Scott Hamm wrote:

>I've been asking around in webdesign mailing list for feedbacks and
>learned a lot about em, % and accessibility in CSS part.  I'm trying
>to use % so I can add up to 100% and I've been told that em is better
>than % because of IE goof-ups.  I've read in various CSS articles and
>they had their own preferences.  If em is the best method to set up
>CSS, then how can I add up the width to remain fluid like %? Your
>feedback will be greatly appreciated.
>  
>

As Bob pointed out, this list is not for discussing whether or not 
people resize their text, etc.  So let's not discuss that any further.  
But Scott has asked some good questions about em and percentages in 
general that I'd like to address, without getting into which is "better."

I think the most important thing to remember when using ems or 
percentages is that they are not interchangeable when used as a unit of 
measurement for width.  They are interchangeable when used as a unit of 
measurement for font-size, so this point can be confusing, but is very 
important.

A layout with widths set in ems has a size based on the font size of the 
user. So, one user with a larger default font size may see your layout 
at 1000px, while another user with a smaller font size will see your 
layout at 800px.  This also means that the layout will change in size if 
the user manually resizes his or her textm, but things will stay roughly 
in proportion to one another.

A layout with widths set in percentages has a size based on the viewport 
size of the user.  The layout will change in size if the user manually 
changes the size of his or her browser window.

So it's up to you whether you want the layout to be dependent on font 
size or window size.  Or neither (fixed width via pixels).  I don't know 
of any percentage-based IE bugs that can be avoided by switching to ems 
(can you give us the source of this information?), and anyway, an em 
layout is not the same as a percentage layout, so don't use IE bugs as 
your deciding factor of which to use.

Zoe

-- 
Zoe M. Gillenwater
Design Services Manager
UNC Highway Safety Research Center
http://www.hsrc.unc.edu

______________________________________________________________________
css-discuss [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.css-discuss.org/mailman/listinfo/css-d
List wiki/FAQ -- http://css-discuss.incutio.com/
Supported by evolt.org -- http://www.evolt.org/help_support_evolt/

Reply via email to