Shall I rename PatternSkin classnames?

From Plugins.NatSkinDev:

Shouldn't the PatternSkin omit the twiki prefix to its CSS class names. According to TWikiCss pattern would be a natural choice to prefix CSS class names in the PatternSkin, and nat for the NatSkin.

-- MichaelDaum - 28 Mar 2005

Hmm. When I was developing PatternSkin I had the perspective of new default skin, so it seemed natural to name everything with twiki.

In hindsight I agree it would be more clear if PatternSkin classnames where separate from classnames emitted by the TWiki core.

-- ArthurClemens - 28 Mar 2005

To help skin authors I should rename Pattern css classnames that start with .twiki to .pattern. That way the templates will make clearer distinction between classes emitted by TWiki and classes 'invented' by PatternSkin templates.

The downside I see is that some users might have overridden already the default css files so this renaming will lead to discrepancies when they do an upgrade.

-- ArthurClemens - 10 Apr 2005

Any reaction?

-- ArthurClemens - 22 Apr 2005

Sounds like the right thing to do, though I wonder whether .twiki.PatternSkin. would be better for pattern-skin specific things and .twiki.CoreSkin (or similar) as this would facilitate twiki's co-existence with other software packages.

-- MartinCleaver - 22 Apr 2005

As someone who has made changes to to default css files, this still sounds like the right thing to do. Better sooner than later and the small bit of fiddling it will cause me is just the price for adding customization on top of the leading edge of rapidly evolving code.

-- LynnwoodBrown - 22 Apr 2005

Martin, can you elaborate?

-- ArthurClemens - 22 Apr 2005

I thought long term we were looking for more commonality in the html templates between skins and that skins would be defined just by the CSS.

-- SamHasler - 05 Jul 2005

I only just saw Arthur's question. (Incredible that we still don't notify)...

I meant that Pattern skin's CSS classes probably include stuff that only pattern skin would want but also some things that would be generally useful to any CSS based skin. So my comment was questioning whether the CSS names could reflect this. IMO its giid that we have many skins but really bad that they are all done in different ways. Just look at the quantity and quality of the Wordpress skin directory:

• http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Themes/Theme_List
• http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Themes

Why do they have so many compared to TWiki?

-- MartinCleaver - 05 Jul 2005

Thanks Martin for the links!

-- MichaelDaum - 05 Jul 2005

Why do they have so many?

You could equally well ask "Why is TWiki so empoverished when it comes to skins and themes?"

-- AntonAylward - 12 Jul 2005

One reason: TWiki users are not WordPress users. A lot less in numbers, a lot less design talent.

Another reason: TWiki skins are rather complex.

-- ArthurClemens - 13 Jul 2005

It occurs to me, Arthur, after looking at sites such as http://thetabase.net/twiki/bin/view/Main/ThetaBase, that it should be possible to write a CookBook for Pattern skin that would allow people to comeup with these like that.

It should be possible to emulate DragonSkin, AmbarSkin, VoidSkin and perhaps even NatSkin with those CSS classes and suitable CSS.

What would go down very well in some qarters wold be an emulation of the Wikipedia look and feel. Surely that wouldn't be to hard?

So how about a Cookbook? It would prove what a good design the Pattern skin concept is.

-- AntonAylward - 13 Jul 2005

Renaming done in SVN 6044.

-- ArthurClemens - 13 Aug 2005