hmmm, this reply turned into something that resembles a rant about halfway
thru...
still ... maybe it's helpful in some way.
Ed Lazor wrote:
> I'm reading a book on CSS and how you can define different style sheets
> for different visitors. I'm wondering how you guys do it. The book
> recommends using Javascript functions for identifying the user's browser
> and matching them with the corresponding style sheets. Anyone using PHP
> for this instead - specifically with defining style sheets for different
> target browsers and platforms?
having to define CSS files for particular browsers and/or platforms is
indicative
of the crap we have to deal with - in theory you should NOT be targeting
browser/platform
specificallt AT ALL. you should be writing stylesheets for different types
of user-agents (as defined by the W3C media types) - but who is really doing
that.
I recommend trying to build your sites using CSS that all browsers understand
- i.e. avoid software/platform/version specific hacks whenever possible - when
you
have to add such a hack try to use a technique that you can unobtrusively
incorporate
into an existing CSS file.
the man named tantek has lots of techniques you can abuses ;-) :
e.g. http://tantek.com/CSS/Examples/midpass.html
also consider that maybe you shouldn't try and tackle every visual discrepency
between 2 different browsers/platforms! - you may have clients who bully you
into 'fixing' layout in WeirdBrowser1.4 for instance - you need to develop a
means to explain the problem to clients in such a way that they understand that
not everything is under your control, and that they can't make you endlessly
chase moving targets (i.e. make the client understand that web != print).
if a client is willing to pay for every mindnumbing hour spent fixing arcane
browser specific display 'bugs' then everything is okay - but don't get stuck
working for weeks for no pay because some marketing manager has 'decided' he/she
knows better what a website is and to what extent you must comply to his
implicit
wishes [i.e. you can break every 'rule' of website building and ignore/rape
any/every
relevant specification/standard so long as everything ispixel perfect in every
browser according
to the original mockup supplied by a graphic designer who can't even grasp the
concept
of screen resolution (I know plenty of print-based designers that fall into
this category)]
>
> -Ed
>
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