Layout and Theme Management System

3.4. Layout and Theme Management System
Chapter 3. Summary of Features

3.4. Layout and Theme Management System

The layout of a XOOPS website is controlled through a system of blocks, columns, and themes. Modules come with a set of pre-defined blocks to display their output on screen. The column (horizontal placement) and vertical position of each block can be set through the administrative interface:

Horizontal placement is set by assigning blocks to a particular column (XOOPS supports up to five columns in a layout).
Vertical order is set by assigning each block a 'weight' (order) from 1-99
Page layout can be set independently for each module, and is handled outside of the code, in a template set.

The administrative interface also allows for the creation of custom blocks, which can be PHP code or even HTML.

Figure 3.3. It's very easy to define the position of every block available in the system.

The 'look' or 'skin' of a XOOPS site is controlled by a powerful graphical theming system that allows a site's designer to work directly in HTML. Both admins and users (with proper permissions) can change the look of the entire web site with just a click of the mouse. More than a hundred themes are publicly (and freely) available and multiple themes can be installed in the same site. The system incorporates Cascading Style Sheets for easy customization.

Figure 3.4. It's very easy to define the position of every block available in the system.


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