Re: [CSS21] Does the root element establish a root block formatting context?

Boris Zbarsky wrote:
> On 8/26/10 10:45 PM, Alan Gresley wrote:
>> The part "base writing direction of blocks" is in other words a 'block
>> formatting context'.
> 
> No, it in fact is not.  Please look up the quite different definition of 
> "block formatting context" in CSS2.1.
> 
> -Boris


This is what I see in 9.4.1 - Block Formatting Context [1].

   | In a block formatting context, boxes are laid out one
   | after the other, vertically, beginning at the top of
   | a containing block. The vertical distance between two
   | sibling boxes is determined by the 'margin' properties.
   | Vertical margins between adjacent block boxes in a
   | block formatting context collapse.


The above suggest that there is an *initial* 'block formatting 
context' (or perhaps *root* 'block formatting context'). This is seen 
when the viewport is shortened to allow the float to overflow the 
viewpoint in this testcase.


<http://css-class.com/test/temp/root-bfc-icb2.htm>


Even thought this is not stated in the specs, a floats' bottom edge 
can not cross the bottom padding-edge of it parent if the parent has a 
CSS value that establishes a new 'block formatting context' but what 
we have is a root element of a document tree that is also described as 
the canvas [2].

   | For all media, the term  canvas describes "the space where
   | the formatting structure is rendered."


I don't think that I am suggesting something else that is much 
different to what David B. has also seem to have just asked.


 > Section 9.4.1 describes which elements establish *new* block
 > formatting contexts (i.e., block formatting contexts that are inside
 > others), but it doesn't say whether the block formatting context
 > that the root element participates in is established by the root
 > element or by something above the root element (such as the canvas).


I say that block progression (or block flow) can only happen in a 
'block formatting context'. ltr and rtl share the same block flow [3] 
and in CSS3 Test Layout Module we see this.

   | A writing mode is defined in terms of its inline direction
   | (inline progression) and its block flow (block progression).


I do believe this should be clarified since IE8 now implements various 
writing-modes that causes a horizontal block-flow or horizontal block 
progression.


<http://css-class.com/test/temp/root-bfc-icb-wm1.htm>


Note how the float is contained in both test. This is because IE8 
generates a new 'block formatting context'. This is not mentioned in 
CSS2.1 9.4.1 or the CSS3 Text Layout Module.


1. <http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/visuren.html#block-formatting>
2. <http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/intro.html#the-canvas>
3. <http://dev.w3.org/csswg/css3-text-layout/#text-flow>



-- 
Alan http://css-class.com/

Armies Cannot Stop An Idea Whose Time Has Come. - Victor Hugo

Received on Friday, 27 August 2010 11:54:59 UTC