HTML and CSS clutter

[Simon TL]

As someone who prefers to simplify format rules - so set the <p> tag style and use it as much as poss, there is a lot of clutter in the standard layouts - including tables where they aren't *really* needed. I would rather control font sizes from the template than via Actinic variables.

I appreciate a lot of this is a hangover from the period prior to CSS, but are there any dangers from cleaning as many of these layouts as possible?!

Here is an example (Also Bought Items...). We have fixed padding and spacing, a special class for headings, and then strong used too! All in a table. Set with a variable for width. And that's just the first 10 lines!

<table width="<actinic:variable name="ACTSTDWIDTH" />" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="3" border="0">
<tr>
<th align="center" colspan="2" class="cartheading"><strong>Customers who bought these items also bought the following:</strong></th>
</tr>
</table>
<table width="<actinic:variable name="ACTSTDWIDTH" />" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="3" border="0">
<tr>
<td class="cart">
<ol>

[fleetwood]

Simon
The only danger as I see it is not backing up.
Store a copy or three of the original layouts, css etc - then start to hack away.
There is a lot of legacy code, and catch-all styles, that can be cut out if you are happy experimenting.
Its definately possible to lose pretty much all the tables from the outer layout, and some have also managed to trim all or most of those from the inner layout, although that is a bit more tricky.

[Simon TL]

Thanks...

I'll put some polythene on the floor too in case of blood.

[jont]

I have managed to strip all the tables from a site except the search results and the cart display - both of which are displaying tabulated data so are perfect for the use of tables so I don't bother with these.

As Martin points out, take a copy of the layout in the library first and then hack away to remove the tables. Remember that a lot of the code is nested and multiple items can appear on a page so be careful what you do with the CSS layout - especially ID's for <div>'s that may be inserted twice into a page.