mootools was missing something like this for a long time - thank you
guys

On Nov 11, 11:18 pm, Paul Spencer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Guillermo,
>
> we would definitely appreciate feedback on customization.  I'll try to  
> quickly cover our approach.
>
> In general, the look and feel is controlled completely by CSS.  Our  
> guiding principal is to use minimal, semantic (-ish)  markup for  
> representation and control all visual styles through CSS.  Where  
> possible, we use the browser's built-in capabilities to do things (for  
> instance, the hover state on buttons is done using the CSS hover  
> psuedo class on an a tag).  There should be no hard-coded values for  
> anything in the javascript code except the location of a single  
> transparent pixel PNG image that is used for a variety of core things  
> including detecting the base url for the library.
>
> We have tried to create a set of straight-forward classes and  
> selectors in the CSS files with comments throughout to help orient  
> you.  There are some common principals used for most Jx things:
>
> 1. Background images:  We use background images almost exclusively,  
> except for icons in buttons, menus and tree branches... but even those  
> can be a_pixel.png with a background image.  This enables CSS sprite  
> techniques to be used.  In many cases changing the background images  
> creates the overall "theme".
>
> 2. Sliding doors: buttons (and button based objects like tabs) use the  
> sliding doors technique which is essentially a few nested left floated  
> block objects with background images.
>
> 3. Chrome: dialogs and menus and flyouts all use a chroming technique  
> we developed (but haven't named ;) that uses four positioned dives  
> with the chrome image repeated four times... kinda like sliding doors,  
> but works in 2 dimensions.  Basically changing the chrome image would  
> really change the look of a dialog.
>
> 4. Padding: Many objects rely on padding to change the relationship  
> between the background visual elements and the content. if changing  
> the background images is not enough, then changing the padding may be  
> the next step.
>
> Two approaches can be taken to create a new visual style or "theme":
>
> 1. Creating a new theme from scratch (typically by taking an existing  
> theme and tweaking it).
>
> If the general size of things is appropriate, it is very easy to just  
> replace the existing set of images and look for any colors in the CSS  
> that need updating (text color and a couple of border and background  
> colors).
>
> If you want to create a different feel by changing the size of basic  
> elements like buttons, though, then you will to get more involved in  
> how the HTML elements are structured and the CSS classes affect them  
> by modifying the padding, sizes, line-heights, and some other such  
> properties.
>
> 2. Overriding the styles and images through another CSS file created  
> for that purpose.
>
> Using something like firebug, it is possible to play with tweaking CSS  
> properties and find the minimal set of CSS overrides you need to  
> create to achieve what you want.  You can even change the look and  
> feel of a single dialog by specifying a new chrome image via CSS  
> without affecting other dialogs if you use #id selectors appropriately.
>
> We have tried very hard to make JxLib easy to customize, but this  
> should be taken with a grain of salt - its only easy if you understand  
> CSS techniques and take time to familiarize yourself with the  
> structure of the JxLib objects.
>
> We are working on creating documentation that should help to lower the  
> bar for new users to create their own themes as well.
>
> Thanks for your interest
>
> Paul
>
> On 11-Nov-08, at 4:43 PM, Guillermo Rauch wrote:
>
> > Looks like solid work has been done. Haven't reviewed the code either.
> > I wonder what approach you have taken for customization. I hear UI  
> > libs such as EXT can be tough to customize to match custom look and  
> > feel.
>
> > On Tue, Nov 11, 2008 at 6:46 PM, Paul Spencer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>  
> > wrote:
>
> > Feedback on improving the code style and structure is certainly  
> > welcome!  I did the coding and am not an experienced mootools user  
> > so I'm sure I can learn from you guys.
>
> > Cheers
>
> > Paul
>
> > On 11-Nov-08, at 3:37 PM, Jan Kassens wrote:
>
> > Look and feel is pretty good. (code needs to be evaluated).
>
> > On Nov 11, 2008, at 21:19, Rajeev J Sebastian wrote:
>
> > On Wed, Nov 12, 2008 at 1:24 AM, Paul Spencer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>  
> > wrote:
> > The JxLib Team
>
> > (Paul, Fred and Jason)
>
> > Sounds and looks great!
>
> > Regards
> > Rajeev J Sebastian
>
> > --
> > Jan - MooTools comitter
> > twitter/blog:http://kassens.net
>
> > --
> > Guillermo Rauch
> >http://devthought.com

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