min width for IE 6

**splatteredblue** · Oct 11, 2007 11:45

I know there are no hacks for min width that work in IE 6. But b/c I'm making changes to this site. I need to have the center column have a min width set to 1024.

The layout of the page is a header that resizes followed by a left column that is fixed width, a center column with a fluid width and a right column with a fixed with. Due to the way IE 6 reads the center column, which I know everyone knows that when resized its pushes the content down the smaller the width.

I'm sure this issue has been repeated several times. I've been put in charge to find resolution to this. We haven't had the company fully change over to IE 7 so we still have to test in IE 6 which is such a pain. Any help with this issue is much appreciated.

thanks

**Dan Schulz** · Oct 11, 2007 12:07

Would something like this work for you?
http://www.pmob.co.uk/temp/min-width-ie.htm

**Gnilly** · Oct 18, 2007 10:28

Take a look at

http://gnillydev.blogspot.com/2007/1...width-max.html

**Paul O'B** · Oct 18, 2007 16:35

The easiest solution for a 3 column would be to use an expression although the example Dan showed could be coaxed to work but is a little complicated.

http://www.pmob.co.uk/temp/3col-new-05.htm

**Dan Schulz** · Oct 18, 2007 17:25

So sayeth the author.

**james_littler** · Oct 19, 2007 05:24

just a quick q on this, ie6 does support min height, it just refers to it as height... is the same true with width?

easy way to apply min width with no hacks is to just put a div 300px x 0px within the div when it reaches the stop div's fixed size the div will go no further, provided overflow is hidden

**Tyssen** · Oct 19, 2007 05:45

No, it's not the same as width in IE6. It only seems that height works as min-height in IE6 cos it incorrectly expands in height to contain content no matter what height is set. It doesn't do that with width.

**james_littler** · Oct 19, 2007 05:47

ah i c... silly silly silly ie grrrr

**Paul O'B** · Oct 19, 2007 06:14

Originally Posted by tyssen

It doesn't do that with width.

I know this is probably going to confuse things but although width isn't treated as min-width in IE6- it will however stretch the width to accommodate any content that will not fit within.

This means that for example an image that has a bigger width than the parent, or a nested div that has bigger width than the parent, or a string of unbroken text, in these cases IE6 will increase the parents width also (usually with disastrous results.)

It will not however increase the width if it holds normal unbroken text or anything that actually fits. It's only when things don't fit that it will stretch the parent.

Other browsers will just let the overflow be visible but ignored with respect to the rest of the page.