[support] Drupal module with different theme and layout

[Dale McGladdery]

There's an option in the phptemplate engine that let's you specify the
.tpl.php file to use for rendering. In the _phptemplate_variables
function in the template.php file, set the value of
$vars['template_files'] to the template you want for rendering. Your
design will need a way to identify which template file to use, such as
path. It's tersely documented here: http://drupal.org/node/104316.

Drupal 5 lets you define as many block regions as you'd need so you
can create regions specifically for the alternate layout.



> Basically, in simplest terms, what we'd like to achieve is to have one
> area of the site distinct from the rest with its own layout and blocks,
> possibly even the ability to have blocks anywhere including the center
> content section - however it would all need to be a single installation
> of drupal on the same domain if at all possible. I guess as a last
> resort it could be run under a different subdomain via the same
> installation (I think that is possible with Drupal?) something like
> http://myarea.thisdomain.com with the main site at
> http://www.thisdomain.com. I havent discussed that option with the
> project team though, just thinking out loud with that last point.
>
> Can anyone point me in the right direction?