Is there a way to make the external css load before any of the content

[Crimson77]

Hi Guys and Gals,

Just wondering if anyone knows how to make the external css layout styling load before any of the content. That includes background images etc.

I'm wanting the rounded corners to show up on a box before any of the content shows up within that box. The rounded corners are external css background images.

Look forward to your feedback.

Thanks

[deathshadow]

Well, that's kind of a loaded question... There is a way, but it's generally frowned upon - a splash screen wrapper.

If you direct your users to a splash screen on 'first load' to your site that loads the CSS and precaches all the images, when it redirects to the final page it's all in the cache, so loads quicker...

Not a 100% solution, but about as close as you're gonna get.

[Crimson77]

Hmmmm, you're right it's not an ideal solution…but I'll certainly keep it in mind.

Anyone else got any other ideas on the situation?

[Tyssen]

Not that I'd recommend doing it this way but you could set the CSS of the element holding your main content to display: none and then write a script that detects when the page is fully loaded before then resetting the display of the element to block.

[Paul O'B]

Why bother

If I see nothing on a page even for a couple of seconds then I'm off if I see an icon that says page loading then I'm off somewhere else even quicker.

As for splash screens then just don't go there

Users these days know that pages load sequentially and I find if comforting to see something load straight away rather than when old fashioned tables are used and things have to wait until the table has loaded (even though you can add table-layout:fixed to stop this process).

The benefit of css is that it doesn't wait for the images to be loaded and gives the user the important content first. I don't want to see a round corner first Id rather see the answer to my search/question and then I can decide to wait for the pretty background or not.

You seem to be wanting the opposite of what the user wants and that is content first.

[deathshadow]

You seem to be wanting the opposite of what the user wants and that is content first.

I dunno, I'm getting a touch sick of seeing sites with loads and loads of content look like they finished loading, then a few seconds later (usually by the time I'm ready to start clicking on links or halfway through the first paragraph) everything jumps all over creation... It would be kind of nice to have the option to grab the CSS first BEFORE even attempting to render the html.

[Paul O'B]

It would be kind of nice to have the option to grab the CSS first BEFORE even attempting to render the html.

Well I suppose there are arguments for both ways when you look at it like that

However that behaviour is usually caused by images in the html not having their dimension set and then the browsers re-adjusting afterwards.

I guess there is just no pleasing everyone

[deathshadow]

However that behaviour is usually caused by images in the html not having their dimension set and then the browsers re-adjusting afterwards.

Or a overburdened server hanging on the CSS request while acknowledging other ones first - a really common problem with IIS based setups, though it can happen on a linux box as well if somethings wrong with your filesystem...

Of course, that it takes a filesystem corruption or hardware failure to get linux to do that, while all it takes on a windows server is excessive traffic...

How's the old saying go? *nix is for servers, windows is for desktops, and never shall the 'twain meet?

No wait, that's right. It's *nix is for servers, windows is for desktops, the internet is for P0RN, and I like corm.