Would you guys think that a master page should be part of the company's framework or it should be part of each application? Or perhaps the company's framework should only have a interface to provide the least functionality to all master pages ?
Currenlty we face two problems: Firstly, the original idea was to have a common layout for every and each business application. That's why the master page seats at the company's framework. Secondly, some applications needed to have a different layout, what has caused some pain as the whole logic for menus, CSS classes and etc were at the framework ...
Can you guys tell me what your thoughts are?
Thanks,
I would try to move UI elements like common controls into your framework libraries, and create a master page for each application in the application. This will give you the ability to maintain common UI elements across your applications through the use of common controls, and will provide the flexibility to create different layouts for each application.
Something else to consider is the use of different master pages in the same app for different purposes. For example, you might use one master page for internal staff, one for customers, etc. Or you might use one master page for normal browsers, and another for devices like blackberry.