Re: [CSS21] Layered presentation, z-index hard to comprehend

Nope, you're not missing anything. It is confusing, poorly worded,  
and correct. There's a considerably more legible discussion of z- 
index here: http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Understanding_CSS_z- 
index:The_stacking_context

Cheers... Mike


On 3 Oct 2006, at 00:38, Master Pumpkin wrote:

>
> Hello,
>
> I find the explanation of layered presentation in chapter 9.9 of  
> the CSS 2.1 draft confusing. Here's why:
>
> 1) "The stack level of the generated box in the current stacking  
> context is the same as its parent's box."
>
> Is there a typo here? I'd imagine a stack level can't be the same  
> as a box. If a context really is a box, "the same as" is redundant.
>
> 2) "Each box belongs to one stacking context. Each box in a given  
> stacking context has an integer stack level, which is its position  
> on the z-axis relative to other boxes in the same stacking context."
>
> What does it mean to belong to a stacking context? It's quite clear  
> that each box that establishes a stacking context has in fact two  
> stack levels: one in the "current" context and another in the  
> context that it establishes.
>
> 3) "Each stacking context consists of the following stacking levels  
> (from back to front):
>
> 1. the background and borders of the element forming the stacking  
> context.
> 2. the stacking contexts of descendants with negative stack levels."
>
> This concept of "stacking levels" is weird, because it's used  
> together with "stack levels", that are something totally different.  
> StackING levels seem to impose a super-structure on them. Appendix  
> E uses the terms "stacking order" and "painting order" instead of  
> stacking levels.
>
> Let's presume that the stacking levels/order really determine the  
> order in which the different boxes are painted. The order given  
> seems to indicate that the background and borders of an element  
> that establishes a stacking context are painted _underneath_  
> (behind) the element's descendants, even if the descendants have a  
> lower stack level (< 0) than the element itself (0). On the other  
> hand, "boxes with greater stack levels are always formatted in  
> front of boxes with lower stack levels." This would be a  
> contradiction.
>
> 4) "The root element forms the root stacking context."
>
> Does the root element have a stack level of 0? Can other elements  
> have negative levels and thus be behind the root element?
>
> 5) Do "establishing", "forming" and "generating" a stacking context  
> mean the same thing? If not, the differences aren't clear.  
> Moreover, why is it, that both boxes and elements are described as  
> establishing contexts? It's not a big issue though, as the concepts  
> of element and box are pretty much interchangeable here. What about  
> "formatting", "painting" and "rendering", are they the same?
>
> Thanks for bearing with me. I know I must be missing something here  
> (like common sense), but I do hope that the CSS3 specification will  
> be easier to understand.
>
> Roger Olsson
>
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Received on Wednesday, 4 October 2006 12:57:01 UTC