[CLUE-Tech] Using CSS to get an HTML table effect.

Tue Oct 28 16:54:42 MST 2003

I'm going to strongly agree with Keith here.  I spend 90% of my work 
days writing html/javascript/cold fusion/sql code, and I HATE pages that 
combine CSS and div tags to accomplish a layout.  It doesn't work from 
browser to browser the same way, and that forces me to waste massive 
amounts of time writing java scripts that check for browser version and 
then write 2 sets of page layout code for everything.  In my opinion, 
nothing beats using tables effectively.  Granted, Netscape 4.X has 
major, major issues with nested tables at a certain level, but Mozilla 
(Netscape 6+) and IE 5+ seem to get along great with nested tables. When 
I want to accomplish an effect of having images behind tables and 
things, you can use css to place images under or over tables.  But 
generally, just using things like <td background="whatever.gif"> works 
well for page layouts without using CSS.

Keith Christian wrote:

> Hi Jed,
> 
> Briefly, CSS2 compliance is not achieved by most of the browsers out there.
> 
> Use Google and search for css2 compliance.  If you have Mozilla, there are
> some verification pages under one of the menus (Tools?) that can test some of
> this out for you.
> 
> It will probably be another year or so before there is a majority of browsers
> with good CSS2 performance.  For now, I would stick with <table> or <div> for
> layout, and use CSS1 for font styles, colors, etc.  On the other hand, if
> you're developing an intranet or other application where the browser is a
> known quantity, then develop to that spec.
> 
> My 2 cents' worth.
> 
> ======Keith
> 
> 
> 
> --- "Jed S. Baer" <thag at frii.com> wrote:
> 
>>Hi Folks.
>>
>>I've read in a few places that it should be (is) possible to use CSS and
>>the <div> tag to do nearly everything you can do with table tags. So, I'm
>>trying be all progressive, and and use CSS to create a 2-column html page,
>>where column 1 has a different background color from the body, and is the
>>full height (minus margins) of the page.
>>
>>Trying various things, including sample code from the CSS2 specification.
>>Here's some  abbreviated code:
>>
>>div.sidebar {
>>  background-color: #babfa0;
>>  width: 233;
>>  float: left;
>>}
>>
>><html>
>><body>
>><div class="sidebar">
>>little bit of content
>></div>
>>Other content, which takes up much more space
>>vertically than the sidebar
>></body>
>></html>
>>
>>Obviously, the float accomplishes only having the other content wrap
>>around the div block. The sidebar div has a height computed based on its
>>content. What I want is to have it's height equal to the height of the
>>page, which I had thought I could get with "height: inherit;" which
>>according to the docs causing inheritance from the enclosing block.
>>Apparently, the enclosing block is something other than the entire web
>>page here. "height: 100%;" doesn't work either.
>>
>>The CSS example used 2 divs, each with a "position: fixed;", and a little
>>drawing showing page arrangement which looked just like what I wanted
>>(except for the background color thing). Well, using their code, the
>>background color of the left div still fills only to the height of the
>>content.
>>
>>Suggestions appreciated.
>>jed
>>-- 
>>... it is poor civic hygiene to install technologies that could someday
>>facilitate a police state. -- Bruce Schneier
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-- 

                                 -Mike Staver
                                  staver at fimble.com
                                  mstaver at globaltaxnetwork.com