Re: css layout should be symmetrical

Vadim Plessky wrote:
> 
> Well, there is no warranty that Tables will be supported in future versions 
> of CSS.

Tables are not going anywhere soon.


> So far, Tables is part of CSS3 Tables module - and this module is optional.

Tables are a CSS2 Chapter and are as mandatory as the rest of CSS2.


> You can develop CSS-compliant browser whcih doesn't support tables at all.

You cannot build a fully-compliant CSS2 graphical browser without supporting tables.


> Therefore, Tables in CSS *should not* be used for layout.

Are you saying that anything that was not part of CSS1 should never be used? 
What is the point of the working group continuing to develop CSS in that case?


> special 'display' properties were added to CSS in order to be able to render 
> tabular data for pure XML (not XHTML!)

No. The special properties were added so that table-like grid layout could be 
done in CSS for _any_ markup language, including HTML and XHTML.


> Some people assumed that 'table-cell', 'table-row', etc. should be used for 
> HTML and XHTML as well.
> To my best understandimng, this is wrong.
> Tables in CSS should be used only with XML!

That is incorrect. I am curious as to what gave you that impression?


> |   The only reason that CSS Tables are not suitable for centering is that
> | the actual CSS used is too complicated:
> |
> |       http://www.damowmow.com/mozilla/demos/centering/
> 
> again tables...
> We should get rid of them - tables are for represnting Tabular data, not for 
> layouting!

This is an incorrect assertion. As I said, tables in HTML should be used for 
tabular data and have nothing to do with layout, but tables in CSS should be 
used for layout and have nothing to do with tabular data.

-- 
Ian Hickson
CSS Working Group Invited Expert
(speaking just for myself of course)

Received on Wednesday, 20 February 2002 10:10:25 UTC