- From: <leslie.brown@evidian.com>
- Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2003 12:10:44 +0200
- To: www-style@w3.org
I was having problems imagining why we would want to put floats in a list
and what the "natural" behaviour would be.
Maybe the following will help clarify what seem to be two distinct needs:
Case 1: float something corresponding to one element
of the list next to that element
Case 2: float something corresponding to the list as
a whole, starting at one specific element
So with the picture (say) next to element 2 (say),
we'd want something like.
Case 1R : picture at right:
1 Some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text
some text some text some
2 Some text some text some XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
text some text some text XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
text some text some text XX PICTURE XX
some text some text some XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
text some text some text XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
some text some text some some text
3 Some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text
some text some text some
4 Some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text
some text some text some
Case 2R : picture at right:
1 Some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text
some text some text some
2 Some text some text some XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
text some text some text XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
text some text some text XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
text some text some text XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
text some text some text XX PICTURE XX
some text some XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
3 Some text some text some XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
text some text some text XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
text some text some text XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
text some text some text XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
some text some text some some text
4 Some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text
some text some text some
So far, so good (apart from the obvious worry
about what happens in case 1 when the picture
is taller than the rest of the list element).
But it's less obvious what's natural if
the picture is on the left. My intuitive
feeling is that the two cases would differ
more visibly:
Case 1L : picture at left, "belongs" to list element
1 Some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text
some text some text some
2 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Some text some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX text some text some
XX PICTURE XX text some text some text
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX some text some text
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX text some text some text
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX text some text some text
text some some text
some text some text some some text
text some text some text some text some
some text some text some
3 Some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text
some text some text some
4 Some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text
some text some text some
Case 2L : picture at left, belongs to list
I *suspect* that this is what's wanted...
1 Some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text
some text some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 2 Some text some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX text some text some text
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX text some text some text
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX text some text some text
XX PICTURE XX text some text some text
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 3 Some text some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX text some text some text
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX text some text some text
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX text some text some text
some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
some text some text some some text
4 Some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text
some text some text some
(Note that the picture left-aligns with the list markers
and not the margin).
And you could even combine cases 1L and 2L...
1 Some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text
some text some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 2 XXXXXXXXX Some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX text some text
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX text some text
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX text some text
XX PICTURE XX XXXXXXXXX text some text
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX some text some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 3 Some text some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX some text some text some
some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
some text some text some some text
4 Some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text
some text some text some
In practice all this would be rather tricky, as we
don't know what window width, font sizes, (etc)
are available for the the user rendering......
(I'm using "picture" for "float" and "text block"
for "list element" to ease visualisation...).
- What if the picture ends up taller than the
text block in case 1R?
- Especially if the next text block also
has a case 1R picture?
- What if the same text block has a case 1R picture
AND a case 2R picture?
- What if a case 2R picture and a case 1L picture need
to be rendered at the same vertical position and
taken together they exceed the available width?
- What if a case 1L picture hangs below a case 2L
picture?...
Do we use the space marked by "?". By "!"?
1 Some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text some
text some text some text some text
some text some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 2 XXXXXXXXX Some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX text some text
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX text some text
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX text some text
XX PICTURE XX XXXXXXXXX text some text
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 3 XXXXXXXXX Some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX some text some
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX some text some
XXXXXXXXX some text some
???????????!!! XXXXXXXXX some text some
???????????!!! XXXXXXXXX some some text
???????????!!! some text some
text some text some text some text
some text some text some
Bon courage...
Les Brown
Received on Friday, 12 September 2003 06:10:49 UTC