Is there an easy way to make the WorkShelf modules snap-to each other that I'm missing? I'm not sure if it would even work, but it might make it easier to align elements in different themes. Some themes use modules that can free float while others are made to be positioned in specific locations/orders etc.

I've thought about snap-in modules many times, but it's extremelly difficult to implement anything like that for a couple of reasons:

Unlike, say, Sysmetrix where the meters displayed are selected by the skinner, with WorkShelf it's the users who choose which modules to display and which not to. The user can also select which 'order' they are displayed by. So, unless all the modules have the same shape (which would not be good), it is next to impossible to automatically snap them in.

What might be implemented is some kind of 'snap in on approximation' (i.e.; drag a module close enough to the other and WorkShelf would automatically align their edges) but even this might be a bit odd given the irregular shape of most modules.

As long as it wasn't there and I was missing it

I'm actually getting ready to create a new theme now and don't know how to go about making my modules because of what you've brought up here. My last theme had all modules using the same basic shape so they didn't have to be aligned in any particular way. The problem was it made for dull modules But if I skin everything and each piece is dependant on a specific module next to it then it might not work if the user doesn't use that module (as you mentioned).

I think therefore the best bet for me is to make two versions of the theme. One with a unique design using all modules and another that can be tiled with not all modules required (similar to the Thunder Storm theme). I don't think I'll go the way of my last theme again though with individual modules.

If I understood this correctly, this is precisely the danger of the whole snap-in notion: it would force skinners to think 'square' (so modules can snap in from any direction) instead of free-form. This gives birth to boring, never-changing, themes.

WorkShelf modules are supposed to be free-form. Think of each module as an individual application.

If the user really wants them neatly tucked away at some edge of the screen, all they have to do is to capture the modules INTO the NextSTART Startbar! Have you tried this option already (right click on a desktop module and select 'Attach to NextSTART')? The latest versions are able to use the NextSTART Startbar as a container for the module's icon based forms - looks quite neat, and, since the modules now use the same format as in-shelf modules (i.e. icons), they 'snap' to each other.

I had not tried that before. There's plenty of stuff I'm not aware of in NextSTART and WorkShelf sadly. That is not a bad option, but I prefer to have the modules floating on their own.

I guess the best example of why I'd like to see snap-to would be the Thunder Storm theme. Although each module can be positioned next to any other module, it would just be easier if it could snap together instead of having to manually align the pieces to get the top/bottom aligned right. My own Syncretism theme is another possible example of where it could work.

Having said that, the theme I'm working on now would probably not work with snapping as I want at least one element to be round and others to have round edges to fit along with it. I guess it's because I'm trying to get all modules to look like one big module when combined. Which won't work if not all modules are activated.