Re: [Phpwebsite-developers] Panel / Menu

[Shaun M. <sh...@ae...>]

On 6 Aug 2004, at 19:16, Mike Noyes wrote:
>
> Shawn,
> Can we just use type selectors for the persistent stylesheet? I'd like
> to avoid Class, ID, descendant, child, etc. selectors in the
> core/persistent stylesheet if possible.
>
> W3C has a sample recommended set for browser UAs. It may provide a 
> place
> for us to start discussion.
>
>         Appendix A. A sample style sheet for HTML 4.0
>         http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS2/sample.html
>

Why would I change those? Is there a point in redefining the standard 
tags. I'd rather leave them alone entirely to the browser or the 
particular theme. I'd tighten up on where they are used in the 
templates but not in defining their looks at all. That's not the aim 
for core styles.

The point I was making was that there is currently no standard way of 
building a CSS based menu so defining one, and specifying it as a 
standard to be used and be available, lessens the likelihood of 
developers creating their own, perhaps incompatible or badly styled, 
method. In the same way we can all roll our own list/item managers but 
they'd all look different to everyone else's. Standards are good. They 
set a base line, even if it's only used a point to deviate from.

What I'm suggesting is not that we redefine the H1 tag, but that we 
come up with a standard for interface elements. A style guide, a set of 
standard CSS classes as needed, some template examples, maybe even 
think about some core PHP classes if it makes life easier. Kind of a 
cookbook where developers and designers trying to work out how to do 
something the phpWebSite way is done.

Eg. How nice would it be for a mod developer to pass an array to a 
function and a tabbed menu is built with the right tab selected? Behind 
that though, it needs some CSS classes defined or the developer would 
have to supply their own, breaking consistency.

Or simple things like the extra info lines at the bottom of summaries. 
Should they have square brackets around each? Should they have a pipe 
between each? Should they have graphics? What if I want » instead 
of a pipe for a breadcrumb trail?

It'd be nice to not have to hack templates and mods for that level of 
consistency.

> We'll be able to use persistent, preferred, and alternate styleshets
> with title grouping in 0.9.4 also. See the debug theme for examples. In
> additional Mozilla is working on tracking alternate stylesheet 
> selection
> by users. There is an extension for Firefox available that demonstrates
> this functionality. No javascript or cookies are necessary.
>

OK but it's not the problem I'm aiming at and it's never been a problem 
anyway - why use Javascript when you've got PHP, it's easy to do now in 
theme.php and using Chris Clark's php switcher on ala.

I'm trying not to sound 'ranty' and I'm trying not to be the UI police 
but it's the little things that get me and it'd be nice to push the 
little things forward so the interface is as nice and consistent as 
apps like phpAdsNew, Bricolage (fantastic workflow features btw) or 
Drupal 4.50 (no I'm not defecting but it is cool in places - the node 
system is cool, the taxonomy/vocabulary thing isn't).

See

http://drupal.org/
http://buytaert.net/temporary/drupal-tabs-and-submenus.jpg - good 
example of tabs
http://phpadsnew.com/two/features-gallery.html
http://www.bricolage.cc/docs/screenshots/

Shaun
aegis design - http://www.aegisdesign.co.uk