Re: [libreoffice-design] Questions about "style" name

On Mon, 25 Apr 2011 03:58:04 -0700, Michel RENON <michel.renon@free.fr>
wrote:

> what if we completely replace the name "style" (used for style sheet)  
> with "template" ?
>
> LibreOffice already uses the name "Template" for documents.
> It would be "document template".
>
> For writer :
> "page style" --> "page template",
> "frame style" --> "frame template",
> "paragraph style" --> "paragraph template",
> "caracter style" --> "caracter template",
> "list style" --> "list template",

On the plus side, "Template" tells me about how it works, a bit better
than "style". I mean: "the paragraph will behave like this by default,
unless you override it (direct formatting)". Interesting concept.

However, I am not sure I like it. I don't see the benefits of using
"template" covering the risks. For one I expect a template to contain
some default text too, which is clearly not the case. Also, a template
doesn't imply any kind of semantics. A *template* named "Heading 1"
doesn't imply it is not suited for a big, important quote or paragraph
I want to put in the middle of a document (I just use the "Heading 1
template").

Personally, I think of paragraph styles as being "kinds of paragraphs",
with specific attributes tied to each kind. To me, it is more of a
semantics thing than functional. Think of HTML, in which, to apply a
group of format attributes to a group of similar paragraph you use
"classes".

So I ask, what do you understand paragraph styles to be? How do you
comprehend styles? Maybe that is the name we should use.

Templates? Kinds? Classes? Styles?

Remember that Styles are also used to generate tables of contents.
That is another instance where I don't like "template". It means a
prepared paragraph without any kind of semantics to the document,
and that is false.

I forgot, it would also mean renaming what we currently call
"templates" to avoid confusion. It quickly starts to become a mess.

> "style" would be used only for "bold", "italic", "underline"...

Oh, no, please! It already is confusing as it is. The semantic change
of "style" would be too slight, it would become a mess.

The term "style" is not appreciated, the term should be fully removed,
if at all.

Regards.

--
Unsubscribe instructions: E-mail to design+help@libreoffice.org
Posting guidelines + more: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette
List archive: http://listarchives.libreoffice.org/www/design/
All messages sent to this list will be publicly archived and cannot be deleted