[Pmwiki-users] skins

[Fred Chittenden]

> > On Mon, Oct 25, 2004 at 01:49:51PM +1000, Nathan Jones wrote:
> > > I really struggled with the $PageTemplateFmt scheme in PmWiki1.
> > > Specifying a path to a .tmpl file drove me nuts, and so did the fact
that
> > > some CSS was in pub/skins (eg. pmwiki.css) and some was in pub/css
(eg.
> > > stdlayout.css).
> > > [...]
 
Bingo... The entire "skins" system used is way out of the realm of average
users. 
 
While many may enjoy the relatively simple wiki text and link formatting,
the inability to have any SIMPLE control over page color background and
graphics leaves many out in the COLD. 
 
Skins of one sort or another isn't the solution for this huge enduser
group, unless they are provided with a simple to use online utility that
allows end users to edit and/or create their own skins. Such a utility
would logically be available when a page is first edited and otherwise
available upon request. 
 
Perhaps because for years I've tended to use WYSIWYG HTML editors which
allow one to easily change the background color and pictures (tiled or
not), I find the lack of such simple controls in wiki's beyond belief.
Simple and easy to use presentation is a big deal for most folks and
pmwiki, as well as most other wiki's I've investigated, are PRIMATIVE at
best. 
 
Most system's I've used allow one to 'click' one's way to adjust the
existance,. width, color and graphical backgound of side bars
(top/right/left/bottom) on new pages, typically as an adjustment to the
template "skin" for that 'page', 'group' or 'sequence' of pages. 
 
Perhaps the difference is how when writing HTML pages in such editors,
"skins" of one sort or another are stored as part of the page's HTML, while
wikis 'hide' such formatting options in other files. 
 
One possible solution would be for wiki pages to have a 'hidden' header
that contained formating info. Use some simple delimiter to start the
regular wiki page (^^^^^^^^), whose non-existance might mean to use the
default skin. This header info could be edited/created automatically by
simple click options, opened and edited/saved directly, or by reference to
a library of "skins". It could also be used to store a lot of other
information relevant to that particular page or group. 
 
Think out of the box...