Re: [Phpwebsite-developers] Development Questions

[Jim W. <spi...@us...>]

> From: Neal Schilling
> 
> >> Most the table tags could be replaced by <div> tags and the CSS  
> >> could be
> >> what is effected by the templates. If development is going in this
> >> direction, I would be happy to help with the coding to get there.
> >
> >
> > I'd disagree partly. Tables are much more flexible for layout than  
> > using CSS when used sparingly. The main problem is how to make a 3  
> > column layout where the columns collapse when there is no content in  
> > the column. With a table it will collapse the column to zero width.  
> > Since you have to cope with many different presentations inside a 3  
> > column layout with a single theme.tpl file, tables are more flexible.
> 
> > You can however change that yourself if you don't need to be that  
> > flexible - just edit the theme templates.
> >
> While I'll agree there are many aspects that make tables appropriate, 
> properly implemented, a DIV can be much more flexible. The ultimate 
> goal, as I see it, would be to eliminate most of the templates and have 
> the CSS generated by the application which turns it into whatever 
> columns, headings, or the like.
> 

The tried and true seems to be having the application write data using templates, and the templates contain all the design elements.  Everytime I've run into a difficult issue with someone's design requirements and phpWebSite, it has been due to some sort of structural element embedded in the php code.

It seems that the current ability to change box templates is about all that is needed for the CMS user once the design is complete.

Rather than debating tables vs CSS or where the balance is (there is no works-for-everyone-all-the-time answer here),  I'm kind of wondering what the goal of generating CSS with the application is all about,  because it seems to be the opposite of what we'd like to see happen.

Best regards,

Jim Wilson