renaming module -> "box"

[Nicole Sullivan]

Hi All,

I'm considering renaming "mod" to "box". I find the latter is much more descriptive, while still being generic enough. Also, I've found the word module means so many different things to different people, that it makes it really hard to talk about.

Opinions?

Cheers,

Nicole

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Nicole Sullivan

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[Edward Meehan]

Box works well... It is used in blueprint as well. Backend developers look at module as an extension. I view box as a container.

- Edward Meehan
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[Rick Lowes]

I'm not using the standard module format (opted for CSS3), but the
block structure that I have applied "skins" to I have called
"box"...easier to explain and for newbie developers to grasp.

[Ad Taylor]

Part of me loves the idea. Box would definitely make more sense in terms of visual semantics and be easier to talk to other FE devs and designers. 

My only reservation is that module gives a shared language between FE and backend devs. For example, a 'comments module' would refer to the same thing but in a different way. 

I hope this makes sense…

Sent from my iPhone

[Nat Woodard]

Sounds like a good idea. I have definitely been struggling in trying
to teach/implement OOCSS at work and have specifically been trying to
drive home the separation of content and container mantra to no avail.
Getting my cohorts to understand when and when not to use the mod has
been quite difficult (have even sited your entry on the matter from
the OOCSS wiki). I have developers handing me pages made entirely out
of mods (!), often nested 2 and 3x.

-Nat Woodard

[Ragnar Mogård Bergem]

Yes! I strongly agree. Box is a better name. I find myself talking about them as boxes all the time.

Mvh.
Ragnar Mogård Bergem

[Nicole Sullivan]

On Jul 9, 2011, at 12:48 PM, Nat Woodard wrote:

>
> the OOCSS wiki). I have developers handing me pages made entirely out
> of mods (!), often nested 2 and 3x.
>

Haha, yes, that has happened to me too. Devs believed every piece of content needed to be in a mod.

oops.

[Jos Hirth]

I'm using "Box" nowadays. (My sub tree root nodes are capitalized.)

[Jess Jacobs]

I'm for it. I use module as a name for widgets and functionality pieces that don't always necessarily correspond with the layout rules. A box is a box - straightforward. :)

[Nicole Sullivan]

Ad,

I see what you are saying, but I think sometimes calling both backend components and front end components "module" can be misleading because there often isn't a 1:1 mapping between the two.

For example, the "comments module" in the back end is probably composed of a lot of more granular css objects like media blocks, lists, headings, etc

Nicole

[Murray Nuttall]

I like box.

-- 
Murray Nuttall

[Nicole Sullivan]

sweet, seems like we have rough consensus. 

N

[Ad Taylor]

Sure, I agree that as a shared language it doesn't hold up 100% as my clumsy comments example highlighted :) Although I still maintain that most of *my* mods tend to be higher level containers that hold reusable modules (in the backend sense). Its a fairly weak argument but worth consideration. 

Yet I do still harbour a bit of love for mod. Is using .box, in terms of semantics, going to make people use visual class rather than descriptive ones. Like .bigBlueBox rather than .saleBox? In that example .saleBox, to me at least, doesn't feel right as it feels visual only. It also feels a bit like using a .p on a paragraph tag - do we need to say box when an element is a box anyway? Another issue is scope, .saleMod feels like it could control interactions too.

I guess I am playing devils advocate a little here, as I'm not totally opposed to box but I'm not entirely comfortable with it either.

Really appreciate the chance for discussion on it. 

Sent from my iPhone