Re: [PROPOSAL] 'Region' generated ID set

>>If we're shifting to CSS instead of tables for layout, the concept of IDs 
>>named by screen location should change.  Perhaps the IDs should have more 
>>functional descriptions like #heading, #navigation, #content, #tools, 
>>#contextual-tools, #footer and some such.  The CSS will determine where 
>>these are positioned.
> 
> This is how we already do it with tableless plone :)

Is it? '#portal-column-one' and '#portal-column-two' sounds to me like 
"nam[ing] by screen location." This looses its meaning, though, on a 
site like www.getupgetout.org, where I am using #portal-column-two for 
the left column, and #portal-column-one for the footer. But I'm not 
sure, Mike, that naming the div's by what they contain is going to be 
any better. Again on GUGO, I'm not using #portal-column-two for 
navigation, not #portal-column-one, which I'm using for the footer.

So here's what *I* propose :)

Because main_template is going to get tugged around all over the place 
-- and that's how we want it to be! -- there really is no one semantic 
naming scheme that will apply to every situation. So I propose that we 
go for a completely arbitrary naming scheme (!!!). I propose that we 
give elements names like Alex, Joe, Michael, Tom, Geir & Chad.

I know that this flies in the face of everything everyone stands for, 
blah blah blah. But I really think it will be the best solution. 
Otherwise you are always going to have a situation where the naming 
scheme doesn't match the reality of the implementation. Using our names 
for ids will be light-hearted, will be meritocratic, and will emphasize 
the completely flexible nature of the Plone UI architecture.

I think we will find this to be very efficient too, since the human 
brain is extremely comfortable with attaching meaning to arbitrary 
names. This was brought home recently at our company when we upgraded 
our servers. We now have six servers called charles, clive, dorothy, 
george, owen and john. We tried using IP's and also using semantic 
naming like "Plone 1 server" "Plone 2RC3 server" etc. But we were 
changing them too often (what with the Plone 2 release schedule :p). 
Things are soooo much easier now that we've given them names.

K, that's my $0.02. Rip it to shreds. :)






chad




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