In bp-core-widgets.php in the bp_core_widget_members() function, there’s a bunch of HTML which I need to edit for my custom home theme. I would *really* prefer not to have to edit the core BP files to make upgrading easier in future.
Specifically I need to wrap a <p> tag around the around the “Newest | Active | Popular” links so that the vertical baseline of my site is maintained. I also need the nbsp removed, as that messes up this block when it is rendered left-aligned, but I’ve put a ticket on for this (http://trac.buddypress.org/ticket/549) as I feel this is a fairly safe yet convenient change to make in the core.
Do you feel there is any sense in suggesting that those hyperlinks are wrapped in a paragraph span in a trac ticket? Obviously the blocks need to be reasonably generic so we can fit them into custom themes as easily as possible.
I would take the code you see there, and make your own widget to do what you want to do. Rename the functions accordingly. This way you have your own widget that you can maintain and no worries about upgrading the core.