Re: Feedback requested: Replaced elements that ex...

On Thu, 21 Oct 1999, Web Master wrote:

> I don't think I made it clear quite how important column-span: auto
> is. [...]
>
> <div style="columns: 4">
>    <img style="column-span: 2; width: auto">
> </div>
> 
> Where the IMG's intrinsic width is 300 px.
>
> If the viewport < 600px wide, the element WOULD NOT SPAN CORRECTLY,
> either (depending on the final details of the column specification)
> causing unsightly overlapping or else causing the columns to be
> resized, again highly unsightly.

The current spec does not say how 'column-span' actually does its
work, since in fact the current draft does not include a formatting
model for the proposal.


> Whereas [column-span:auto] would cause the image to span as many
> columns as is necessary, and the text would all flow round it
> nicely.

You will have to explain how the text flows around elements
half-spanning columns!

Note that this problem is dealt with quite simply by my proposed
extension to 'position':

   img { position: wrap absolute; left: 0; right: 0; margin-left: 0; }

In fact, for a simple case such as this one you could just use the
current 'float' property, implying that text wraps (by preventing line
box generation as now) around floats that overflow into nearby
columns:

   img { float: left; }


>> (What _will_ happen is that text in the next column will overwrite
>> the overflowing replaced element.)
> How wonderful!

I have already suggested two complementary ways of solving this
problem, so it is no longer an issue.

-- 
Ian Hickson
"I take a Professor Bullett approach to my answers. There's a high
probability that they may be right."
  -- Dr Snow; Mechanics Lecturer at Bath University; 1999-03-04

Received on Thursday, 21 October 1999 16:12:14 UTC