2009/10/24 Tony Crockford tonyc@boldfish.co.uk:
I'm also trying to get my head round how Drupal would choose different page layouts
This is probably what you're going to find hardest Tony. Which tpl files address which bits of the page, when to use a block or a region or a custom node.tpl and so on. Once you grasp it it's fairly straightforward I guess, but coming at it new it's confusing - theme developer module will be your friend (part of devel module).
- e.g. If I have one for articles one column) and one for
a form (two column) is that just down to body class?
Well most themes generate body class based on theme features, so for instance whether a sidebar is output (that often depends on whether there's anything to go in it).
Then there are regions, defined in the .info file and usually printed in page.tpl...
How do you match content in Drupal with different page layouts?
It comes down to what the layout is, and what content drives the layout - you might do well to take some advice on a particular design and how best to do it. If you don't want to do that publicly then pop on irc.freenode.net channel #drupaluk and pm me or get in touch via my contact page, site link below.