Don Chambers wrote:But in doing so, I am using a class semantically intended for access_groups, or access_author, and using it for something completely unrelated to those semantic names.
Which is exactly the same as what you would be doing if there
was a class called entryproperties_float_left.
Generic layout classes are
never semantic. One could actually even discuss the value of semantic class names. In fact, there are tons of articles about that out there. (The usual train of thought being that semantics are supposed to come from elements anyway, that semantic class names only work within the group that agreed upon the meaning that these class names should have, and where was I …? Oh, right.)
I have no good solution for you. Generic layout class names are not a good idea, using a non-semantic class for those elements aren't, either. But frankly, if you use entryproperties_float_left or entryproperties_access_groups out of context does not really make a difference, so I would go with the existing classes. (In an ideal world, you would just add your own class and CSS for that template, but that would only be possible using inline styles. Please don't do that.)
YL