On my domain www.sql-und-xml.de, I am using such a simple layout with a
fixed left column and a floating right.
Amaya 9.1 accepts this.
The page is in german but the Html is ... self-explaining
Best Regards
Juergen Auer
Berlin, Germany
On 18 Mar 2005 at 7:50, Trusz, Andrew wrote:
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
> Behalf Of Stevio
> Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2005 6:08 PM
> To: Web Standards Group
> Subject: Re: [WSG] Simple 2 column layout?
>
> Thanks for that, getting those widths right always annoys me cause the box
> model doesn't work right!
>
> To expand on the simple 2 column layout, how can I have a fixed width left
> column (for navigation) and a right column that fills the rest of the space.
>
> This is achieved in tables by setting the left cell to, for example, 150
> width, and the right column to 100%.
>
> Thanks,
> Stephen
>
>
> =**************************************************
>
> There's a conceptual issue here. The point of styling with css is to get out
> of the box of one's own monitor and to style for the range of devices
> available to users. That's users not authors.
>
> The only way to do this is to maximize flexibility. This is where the "ease"
> of tables fails. Set a pixel fixed width for a left cell, let the right cell
> fill the screen. Now increase the screen resolution. The amount of real
> estate to fill in the right cell just increased dramatically. Go the other
> way, keep decreasing the screen width to a cell phone or pda. The screen
> real estate is gobbled up by the fixed with left cell and the right cell an
> undecipherable sliver.
>
> Start to change font size and it just gets worse. The fixed width left cell
> disintegrates. The right cell holds coherency longer. Overall, it just
> doesn't work well.
>
> Percentages offer a partial solution. At lower resolutions a percentage
> based column setup holds up pretty much down to the single word width, a bit
> longer than may actually be useful. For higher resolutions, the single line
> column problem doubles with both cells being single lines with the added
> possibility of a lot of real estate separating the end of one text grouping
> and the beginning of the other.
>
> Font size, however, starts to cause the same kinds of problems. Huge,
> gigantic letters breaking out all over.
>
> Fixing the right cell size only compounds the problem.
>
> That leaves em's for sizing. One can set a width for either or both columns
> which will better withstand resolution and font changes in both directions.
> The problem is how big is an em? It's really such a flexible measure that it
> makes people uncomfortable. How many em to a line? What looks good on
> changes of screen resolution can frankly look a little flakey and shabby on
> different monitors with the same resolution. It does look slightly odd when
> the header graphic is off center a tiny bit. This leads to discussions of
> being a pixel or two off on header positions etc. Although designing for
> slightly less than viewport maximum will fix most all of that by compacting
> the design.
>
> So you want 2 simple columns? Then make 2 columns. Float both of them. Left
> or right, determined by whichever content you want to come first in the
> code. Float them because then they are columns not a float sitting on a wide
> margined normal flowed element. Fix their width with em to maximize
> durability and usability.
>
> And this is where the box model shines. It's just the sum of seven
> components: 1 content, 2 paddings, 2 borders, and 2 margins, side to side
> and up and down, all constrained by the width of the container, if any.
> Change those factors and one changes the appearance of the columns without
> compromising the content or the accessibility of the content.
>
> And that's the beauty of css for styling. Allows both users and authors to
> separately control how pretty the picture is; once the authors learn to let
> trust users. Brilliant design actually.
>
> drew
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