Re:
----
> 2. Instead of doing stylesheet switching, the other thing I was thinking
of was
putting all my styles in one stylesheet and just change the class of an
outer (i.e. body) to something like the following depending on what page
you're on:
<body class="welcome">
or
<body class="abouthome">
or
<body class="newsfaculty">
and then I would write styles accordingly:
.about {font:arial;}
.abouthome .column1{float:left;color:blue;} .newsfaculty
.column1{float:right;color:red;}
The advantage of method 2 is that everything could be put in one stylesheet
so I'm not trying to manage a bunch of different sheets. ...
Ultimately, I'm curious if anybody has used method 2 or would it be
considered bad form? I'm trying to see if there are any major problems
associated with that method before I go and use it.
----
We have implemented, and successfully across multiple sites that have the
same look and feel something like the above.
There is one overriding style sheet -- let's call it main.css.
Then there is a color.css and a site.css always called in that order via an
@import.
Any change to main.css must work across ALL the sites. That means some of
the things in the main.css might not be used on a site. That's okay -- it is
there anyway.
The color.css governs ... Color. In other words, it the .hdr has a
background-color: #003366; in main.css but the color of site ABC is green,
then that particular element is defined again in color.css. The only things
in color.css are the elements that define color.
And site.css is for that specific site. Something that site needs that none
of the others do. Sometimes things from site work their way into main but
not often.
Yes -- you have to work carefully but the end result has been wonderful. I
help design and maintain quite a few sites -- yet my CORE remains constant.
So problems in display, etc. are more easily solved.
Whether #2 is better than #1, I don't know. But I can by experience say that
the method above will work well for you if you are maintain multiple sites
that must retain a similar look, feel, and navigation.
Also a benefit we didn't know when we started this method, it has naturally
implemented a "process" of change. In other words, things can't just be PUT
into main.css. It has to be carefully considered as to whether all the sites
can or could need this and would USE it the same way. Sometimes it takes a
bit longer to implement but again, the end result is goodness all the way
around.
An additional benefit is for the programmer developer. They can move from
one project to another and work the programming issues without worrying the
"display" issues. What works in one of these sites will work in the next.
When it doesn't -- that's when I get involved and additions are done in
site.css. Or on some occasions ... Yep, an error in main.css which got
rectified across all the sites.
My 2 cents -- FWIW.
Lynda Peach
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