when is css good css

[djaneb]

Hello

Being a beginner and being bamboozled with so many possibilities it is very difficult to work out the advantages of different layouts that achieve the same thing.

For example, there are any number of three column layouts with liquid middle column ... if I can get them all to work so that the page validates and behaves the way I want how I am going to assess which one is best?

What I want, I think, is a checklist of things to watch out for, things never to do etc etc. So that the code is still "clean" but does what you want.

So far my stuff is very, very simple, but I don't want to get caught out in the future.

Deb

[AutisticCuckoo]

#1 is that it displays correctly in all browsers in your target audience.

#2 is that is requires as little additions to the markup as possible.

YMMV

[stymiee]

#3 uses as few hacks as possible

XYZ PDQ

[Paul O'B]

if I can get them all to work so that the page validates and behaves the way I want how I am going to assess which one is best?

The beauty of css is that there are many ways of doing the same thing and whether they are right or wrong depends on the situation.

For instance if you made a 3 column layout using absolute positions for the columns then you would not be able to place a footer under all the columns. If your layout has no footer then that method may be suitable for you.

However if you float the columns then it doesn't matter if you need a footer later because it can be accomodated quite easily. Floats are a little harder to understand than absolute positioning but are much more flexible.

There are many variations of floated layouts (advanced and simple) but all work on the same basic concepts of floating the columns alongside each other.

Read the faq on floats and positioning and peruse through the other faq's also as they give a lot of pertinent information

[djaneb]

Thank you. That actually answers my question. I have read lots and lots now on floats and positioning (and lots of other things as well) and having fiddled around both creating my own layouts and adapting other people's I am starting to think that another part of it is what you are comfortable with - what you feel you understand and have more control over.

Deb