CSS not enough - Re: proposal for HTML4.01 amendment: <BR PAGEBREAK="before">

----- Original Message -----
From: "Christian Wolfgang Hujer" <Christian.Hujer@itcqis.com>

<snip/>

> But tables are quite useful, especially for tables, though even I often
> abuse them for layout purposes due to the lack of other possibilities.
> (I know that I could do everything I do with tables with CSS instead, but
I
> also know that most browsers cannot display it)

this is not true :)

there are serious problems using CSS only to layout a page.
- you have to do kludgy workarounds to get a 3 column layout[1]
--- you need to use absolute positioning
--- why do you want 3 (or more) columns? becuase you want to get information
'above the fold' (like a newspaper)
- you cannot do a decent layout with more than 3 columns (that is, where the
two outer columns are fixed and the inner columns vary on browser width).
- if you do a 2 or 3 column layout you need to use font-sizes set to px so
the user cannot resize text, otherwise it will eventually overlap the other
columns if sized-up.

The only way to create a page that is 'usable' by a wide audience is to use
tables! Tables allow larger text to wrap without overlapping and allow
however many columns you want. Sure it is lay out, but how would you do
these types of layout with CSS and keep them usable?

best,
-Rob

[1] kludgy css for 3 column layout

#body_left_column {
position: absolute;
left:5px;
top:50px;
width:190px;
border:0px solid #eaeaea;
background-color:#EDEDED;
 }

#body_center_column {
margin-left: 204px;
margin-right:204px;
border:0px solid #eaeaea;
voice-family: "\"}\"";
voice-family: inherit;
margin-left: 206px;
margin-right:206px;
 }
html>body #body_center_column {
margin-left: 206px;
margin-right:206px;
 }

#body_right_column {
position: absolute;
right:10px;
top:50px;
width:180px;
border:0px solid #eaeaea;
background-color:#EDEDED;
 }

Received on Saturday, 12 January 2002 08:04:45 UTC