RE: [css3-multicol] pseudo-algorithm

[Brad Kemper:]
> There are plenty of times when I create a single column DIV in which the
> content is entirely hidden by overflow:hidden (and height:0). I am
> generally against the UA deciding what I _really_ want when I specify
> something rather exactly. If I do have a multicol element that can be
> sized downwards towards zero column widths, and if I do care about not
> letting it disappear entirely, and if I do want to prevent that by
> reducing the number of columns on narrow devices, then I can take care of
> that easily via media queries. Or, if I want to keep the column count but
> not let the columns get to narrow, then I can set a min-width on the
> multicol element. The point being, that is my choice.

The argument is not whether you should have that choice. The argument is
whether that should be the default behavior. I don't think people who want
to lay out text in a multicolumn element should have to do more work to
get a reasonable output because *some* people might want to use multicols
to do other things it was not designed for. Not only am I unable to
understand why I should prioritize unknown scenarios at the same level as
the primary use-case, but I have no way - by definition - to assert that
the current algorithm or your preferred behavior will work well for them
either.

At the very least, I strongly object to a default behavior that causes
content to appear/disappear/re-appear as available width changes.

Received on Wednesday, 16 February 2011 18:41:46 UTC