Re: float:center

John Oyler wrote:

> 
> If the float center is used in this manner, then it truly could 
> semantically be a headline, and have the text reflow around it such that 

In early 20th century newspapers, this sort of thing might well have 
been a secondary headline, in the cluster of headlines at the top of the 
article.

> it looks as if it were in the middle.  Or am I visualizing this wrong? 

As I noted before, I've failed to find any example where it splits but 
doesn't span a column, but a concrete example of the sort of thing that 
is actually done, or as much of it as I think is safe under fair usage, 
would be an editorial on page 18 of the [London] Evening Standard for 
2007-12-17.

The main headline actually spans two columns on one page and the whole 
of the next, although I'm only describing the first two columns here.
The main headline is "Gateway to a housing disaster".

Halfway down the first two columns, centred between them and taking up 
half of each column is a quote:  "The Government has oversold what it 
can do.  It is treating it like a new town where it owns the land"  This 
quote actually comes from a quarter way down the second column, so is 
not close in position to the pull-out.  From a styling point of view, it 
is probably important that the quote appears approximately in the 
centre, both vertically and horizontally, and that it is between columns 
(although it encroaches on them and their width is reduced for its 
duration).  The font size of the quote is about twice that of the body 
text and there is a rule at the end of it.

In this case, it starts on the last line of a paragraph in the column to 
its left and mid-paragraph, in the one to its right.

There is also what seems to be a secondary headline (not a subheading), 
as I cannot find it by skimming the text, which takes up the first 2.5 
column inches of the second column.  Logically this belongs in the 
headlines, even though it has been physically set half way through the 
text.  This isn't as clear cut, as, though it visually clear that it is 
part of the second column, one could argue that it is really part of the 
heading and the two columns are of unequal length.

There are byelines, etc., at the top of the first column.

To maintain separation of style and fluidity, I think one would need to 
include both the secondary headline and the quote after the main 
headline and have a styling function that says:

Centre this vertically and horizontally within the columns on the 
current page.
Ignore it if there is not a reasonable amount of room.
If there are an odd number of columns, do not flow round and use a whole 
column.
If there are an even number of columns, make it the width of one column 
and place it centred on the dividing line.  Flow the text to left and right.

(As an alternative to the odd number of columns case, the designer might 
want to be able to say: move right or move left, to align between 
columns, if there is more than one column.  They may well want more 
options than centre, e.g. between the first two, last two, etc.   They 
may want to be able to specify that it can be processed on the next 
page, if there isn't room on the current one.)

The Evening Standard is published by Associated Press, who presumably 
own the copyright for that article.  The article was selected because I 
had that copy and it showed an example of the construct.

Please use mono-spaced font for the following.

Key:  M - Main headline
       S - Secondary Headline
       B - Byeline
       T - Body Text
       Q - Pullout Quote
                                 +--- Edge of page
                                 V
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB  SSSSSSSSSSSSSS
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB  SSSSSSSSSSSSSS
                  SSSSSSSSSSSSSS
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  SSSSSSSSSSSSSS
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  SSSSSSSSSSSSSS
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  SSSSSSSSSSSSSS
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  SSSSSSSSSSSSSS
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  SSSSSSSSSSSSSS
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  SSSSSSSSSSSSSS
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TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
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TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT \
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT  } Quote taken from here.
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT /
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
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TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
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TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTT                  TTTTTT
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TTTTTTT  QQQQQQQQQQQQQQ  TTTTTT
TTTTTTT  QQQQQQQQQQQQQQ  TTTTTT
TTTTTTT  QQQQQQQQQQQQQ"  TTTTTT
TTTTTTT  ==============  TTTTTT
TTTTTTT                  TTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
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TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
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TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
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TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
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TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT  TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
-- 
David Woolley
Emails are not formal business letters, whatever businesses may want.
RFC1855 says there should be an address here, but, in a world of spam,
that is no longer good advice, as archive address hiding may not work.

Received on Saturday, 5 January 2008 14:27:44 UTC