Re: When is a skin not a skin? (was Re: [PATCH] Customized stylesheets and grammars)

[Nicola Ken Barozzi <ni...@apache.org>]

Johan Kok wrote:

> Ross Gardler wrote:
> 
>> This is a problem I have been running into too (and with skins with 
>> custom xmaps). The real problem is that if you use a skin to do 
>> anything more than change the layout you end up with parts of your 
>> skins all over the place. 
> 
> My problem with forrest is exactly that it's definition IS all over the 
> place, albeit sort of seperated. The current definition is all but 
> coherent..... The skin is litterally all over the place.  Just to change 
> the colour scheme, one has to make changes to the XSLT files AND the 
> page.CSS file. In fact the page.css file contains a mix of the page, 
> tabs and menu. That is three different units all mixed into that. At the 
> same time you find parts of that same units in different XSLT files.
>
> Should colour definition not belong seperately to each functional area, 
> e.g. menu, tabs OR should one have a seperate "skin" definition that 
> contain all of these together. The same would apply to the positioning, 
> shape etc of the skin.....

For the krysalis-site skin, I have started to move all colors in the CSS 
file and to better componentize the xslt. The idea is to be able to 
define the colors of the skin in the skinconf.xml.

...
>> So the question then becomes how do I (and Marshall) customise Forrest 
>> in the way that we have been doing (i.e. grammars, xmaps and 
>> stylesheets from custom grammers to xdoc). Should there be another 
>> concept similar to skins that package all this stuff together as well?
> 
> A grammer is not part of the skin, because that tends to form part of 
> the funtional logic flow, like an xmap. Yes, there should be a concept 
> similar to current skins to package all that stuff together.

Yes, now there is a skin download in place. The idea is to add a DTD 
download in place too, along with the relative transformations.

I wanted to finish this stuff well before now, but the Incubator is 
taking up much of my time.

In any case, please take a look at the CVS version of the krysalis-site 
skin. In the CSS you can also find a forrest-site like color profile. 
The idea is to replace the forrest-site skin with the krysalis-site one.

Comments appreciated.

-- 
Nicola Ken Barozzi                   nicolaken@apache.org
             - verba volant, scripta manent -
    (discussions get forgotten, just code remains)
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: When is a skin not a skin? (was Re: [PATCH] Customized stylesheets and grammars)

[Nicola Ken Barozzi <ni...@apache.org>]

Johan Kok wrote:
> 
> Nicola Ken Barozzi wrote:
...
>> In any case, please take a look at the CVS version of the 
>> krysalis-site skin. In the CSS you can also find a forrest-site like 
>> color profile. The idea is to replace the forrest-site skin with the 
>> krysalis-site one. 
> 
> Also useful .... assuming that would get rid of the rounded corner 
> bitmaps. --- colour changing those were a little painfull. ( have my own 
> template where they were removed, and borders adapted. not have have to 
> change them).

Yup, this is intended too. If we define the color in the skinconf, we 
can easily generate the rounded corners of the right colors with the 
SVG, or do without them altogether in the CSS (yes, specifying just an 
extra CSS for the skin is another thing to do)

-- 
Nicola Ken Barozzi                   nicolaken@apache.org
             - verba volant, scripta manent -
    (discussions get forgotten, just code remains)
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: When is a skin not a skin? (was Re: [PATCH] Customized stylesheets and grammars)

[Johan Kok <jk...@messianic.dyndns.org>]

Nicola Ken Barozzi wrote:

>
> For the krysalis-site skin, I have started to move all colors in the 
> CSS file and to better componentize the xslt. The idea is to be able 
> to define the colors of the skin in the skinconf.xml. 

Will check those in a day or three.... (and likely switch to that).  
Want to do something like a colouriser (whenever I can get to it),  for 
a site. 40% of the time I use the same skin, but with different colour 
schemes and logos.

 I like the idea of componentizing the xslt. Next nice step should be 
something like seperate component definitions, being able to define any 
format shape or size of component for whatever purpose, including having 
components within components (e.g. portal window or sideline minders, 
references, additional information blocks, being able to add case blocks 
within text etc.)

> Yes, now there is a skin download in place. The idea is to add a DTD 
> download in place too, along with the relative transformations.
>
> I wanted to finish this stuff well before now, but the Incubator is 
> taking up much of my time.
>
> In any case, please take a look at the CVS version of the 
> krysalis-site skin. In the CSS you can also find a forrest-site like 
> color profile. The idea is to replace the forrest-site skin with the 
> krysalis-site one. 

Also useful .... assuming that would get rid of the rounded corner 
bitmaps. --- colour changing those were a little painfull. ( have my own 
template where they were removed, and borders adapted. not have have to 
change them).