Re: positioning the root element

> From: "Braden N. McDaniel" <braden@shadow.net>
> Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 18:10:04 -0500 
> 
>> By definition the UA must determine where on the display device the root
>> element is displayed.  Whether it is the bounds of the appropriate
window,
>> how far in from the top left of the printed page(margin), or however
else,
>> the UA determines it's location.  Therefore the root element is
>effectively
>> and inherently contained within whatever block that the UA determines. 
If
>> the root element didn't have a containing block, then the UA would have
no
>> ability to determine where on the screen or on the page(or what portion
>when
>> clipping needs to take place)  the root element is displayed.
>
>Indeed. So ostensibly, the root element could be the window and its
>"containing block" could be the desktop. In which case positioning the root
>element means positioning the window--something a document style sheet has
>no business doing.

Anything visual/stylistic that can be done in javascript should be doable in
a style sheet - because:
1. declarative syntax is simpler to read/write/understand
2. you can override it in your user style sheet with !important - something
you can't do with javascript.

I agree with Ian [1], the quoted rule should be stricken - it is too
restrictive, and enabling UAs to style the root element appropriately
enables some pretty useful features.

Tantek

P.S. See previous discussion of styling the root element on Sep 30 1998 [2]
and Oct 1 1998 [3], see especially the last paragraph in John Whelan's
message, pretty much sums it up.

[1]
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/1999Mar/0087.html

[2]
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/1998Sep/0068.html

[3]
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/1998Oct/0000.html

Received on Friday, 19 March 1999 19:50:38 UTC