Re: [css3-multicol] minimizing scroll complexity of multiple multi-column blocks

fantasai wrote:
> Well, you could put scrollbars on the multi-column element itself. Then
> you wouldn't have to scroll back to read the next block.
That's true, although that creates a different kind of scroll 
complexity, as it requires the user to select and scroll each 
multi-column element separately from the page (and in a different 
direction to boot).

> I don't think
> "paginating" the multi-column content makes much sense when you're using
> scrollbars: it's kinda awkward to scroll through content that is paged...
The kind of "paginating" I'm suggesting is simply to place the overflow 
columns underneath their brethren instead of next to them, which is 
where the content in those columns would be anyway if it hadn't been 
placed into columns.

And the only scrolling required is the same scrolling required for 
non-columnar content, i.e. downward, which doesn't seem at all awkward 
to me.  Perhaps we're thinking of different kinds of pagination?

> But if you wanted to do that, you'd want something like nested 
> multi-column,
> where the outer multi-column has vertical "columns": I'd imagine authors
> would want to be able to adjust the vertical gaps and put rules etc. in
> between.
Authors probably would want to adjust the vertical gaps and add rules, 
but nesting seems overly complicated for what I imagine to be a common 
use case.  I would instead approach this as a question of the 
disposition of overflow columns, with the new capability being for 
authors to specify that they should wrap.

-myk

Received on Tuesday, 20 May 2008 18:57:52 UTC