RE: Problem with float left and drop caps

The P around the image isn't a problem as I see it, since (1) UAs are allowed
to not treat images as "first letters" and (2) the image is explicitly set to
"float:left" (which will override "float: left siblings" in the first-letter rule,
supposing this rule applies to images).

As you point out, the first-letter rule will induce a fictional tag
sequence like:

  <p><span style="font-size: 300%; display: block; float: left siblings;">F</span>irst line.

If you consider a tree representaion of this expression, the "siblings"
of the span are easy to identify.

  <p> ---+---- <span style="font-size: 300%; ---------- "F"
         |                  display: block;
         |                  float: left siblings;">
         |
         |
         +---- "irst line."

I don't think it's such a great idea to say that the "parent" can flow
to the right, because this would in a way imply that the span should
flow to the right of itself... (see what I mean?)

I must admit though, that there may be better names for this behaviour
than "siblings". What do you think?

/Jonas

----------
From: 	Carl Morris
Sent: 	Thursday, August 08, 1996 3:19 AM
To: 	Jonas Salling
Cc: 	WWW Style List
Subject: 	Re: Problem with float left and drop caps

|   p:first-letter { font-size: 300%; display: block; float: left
siblings; }
|   <p><img style="float: left;" ...>
|   <p>This is the first line.
|   <p>This is the second line.
|   +---+--- his is the first line.
|   |   | |
|   |   | |
|   |   |--- his is the second line.
|   |   | |
|   |   | |
|   +---+
| 

I see this as a problem...  why do you have a P around the image?  The
correct definition there will end up:

<P><IMG>
</P><P>first line
</P><P>second line
</P>

The image should become the first letter of your first P ...  Also, I
don't see how your siblings thing works, how do you know whats a
sibling ...  the P:first-letter alias becomes

<P><SPAN STYLE="font-size: 300%; display: block; float: left
siblings;">F</SPAN>irst line.

It might work better to call this a perent ... meaning that the parent
of the span can wrap around...

I don't know  ... but this all sounds like more uses for it anyway...

Received on Thursday, 8 August 1996 04:30:52 UTC