Let's create a cool looking Private Message Sidebar Icon Count with CSS, HTML and PHP. The message count will increase upon new messages received. Nice colors, easy on the eyes, a bit of a Google icons style, width and height can be adjusted in the CSS to suit your needs.

View demo

Once the block is activated, click in the red bubble to read pm's

Create a PHP side block using your favorite portal. In the block permissions, set it to "Member" only.

Open your theme's CSS file and at the very end add:

Code Select Expand

.mail {
    background-color: #07618B;
    width: 250px;
    height: 150px;
    margin-top: 10%;
    position: relative;
    border-radius: 0px 0px 20px 20px;
    -webkit-box-shadow: 0px 5px 10px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.5);
    -moz-box-shadow: 0px 5px 10px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.5);
    box-shadow: 0px 5px 10px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.5);
}
.mail span {
    display: inline-block;
    position: absolute;
}
.shadow {
    width: 129px;
    top: 111px;
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(31deg);
    z-index: 5;
    left: 122px;
    box-shadow: 0px -1px 6px 1px rgba(52, 73, 94,0.5);
}
.mail:after {
    border-top: 75px solid transparent;
    border-left: 124px solid #2980b9;
    border-bottom: 75px solid #2980b9;
    border-right: 127px solid #2471A3;
    content: "";
    position: absolute;
    right: 0;
    border-radius: 0px 0px 20px 20px;
}
.mail:before {
    border-top: 75px solid transparent;
    border-left: 124px solid transparent;
    border-bottom: 75px solid #07618B;
    border-right: 127px solid transparent;
    content: "";
    position: absolute;
    top: -150px;
    left: 0;
}
.paper {
    position: absolute;
    width: 222px;
    height: 146px;
    background: #E0E0E0;
    left: 15px;
    top: -16px;
}
.mail .paper .head, .mail .paper .body {
    z-index: 9999;
}
.mail .paper .head {
    width: 67px;
    background: #C7C7C7;
    height: 9px;
    left: 16px;
}
.mail .paper .body {
    width: 192px;
    height: 9px;
    left: 16px;
    background: #B3B3B3;
    z-index: 0;
}
.mail .paper .span1 {
    top: -40px;
}
.mail .paper .span2 {
    top: -24px;
}
.mail .paper .span3 {
    top: 15px;
}
.mail .paper .span4 {
    top: 35px;
}
.mail .paper .span5 {
    top: 55px;
}
.mail .paper .span6 {
    top: 75px;
}
.mail .number {
    top: -90px;
    right: 0;
    background: #FA565A;
    color: #FFF;
    padding: 4px 15px 4px 15px;
    font-size: 2em;
    border-radius: 50%;
    box-shadow: -3px 2px 0px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.2);
    font-weight: bold;
}
.paper:before {
    content: "";
    width: 222px;
    height: 58px;
    background: #fafafa;
    position: absolute;
    top: -58px;
    color: #ccc;
    border-radius: 15px 15px 0px 0px;
}
.number a {
    color: #ffffff;
}
.number a:hover {
    color: #eeeeee;
}

Create a PHP side block and add:

Code Select Expand

    global $context, $settings, $options, $scripturl, $txt, $modSettings;

echo '
<div class="mail">
  <div class="paper">
    <span class="head span1"></span>
    <span class="head span2"></span>
    <span class="body span3"></span>
    <span class="body span4"></span>
    <span class="body span5"></span>
    <span class="body span6"></span>
  </div>
  <span class="number"><a href="', $scripturl, '?action=pm">', $context['user']['unread_messages'] , '</a></span>
  <span class="shadow"></span>
</div>';

See the Pen Mail by Mick (@Mick-) on CodePen.

References:
https://dribbble.com/shots/1070802-Mail

Looking cool, thanks Mick!

Looking cool, thanks Mick!

Thanx man,  :wink: