blocks within inlines

The CSS2 spec does not describe the correct formatting of inline
elements that contain block level elements.  As I see it, there are
three options for formatting these inline boxes that contain block
boxes:

 1.  The inline boxes are stopped before the block box and are started
     again after the block.

 2.  The inline elements generate block boxes outside of the contained
     block boxes.

 3.  The inline boxes generated by the inline elements continue through
     the contained block boxes inside of (or outside of) the anonymous
     inline box generated by the block box.

Which of these is correct?

Consider the effects of these decisions on the 'background', 'border'
and 'text-decoration' properties:

 1.  The 'background', 'border', and 'text-decoration' of the inline
     elements do not apply within their block-level children.

 2.  The 'background' of the inline element is a block-level background
     behind the contained block, and the 'border' goes around the block.
     The 'text-decoration' of the inline element does not apply inside
     the contained block.

 3.  The 'background' and 'border' of the inline element act as inline
     backgrounds and borders inside of the block, and the
     'text-decoration' does apply.

I think I prefer choice (2), but I'm not sure.

-David

L. David Baron        <URL: http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~dbaron/ >
Rising Junior, Harvard                           Summer Intern, Netscape
dbaron@fas.harvard.edu                               dbaron@netscape.com

Received on Tuesday, 1 August 2000 10:09:53 UTC