Re: [css3-multicol] new editor's draft

On Mon, Oct 25, 2010 at 11:48 AM, Håkon Wium Lie <howcome@opera.com> wrote:
> Also sprach Tab Atkins Jr.:
>
>  > > However, if we specify that 'column-span: all' in an overflow area
>  > > just takes the element back in, underneath the content that has
>  > > already been laid out, and stretches across the columns inside the
>  > > multicol box, it seems doable. No?
>  >
>  > What happens to content following the overflowing spanner?  Still
>  > overflowed?
>
> In my mind (which may differ from others), I'd start laying out
> content in normal column underneath the spanning element. Like this:
>
>   columns: 3
>
>   AAAAA BBBBB CCCCD
>   spanning element
>   DDDDD EEEEE FFFFF
>
> As such, the spanning element is a useful way of avoiding horizonal
> scrolling to reach wide overflows. Also, it looks more like what you
> would get on a printed page.
>
>  > What if there's a colspanning element, some normal
>  > content, then another colspanning element, all in the overflow area?
>
>   columns: 3
>
>   AAAAA BBBBB CCCCD
>   spanning element
>   DDDDD EEEEE FFFFF
>   spanning element
>   GGGGG HHHHH JJJJJ
>
> It seems compelling to me.

That seems compelling to me as well, but I still have questions.
Presumably this only occurs when there is still space left in the
element, right?  That is, it would only occur if the overflow columns
are due to column breaks, not normal overflow (as that only happens
when there's a constrained height and the content fills that height).

What if there is normal content between the column-breaking elements
and the column-spanning element?  Would this create a new column row
just for that content (with the content balanced across the columns),
followed by a new column row for the spanning element?

It seems like perhaps this feature (column spanners in overflow
columns still showing up in the main area) should instead be a
function of the column-overflow mode.  With 'column-overflow:inline',
overflow column spanners don't span at all.  With
'column-overflow:block', they do span, in the way you describe.

~TJ

Received on Monday, 25 October 2010 19:02:16 UTC