, or if there were no updates available at this time. After the initial update, you don't need to keep checking for updates manually. The extension will automatically check for updates on a daily basis and let you know if it installs any new versions.
Now that all your styles are up-to-date, try going to http://mail.google.com/ - you should see the new Gmail Redesigned look. From now on, as soon as you visit any supported Google service the extension will automatically load the styling.
From the
Google Redesigned menu you're also able to enable and disable the individual styles which are available by expanding their submenu and clicking on the name. A checkmark will appear next to styles which are enabled. You can also view a style's change log and submit bug reports to the bug tracker.
New! Version 0.4 of Google Redesigned now allows our Supporter users to beta test the new Google Documents style called GDocs Redesigned. Click on the "Unlock GDocs Redesigned" button and enter your Globex Designs username and password. If you are already a member of our Supporters group the style will be activated for your automatically. If you'd like to join our Supporters group please consider making a donation to the project using the button in the top right of the screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I don't understand, what is this?
A: Google Redesigned is a Mozilla Firefox extension/add-on. It is used to load the various styles that are developed by Globex Designs which aim to redesign various Google services. Basically it changes the way certain Google websites look, but doesn't affect their functionality in any way.
Q: How do I get this thing to work on Internet Explorer, Chrome, Opera or Safari?
A: At this time Google Redesigned is a Firefox-only extension. It will only work with browsers developed on the Gecko platform, such as Mozilla Firefox, Flock, IceWeasel, Prism etc.. The styles themselves also rely heavily on Mozilla-based CSS3 values which will not work correctly in other browsers. Once Google Chrome improves their extension engine, we plan to release a Chrome-compatible version. At this time Chrome doesn't support a lot of the necessary features required for Google Redesigned.
Q: When I press "Check For Style Updates" it says no updates are available, but the website says a new version has been released for a style. What's going on?
A: It's possible that your styles have already been automatically updated by the extension. You can check this by comparing the version numbers. If they don't match it's also possible that the extension simply hasn't recognized the update to the style just yet. Sometimes it takes a few minutes for the extension to notice that an update has been made to the style. Try to check for updates again in a few minutes.
Q: It seems like everytime I press "Check for Style Updates" there is an update available for Gmail Redesigned, but when I update I don't notice any changes. What's going on?
A: We often release very frequent updates to correct bugs and stay up-to-date with Google's service improvements. A lot of the time updates will include minor fixes which you may not notice. The style will automatically check for updates, but it is still a good idea to check for updates fairly often as the styles are constantly being worked on and improved.
Q: I just upgraded to the latest version and now I'm seeing certain things broken, or images aren't showing up.
A: This is often a problem with the cache. The first thing you want to try and do is disable and then re-enable the style. If that doesn't help, clear the cache (under Tools > Clear Recent History...) and restart the browser. If that doesn't help, it's possible that you've found a new bug and you should report it using the Submit Bug Report.
Q: How do I disable a style?
A: If you click the extension's icon
in the bottom right corner of your browser, go into the style you wish to disable and click on its name, you will notice that the little check mark will disappear and the style will be disabled. If you wish to re-enable the style click on the name again - the check mark will reappear and the style will be loaded.
Q: How do remove the Google Redesigned icon
from the bottom-right corner of my browser?
A: In Firefox, go to Tools > Add-ons and then find Google Redesigned. Click on the "Options" button and there you'll be able to hide the icon from the extension options.
Q: Can you please remove the ads that show up in the emails or my Google Reader?
A: No. Globex Designs recognizes that Google offers amazing, free services which get all of its revenue from advertisement. As such, we support Google and such advertisements in order to show our support for the services.
Q: There is something broken with one of the styles, what can I do?
A: We're usually pretty quick when it comes to fixing bugs. First thing, make sure you've got the latest version of the styles. Check for style updates to see if a new version is released which fixes the issue. If the issue still remains, check to see if a Bug Report has already been submitted in the Bug Tracker for the style. If not, you can submit a new Bug Report and we will try to address the issue as soon as possible.
Q: Something is broken with my extension. The style names no longer show up and when I click on "Check For Style Updates" nothing happens?
A: This problem occurs when the browser has crashed or been closed during an automatic update. To fix the issue you will need to uninstall and then reinstall the extension.
Q: I would like to create a new Gmail skin and use your style as a reference template. Can you make the image sets available for developers?
A: The images for the style are the only things that Globex Designs reserves to themselves. You can of course manually download them all from their respected URLs or from the URI strings. However, we reserve the sole copyrights of those images (excluding all images, trademarks and logos created by Google of course).
Q: I'm trying to edit your style to my liking, but it's all one long line. Is there an easier way to edit it?
A: Globex Designs releases a developer's version specifically for this reason. You can select it from this page. It has proper spacing, notation and comments.
Keep in mind that you should never be editing the original Gmail Redesigned files. If you want to make changes to the style, you should do so in a new userstyle and then load that new userstyle over top of Gmail Redesigned. This way you'll still be able to update the Gmail Redesigned style when bug fixes are released without losing your modifications.
Q: What can I do to help the project?
Submit bug reports, feature requests, promote the extension on your blog or website, tell your friends, send us a Paypal donation or better yet, email Google reps and ask them to include these styles in their services.
Release Schedule
Below is a schedule of Google Redesigned style update releases:
Change Logs
Version 0.5.0
August 14, 2010
- GDocs Redesigned is now available for everyone
- Fixed security warnings when using HTTPS
- Embedded images inside the extension (updates are now much faster)
- Improved performance
- Support for Thunderbird 3
- Updated default styles
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INSTALL
Thank you For Installing Google Redesigned.
Now that you've installed the extension...
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE USING GOOGLE REDESIGNED
To get started, click on the Google Redesigned
icon in the bottom right corner of your browser and select "Check For Style Updates". This will automatically download and install all the latest styles that are currently available.
Now, whenever you visit one of the supported Google services you will be browsing in style!
Make sure to uninstall or disable any older versions of Google Redesigned styles you may be running using Stylish or GreaseMonkey.
If you like the extension please contribute to the project by sending a donation, reporting bugs for styles or helping other users on the community support forums.
Thank You For Donating To Google Redesigned
Thank you for your generous donation. Your support helps keep the Google Redesigned project alive and up-to-date.
If you aren't already a member of the Supporters group, you are eligible now for membership. In order to benefit from the Supporter status please reply back to us via email at info@globexdesigns.com with your Globex Designs forums username, or if you don't have one yet please register at Globex Designs Forums Register Page. Then we can go ahead and upgrade your account.
Supporters receive beta acccess to our future products and features, access to the Supporter-only forums and ability to vote for future Google Redesigned styles.