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How to make application more easily skinnable?

Looks like it's time to make our forum more easily skinnable. Do you have any suggestions?

A few things to look at:

  • how should site administrator change/customize skin?
  • what naming conventions to choose for id and class names
  • what elements to pick as "application native" and which - leave them as part of local customization?
  • how to make javascript that is part of UI automatically work in new skins?

edit: sorry used some made up terminology. by "native" I mean the "core" elements. For example I would consider question title a "core" element, but any layout elements as belonging to local customization - any containers that package say question title, tool links - non-mandatory. That way we could clearly mark which elements are key, and which are up to the skin designer.

edit 2: we should probably limit element lookup in javascript to those "core" elements only - that way it will be easier to guarantee that skin javascript will work - another good reason to mark those up clearly.

How to make application more easily skinnable?

Looks like it's time to make our forum more easily skinnable. Do you have any suggestions?

A few things to look at:

  • how should site administrator change/customize skin?
  • what naming conventions to choose for id and class names
  • what elements to pick as "application native" and which - leave them as part of local customization?
  • how to make javascript that is part of UI automatically work in new skins?

edit: sorry used some made up terminology. by "native" I mean the "core" elements. For example I would consider question title a "core" element, but any layout elements as belonging to local customization - any containers that package say question title, tool links - non-mandatory. That way we could clearly mark which elements are key, and which are up to the skin designer.

edit 2: we should probably limit element lookup in javascript to those "core" elements only - that way it will be easier to guarantee that skin javascript will work - another good reason to mark those up clearly.

How to make application more easily skinnable?

Looks like it's time to make our forum more easily skinnable. Do you have any suggestions?

A few things to look at:

  • how should site administrator change/customize skin?
  • what naming conventions to choose for id and class names
  • what elements to pick as "application native" and which - leave them as part of local customization?
  • how to make javascript that is part of UI automatically work in new skins?

edit: sorry used some made up terminology. by "native" I mean the "core" elements. For example I would consider question title a "core" element, but any layout elements as belonging to local customization - any containers that package say question title, tool links - non-mandatory. That way we could clearly mark which elements are key, and which are up to the skin designer.

How to make application more easily skinnable?

Looks like it's time to make our forum more easily skinnable. Do you have any suggestions?

A few things to look at:

  • how should site administrator change/customize skin?
  • what naming conventions to choose for id and class names
  • what elements to pick as "application native" and which - leave them as part of local customization?
  • how to make javascript that is part of UI automatically work in new skins?