New feature: style layer gallery

[swaldman]

Title:
New feature: style layer gallery

Area:
Styles

Summary:
It would be very nifty to have a "gallery" of not full styles/layouts, but little "snippet" layers that tweak one feature.

Description:
DW has a huge amount of customizability thanks to the Styles system. However, this is inaccessible to most as they (we!) do not have the technical knowhow to write style layers. Even those who do know what they're doing probably reinvent the wheel from time to time.

I suggest a gallery of "snippet" layers that modify or tweak one specific thing. Users can submit layers (whether directly or via developers in the same way as themes, I'm not sure) and other users can apply them to their journals.

This approach would allow a great deal of customization of how things are displayed for those who want it - even non-technical users who can't write their own S2 - without cluttering the UI with endless choices and tickboxes.

From a quick look through recent dw_suggestions, here are examples of recent suggestions that I think would be nicely implemented as little layers of this sort:
http://dw-suggestions.dreamwidth.org/1383840.html
http://dw-suggestions.dreamwidth.org/1383840.html?thread=4348320#cmt4348320
http://dw-suggestions.dreamwidth.org/1378835.html

Possible drawbacks:
- People breaking their journals by applying poorly-coded layers
- Layers that conflict
- Other interaction problems, probably
- Difficulties for Support from all of the above
- Might increase pressure on the maximum number of layers that people can use
- If there is some screening / manual adding of snippets, then time of people who do this
- Probably other stuff ;-)

It'd be a major enhancement, so would have Impacts... I don't pretend to be able to forsee them all :-)

Poll #11812 New feature: style layer gallery

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 42

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
9 (21.4%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
1 (2.4%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
14 (33.3%)

(I have no opinion)
17 (40.5%)

(Other: please comment)
1 (2.4%)