[Koha-devel] The future of the prog templates

[Owen Leonard]

MJR wrote:
> > why would non-semantic divs be
> > needed for controlling layout?  Can we add semantic divs and use those
> > to create the layouts instead?

I'm not an expert at CSS layouts, so I rely on the expertise of others.
What I find is that the flexible CSS layouts offered by the pros these days
include (at the very least) div elements which don't have a semantic
purpose. The link Richard posted is a good example, complete with diagram:

http://www.tjkdesign.com/articles/3cols.asp

That particular solution includes an outer wrapper, wrapper, and container
div, each serving a purpose in controlling the layout.  NPL's layout scheme
is similar, using more than one layout div that's not semantically
meaningful.

Joshua wrote:

> I think our goal should
> be to keep the non-semantic markup to a minimum

Of course. Like I said, I'm not an expert in CSS layouts, but when I see
the experts relying on wrapper divs, I come to the conclusion that they're
necessary.

The direction this conversation has taken leads me to think that folks do
believe that the prog templates should be reimagined as the default
template, providing a robust but minimal framework. If anyone disagrees,
please chime in! I'm all for that, but taking that direction will lead to
considerably more complex prog templates, as various spans and classes will
have to be added in order to make it possible to fully control the design.

  -- Owen

-- 
Web Developer
Nelsonville Public Library
http://www.athenscounty.lib.oh.us