Why do templates use .classes so much instead of DIVS?

Question

I really thought DIV's were the way we named once-off major
columns and sections across our site, yet when I look into the DW
templates they are all classes with unusual names. Yet I thought
CSS were moving to standard naming conventions like....
div#container (for the outside wrapper)
div#branding (instead of header, just in case they want the
branding to move to the side!)
div#body (inside wrapper)
div#content_main (Main articles)
div#content_sub (minor articles)
ul#nav_main { }
div#site_info { }
div#sub_menu (not footer as even it might change its
position!)

Answer 1

.oO(kiusau)
> So, while we are on the topic, perhaps you could explain
to both Eclipse Now
>and myself the use of DW nomenclature. By way of example,
how does one read
>the following terminology obtained from the
SpryMenuBarHorizontal CSS stylesheet
>
> ul.MenuBarHorizontal a.MenuBarItemHover,
ul.MenuBarHorizontal
>a.MenuBarItemSubmenuHover, ul.MenuBarHorizontal
a.MenuBarSubmenuVisible
>
> For example, does this mean that a specific <a>
tag with the class attribute
>MenuBarSubmenuVisible is contained in a
tag with the class attribute
>MenuBarHorizontal
Yes.
>and that these two tags are further contained in another
<a>
>tag with the class attribute MenuBarItemSubmenuHover,
etc.?
Nope. These are three different and independent selectors:
ul.MenuBarHorizontal a.MenuBarItemHover
ul.MenuBarHorizontal a.MenuBarItemSubmenuHover
ul.MenuBarHorizontal a.MenuBarSubmenuVisible
The commas just group them together, so that you don't have
to write the
same declarations three times. These two statements are
equivalent:
.foo {some declarations}
.bar {some declarations}
and
.foo, .bar {some declarations}
5.2.1 Grouping
http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/selector.html#grouping
> How about the following taken from a DV bundled
template?
>
> .twoColHybLtHdr #mainContent
>
> Does this indicate the application of a class rule
called .twoColHybLtHdr
>applied to a div tag named #mainContent?
Nope. This selector applies to any element with the ID
'mainContent',
which is a child (direct or indirect) of any element with the
class
'twoColHybLtHdr'.
5.5 Descendant selectors
http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/selector.html#descendant-selectors
>If so, does the name of the tag
>replace the need for mention of the type of tag to which
it is applied? In
>short, does the above represent the following:
>
> <div id="mainContent" class="twoColHybLtHdr">
To match exactly this element, the selector could be
.twoColHybLtHdr#mainContent
Notice that in this case there's no space between both parts!
With a
space like this
.twoColHybLtHdr #mainContent
it becomes a descendant selector, mathing child elements as
described
above. Just a little blank, but a completely different
selector.
> When I studied CSS nomenclature for the first time I
found it fairly simple
>and easy to understand.
Actually it is quite simple, there are just a few basic
rules. If unsure
about the meaning of a selector, ask the Selectoracle:
http://gallery.theopalgroup.com/selectoracle/
Micha