What's the model for wrapping text around a floating block?

When inline text wrap around a floating block, is the margin moved or 
are extra blocks generated to contain contain the shorter lines?

One model for this would be to generate extra boxes in the principal box 
containing the float and the text to wrap. The text would then be layed 
out from the block with the entire with of the principal block above the 
wrap, floating into the thinner block at the side of the floating block, 
and eventually into the full width block after the float.

Another model would be to change the margin inside the principal box. 
But there doesn't seems to be any mechanism defined in CSS supporting  
doing this. Still, I think this is how it actually is done. If so, CSS 
should define the model explaining it. Just as have been done for layout 
of lines with line boxes.

 I don't see anything that makes it possible to change the changing the 
margin affecting the layout of line boxes as would be needed if that was 
the way it's made. On the contrary, I belive it's explicitly said that 
blocks - like line boxes - take upp all the width in its parent box. 
Since you can't change the margin for a part of a box, I think you must 
generate a new box for that. If so, that box would in some manner be 
layed out in the same context as the floating box.

If extra blocks is generated for handling wrapping and these were layed 
out together with the floating boxes,  would they be  layed out in some 
kind of line formatting or would they be in a horizontal block layout?. 
 I think vertical space would be affected by how it's done.

Received on Friday, 17 August 2001 16:47:28 UTC