Re: positioning the root element

Whether the root element of the document is the window or not is completely
determined by the browser.  It would make no sense for the UA to let that
happen the only logical thing for the UA to do is to do OS level positioning
of the window, and then display the document within that window.  Then the
document' stylesheet can determine where the root element of the document is
displayed within the clipping region of that window.  In a modern windowed
operating system, it is the case that a window contains content that the
application renders to that window.  Why postulate a scenario where an
application specifically overrides that behavior that we are all used to? No
current browser does that kind of thing, and the suggestion that the root
element be positionable doesn't imply that it should be the case.  It merely
implies that providing positioning on the root element moves the entire
viewable content in relation to the enclosing window, or in relation to the
entire screen if you are operating within a full screen mode provided by the
UA.

-Tupshin

- Original Message -----
From: Braden N. McDaniel <braden@shadow.net>
To: Tupshin Harper <tupshin@tupshin.com>; www-style <www-style@w3.org>
Sent: Friday, March 19, 1999 3:10 PM
Subject: Re: positioning the root element


> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Tupshin Harper <tupshin@tupshin.com>
> To: www-style <www-style@w3.org>
> Sent: Friday, March 19, 1999 5:12 PM
> Subject: Re: positioning the root element
>
>
> > By definition the UA must determine where on the display device the root
> > element is displayed.  Whether it is the bounds of the appropriate
window,
> > how far in from the top left of the printed page(margin), or however
else,
> > the UA determines it's location.  Therefore the root element is
> effectively
> > and inherently contained within whatever block that the UA determines.
If
> > the root element didn't have a containing block, then the UA would have
no
> > ability to determine where on the screen or on the page(or what portion
> when
> > clipping needs to take place)  the root element is displayed.
>
> Indeed. So ostensibly, the root element could be the window and its
> "containing block" could be the desktop. In which case positioning the
root
> element means positioning the window--something a document style sheet has
> no business doing.
>
> Braden
>
>

Received on Friday, 19 March 1999 18:34:58 UTC