Independent Templates & CSS

[• Jay •]

As it stands right now, you'd have to make a whole new skin if you wanted the same templates, but in a different color. That adds up to a lot of unnecessarily duplicated files.

What about severing the tie between templates and CSS, so that all form and structure is covered by templates, all colors are covered by CSS, and you could apply more than one set of CSS files to one template, or one set of CSS files to several templates, or... well, you get the idea.

For example, let's say you have 5 CSS schemas: blue, red, purple, earth, and dark. By keeping the CSS independent, that would give you 5 skins for each template you produce, without having to duplicate the files. So, 3 templates (default, pro, classic) would give you 15 skins to choose from (default blue, default red, default purple, etc... pro blue, pro red, pro purple, etc... classic blue, classic red, classic purple, etc...).

[Ryan H.]

With a little effort, it's possible to do most CSS variations without ever changing skin sets (such as for multiple color themes). Mine do it, and I know others do as well.

[• Jay •]

With a little effort, it's possible to do most CSS variations without ever changing skin sets (such as for multiple color themes). Mine do it, and I know others do as well.

Right idea, but not thinking big enough.

By splitting off the dependency, we could apply your CSS files to other templates, or other CSS files to your templates.

[Marcher Technologies]

Right idea, but not thinking big enough.

By splitting off the dependency, we could apply your CSS files to other templates, or other CSS files to your templates.

Why?

No, I'm serious, why exactly would anyone ever have a need for a whole css file to only apply to one single template?

On a further note, it is not even possible to do this, once the css parses, it affects any selected element after it, where a more specific selector is not defined.

This is browser behavior outside the control of IPB or PHP.

[Ryan H.]

Why?

No, I'm serious, why exactly would anyone ever have a need for a whole css file to only apply to one single template?

On a further note, it is not even possible to do this, once the css parses, it affects any selected element after it, where a more specific selector is not defined.

This is browser behavior outside the control of IPB or PHP.

He means skin set (collection of templates), not a single template bit.

[Marcher Technologies]

He means skin set (collection of templates), not a single template bit.

Does he? then why is it a feature request q.q one can already add a css file.... limit what apps and modules it parses in.... what good does mix/and/matching css from completely different customized skin sets serve, beyond general bugginess... and ofc, extra css parsed not actually used by being overwritten repeatedly?

[• Jay •]

Does he? then why is it a feature request q.q one can already add a css file.... limit what apps and modules it parses in.... what good does mix/and/matching css from completely different customized skin sets serve, beyond general bugginess... and ofc, extra css parsed not actually used by being overwritten repeatedly?

If your site has a specific color schema, it would make it much easier to provide alternative formatting structures (template sets) without having to also reinvent the wheel (redesign the entire CSS). Or if you've just run across a color scheme that you like, but don't like the structure of the templates, you can pull the CSS and apply that to your own templates.

[ZakRhyno]

If your site has a specific color schema, it would make it much easier to provide alternative formatting structures (template sets) without having to also reinvent the wheel (redesign the entire CSS). Or if you've just run across a color scheme that you like, but don't like the structure of the templates, you can pull the CSS and apply that to your own templates.

Why it would be better as it is now the set up make it simple and easy to edit in one place.