Re: [Phpgroupware-developers] re: CSS support

[Andrea Iacoponi]

At 13.28 27/05/02 -0700, you wrote:
> Andrea Iacoponi wrote:
> > I agree with Pim.
> > I also use separated CSS files and it works quite fine (at least on IE,
> > Netscape, Mozilla and Konquerror)
> > Some problems may arise in overriding inline css.
> > At the moment I output dynamically the CSS linking instruction with the
> > rest of the HTML page.
> > I think there should be no problems in using the same approach with the
> > PHPGW API; it would greatly benefit readability of the code, keeping the
> > same functionality  (i.e. loading a browser-safe CSS file if the browser
> > is not fully compatible with CSS specs. )
>
> The other problem with the seperate css file is that you cannot use
> variables in it. With its current method we can support variables.

(The following is only my point of view)
Design an attractive interface is a "black magic" art.
It is really difficult to define a layout (interface) that is easy, user 
friendly, and not messed up by a wrong choose of fonts and colours (theme).
What happens in PHPGW (0.9.12): you can choose one of the 4 interfaces 
available and then one of the 18 themes of the list. The 72 resulting 
combinations are equivalent in terms of readability.
I think that "common users", as I am, should be free in choosing the 
interface: the interface theme should then be picked up from a restricted 
list built up by the interface author.
Following this way, I think, there should not be the need of variables in CSS.

> I have a question. What happens when two css files have the same 
> definition? Does the last one override the first?

This is a question for a CSS guru, not for me. As I am a medium skilled 
user, I can only say that, in common practise, the answer is yes. The 
complex answer is in the http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS1 specifications.
But CSS are far more powerful than setting appearance for all <A> tags !!
For istance you can link more than one CSS file, every one dedicated to a 
specific part of the interface (the toolbar, the client area, the header, 
the footer) or for adding more visual functionalities (flat, colored, 
animated and so on)
You can find interesting samples at this address: 
http://www.meyerweb.com/eric/css/edge/.




       Andrea Iacoponi