As of right now, the css file does not have direct access, but this is an idea I've been bouncing around.
As of right now, there isn't much for "templates" other than the layout you see before you, however, if you have a template layout you'd like to use, I'd be happy to see it, and see how I could fit it into the current architecture.
As it stands, the websites aren't terribly "graphically friendly" so to speak, as the focus of the site has always been on the content it provides, not the content-devoid-but-pretty guild sites that are pretty commonplace.
That said, however, one thing you'll find appealing in this is my willingness to accommodate. If you've got a good idea for a template, it's worth looking into, however, as said, my primary concerns aren't necessarily with the looks of the site as with the content they provide, and that's what distinguishes these sites from those of places like GuildPortal and WoWGuilds.com.
Agreed. There are many sites out there that look amazing, but the content is lacking. I'm a coder myself, so anything I make would not be over the top graphically, but I am looking for a bit more cleaner look. The basic "layout" of the default page is not so bad, I am just looking for a bit more control. Using a pure CSS method would also be an idea to look into. It would allow for greater flexibility in the layout, clean up the code, and be less bandwidth on your end. With only a few guilds in the system, this isn't so much of an issue right now I am guessing, but it could be huge in the future as your userbase grows.
I haven't seen wowguilds.com, but guildportal.com is junk. I suppose it's good on some level, for some types of users...but it is not for me.
Part of the hesitation to allow CSS editing, is due to the fact that there is in fact PHP code embedded in the css file, and providing direct CSS editing would provide a major security vulnerability.
Is it absolutely nessessary to have PHP in the CSS file? An easy solution (easy being a relative term, I have no idea how your system looks under the hood) would be to have the current admin for "color preferences" write directly to a CSS file, and then also have an option for "advanced" users to be able to edit the file directly (also writing to it). That entire explaination sounds odd now that I read it, but I think you know what I mean.
But I'm more than willing to work with you and see how we can mold your dkpsystem.com site to fit your vision of what you want your site to look like.
Edit: I've been doing a little bit of thinking and trying to determine a clean method of allowing almost direct HTML-level access to make the website fit almost any design, and I think I have figured out the majority of how it can be done smoothly without handing you the keys to my "house". However, this will take a bit of work. What I'd like to invite you to do, is to perhaps attach to this thread (or email me, I've sent you one email so far) your ideas of what the you'd like your site to look like, and I can start trying to fit my ideas into that template.
I'll start working on a few ideas that I have which take into consideration the different types of content that the dkpsystem has built into it. With a little work, I can see how this system can be completely skinnable and use a variety of different layouts.
How are the different pieces of content stored locally? If they are in their own file, you could allow a user to "build your own page" and just include the different pieces in the place that they want them. This would be a bit more work, but would make the system 100% customizable. The margin for error is a bit smaller this way, and it may prove to be a larger headache than you want. Users that try to do this without knowing what they are doing can easily ruin their site and render it inoperable
Anyways, I will start thinking up some stuff, maybe make a mockup or two graphically or even code it out and drop you an email. Thanks for your response. I think this will work out well.
--tom
