RE: [css3-multicol] column overflow

I also think it is a great idea, although I would be a little concerned if it was the only option.

1) Scrolling down to the next group of columns (if done manually) is a distracting user experience. The user will have to stop reading, scroll *precisely* to the top of the next group (so that whole columns fit the viewport), then continue reading. It is very different from hitting Right button enough times for next column or two to appear.

It is still a good approach, it will probably work best when accompanied by custom "Next Page" links which scroll exactly to the next group. But that complicates the story a little.

2) There are good use cases for infinite number of fixed-width columns, scrollable horizontally. E.g. consider "address book" view, with columns of contacts or business cards.

3) The ideal I think is the true paginated view, where overflow is not visible but one set of columns is shown at a time, with UI to go to previous/next set. That is somewhat orthogonal to this proposal, but will IMO be necessary for using the full power of columns.

Do you think we could allow for both kinds of overflow, e.g. by specifying it in "overflow" property?

        "overflow-x:columns" - add more columns horizontally
        "overflow-y:columns" - add groups of columns vertically
        "overflow:columns" - apply one of the above (whichever we like more, but not both)

Not sure how these would map in vertical text. Probably the meaning would flip.


-----Original Message-----
From: www-style-request@w3.org [mailto:www-style-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of Håkon Wium Lie
Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2008 12:51 PM
To: David Hyatt
Cc: Håkon Wium Lie; www-style@w3.org List; Robert O'Callahan
Subject: Re: [css3-multicol] column overflow


Also sprach David Hyatt:

 > Let's say you had way more text in your example, such that you had 3
 > tiny columns and 24 more columns in the current implementations (all
 > spilling out horizontally).
 >
 > Are you proposing that those 24 extra columns would be stacked
 > vertically in 8 overflowing rows of 3?

Yes.

 > I think this would be ideal, since I could hit "page down"
 > scrolling and read each "column page."

Indeed.

-h&kon
              Håkon Wium Lie                          CTO °þe®ª
howcome@opera.com                  http://people.opera.com/howcome

Received on Thursday, 16 October 2008 20:45:26 UTC