armand datema wrote
Well it is true that in asp.net world there wasn't much focus on valid xhtml css usage to make sure all skins look the same in all browsers. Most of the skins are still build in crappy nested tablles. In my eyes it was seriously lacking on not behaving nicly in xhtml doctype form the start ( misplaced acion menu's ). The default facto standard for alsmost any website or portal menu is anunodered list but this has never been the case for dnn ( there are plenty of 3rd party solutions for this )
But even now that we have dnn5 and valid xhtml teh defautl usage of the menu still doenst do what all others do. Output nice clean unordered html that is very easy to style. Instead its anothe bunch of crappy nested span structures that is hard to deal with again. Every system adopts the semantic usage of the unordered list except for default DNN.
Because dnn never followed these principles and still dont its hard for real designers to make dnn skins. Firstly because dnn was never much for valid html webdesigners could always count on there designs looking as they designed it to be because of invalid html the outputted design couldnt be guaranteed for 100%. Most good designers know how to make good webdesign with pure css and xhtml and have menu systems in unodered lists. They know all the tricks to make sure it fits all the browsers. However early dnn by dafault coulndt guarantee this so any good designer would not even go there.
It is true that dnn5 now outputs valid html but still i see problems with teh fact that even now ( by default ) there still is no unodered list outout. So you could make a nice skin but for the menu you still have a lot of trial and error because of the unfamiliar html code used for this.
I have heard this numerous times from designers Ive worked with and indeed was dissapointed that even dnn5 is a nice step there still is no default unordered list output. Lot of things can be doen with 3rd party skinobjects. I use the on from snapsi myself.
Ive been usisng a dnn css grid framework for a while now that im about to release for free as soon as I have set up a site for it so anyone can make nice css designs with dnn5.
As for php sites looking better than dnn sites the can look the same
php: http://demo.rockettheme.com/jan09/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51&Itemid=58
dnn: http://rockettheme.todnn.com/2009/Jan09Mixxmag/tabid/73/Default.aspx
I agree that an unordered list menu should be included with DNN by default. This is the standard menu system used by just about everyone else in the world. Imagine how much better skins would be by having a free DNN supported unordered list module.
I know there are some great 3rd party unordered list menus out there, but you cant package them up & distribute them with your skin freely.
It would be a great option for DNN skinners to have. I hope that DNN will look at providing a DNN supported unordered list menu in the near future.