The Zen Grid Framework is the evolution of the Zen Grid Template that we implemented way back in November 2009. Since then the template has undergone some enormous change and is now a standalone template framework that has been designed to be used in conjunction with Zen Grid Framework compatible templates. The new framework offers an extraordinary number of features with a simple to use interface.
framework overview
The basics
The framework itself is an installable package that sits in the template folder that allows compatible templates to tap into. The framework provides the markup, core css and core javascript that are common to all of our templates, while any compatible template simply hooks in and pulls out what it needs.
The compatible template can override css, html markup and add extra js which makes it an incredibly flexible system with a low overhead. The beauty of this is that the core is easily maintained and easily upgradeable from version to version. In most cases the style of the template is truly separated from the layout which gives designers the opportunity to create the Joomla template of their dreams without needing to reinvent the wheel from a coding perspective.
Appearance
The framework makes it very easy to make layout and colour changes to your site with zero templating or coding knowledge. There are options within the template parameters itself to add your own css, while coding your own theme is as simple as creating a new colour hilite for the default theme and making changes to the css.
The logo is also easily controllable also and can be referenced from the template folder or any other folder in the main Joomla images folder which makes it easy for new users to upload their own logo via the Joomla media manager - which of course does away with the need for ftp knowledge.
Layout
The layout itself is based>Features Include
* xhtml and css valid Joomla 1.5 Template markup
* Comprehensive theming options
* Extensive Font Stack options
* Core theme layout overrides and extensive layout control