http://blogs.msdn.com/frontpoint/archive/2004/11/11/255773.aspx

This is useful for reference, so that instead of the text, displayed in a DVWP, you can have an image instead, which looks nicer.

http://jopx.blogspot.com/2005/04/consuming-stored-procedures-with.html

It's a setting in WSS Central Administration called "Enable Data Retrieval Services " Follow this link for more details on this.

url="http://james.milne.com' target='_new'>http://james.milne.com

James Milne has an online tool called SharePoint Skin on his website to do this very easily which requires only a chart of HEX numbers for the web colours you would use (http://html-color-codes.com). After you have the online preview portal looking how you want to, click CSS and you can copy out the style sheet to a file and save it to the layouts directory. Now, to apply this to your portal, on the portal home page click Site Settings | Change Portal Site Properties and SharePoint Site Creation Settings and enter the name of your file here.

A handy color previewer: http://www.hypersolutions.org/pages/colorSel.html

Best place to store the CSS: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\60\TEMPLATE\LAYOUTS\1033\STYLES

Thanks for this Alex, as you point out, it impresses the customer!

http://blogs.tamtam.nl/alexander/PermaLink,guid,30466921-1203-4133-9164-3cab3f92d96d.aspx

There are good reasons to use Site Definitions, but Microsoft doesn't recommend using them to change sites after they have been created. SharePoint isn't really designed to do that.

Serge has noted this on his blog(http://weblogs.asp.net/soever/archive/2005/05/12/406535.aspx)

"Microsoft does not support modifying a custom site definition or a custom area definition after you create a new site or a new portal area by using that site definition or area definition. Additionally, Microsoft does not support modifying the .xml files or the .aspx files in the custom site definition or in the custom area
definition after you deploy the custom site definition or the custom area definition."

(http://www.kbalertz.com/Feedback_898631.aspx)

Changing the ONET.xml file does allow for some of the following changes:

# Specify an alternate cascading style sheet (CSS) file, JavaScript file, or ASPX header file for a site definition.

# Modify navigation areas for the home page and list pages.

# Add a list definition as an option to the Create page.

# Add a document template for creating document libraries.

# Define a configuration for a site definition, specifying the lists, modules, files, and Web Parts that are included when a site is instantiated.

But you can't, for example, add a view or property to existing lists, or a Web Part to all of the existing home pages.

So be careful, fully investigate what you want to use your custom Site Definition is for, if it's to make new sites have exactly what you want them to have, good, but don't use them if you want to change sites retrospectively.

Site and List Templates are very ease to create, recreate, deploy and even move about. Themes are a good way to apply styles, but beware them too, thnk you can just change the Theme gifs and CSS and all the sites will change? Nope, when you apply a theme, it is copied to the site's theme directory, so every site has it's own copy, they don't all refer to one CSS on the Web Server like with a web site. There are lots of things to watch out for!

Developer Project Kick Start for SharePoint:
http://blogs.tamtam.nl/mart/DeveloperProjectKickStartForSharePoint.aspx

Other good articles on Site Definitions:
http://jopx.blogspot.com/2005/04/modifying-site-definitions-changes-in.html

http://weblogs.ilg.com/ksyverstad/archive/2005/02/18/643.aspx
http://www.heathersolomon.com/blog/articles/159.aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/office/understanding/sharepoint/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/spptsdk/html/tsptCustomExistingWebTemplate_SV01017467.asp

Serge from Macaw points out the following flaws to the SharePoint Discussion list. There are more obvious if you are used to discussion applications:

"The two biggest problems that I have with the discussion lists are:

When you reply on a discussion item, you don’t see the text you are replying on
Discussion items are displayed in the wrong order: oldest items first!"

So, here's his solution, a list template that corrects these limitations.

http://weblogs.asp.net/soever/archive/2005/03/04/385523.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/office/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/odc_sp2003_ta/html/OfficeSharePointCustomizingListForms.asp

Good article, also, try opening them in FrontPage 2003, then right-click and select the option to customise the form. I can't remeber the exact wording!

http://weblogs.ilg.com/ksyverstad/archive/2005/02/18/643.aspx

Good starter article, I myself just use site templates, they work for me!