Re: [CSS21] Can column boxs span multiple columns?

On 11/16/2011 09:33 AM, Simon Sapin wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Reading http://www.w3.org/TR/2011/REC-CSS2-20110607/tables.html
>
> Section 17.2 of CSS 2.1 defines elements with `display: table-column` as describing "a column" and matching the col element in
> HTML. However, a HTML col can represent more than one column if it has a span attribute:
>
> HTML 4: http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/struct/tables.html#h-11.2.4.2
> HTML 5: http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/tabular-data.html#the-col-element
>
> This is reflected in point 3 of 17.5: "A column box occupies one or more columns of grid cells".

Huh, that seems pretty wrong. I'd expect the <col> element to just generate
multiple column boxes.

> However this is not mentioned anywhere else. Everything else in the CSS spec seems to assume that columns and column boxes are
> the same thing.
>
> So, is multiple columns for a column box allowed in the CSS table model? Do borders on the box affect borders between these
> columns and how? What does a non-auto width on this box mean? Several parts of the spec need clarifications in such cases.

The HTML4 spec is pretty clear what the 'width' attribute means on <col>,
and that would only make sense if we have it generate one column box per
column it represents.

Agreed this is an issue we need to tackle...

~fantasai

Received on Wednesday, 16 November 2011 19:05:10 UTC