> So I stumbled upon the zen garden, bought a book or two and am currently > converting to css-ism. > Heh, maybe css-ists will get tax-exempt status soon :P > However, I don't see a solution to a particular problem I have already > solved with the table, but cannot see a solution with css. Basically the > problem of how to replace the equivalent of a "colspan". > There isn't an 'equivalent' without going crazy with classes and extra markup. You have to think differently when using css for layout. Its more about making things flow rather than controlling them as tightly as a table does. > You see, I have structural elements called "sections" and "rows". Any object > (mostly form-input elements in these business applications) just placed on a > "mask" appear one below the other. > > Example: > > Labels of objects are always in the same column: > > Row1: | label 1: | [input1 ] | label 2: | [input2 ] > | > Row2: | Biglabel that | [input3 ] | some other thing: | [input4 ] > | > | breaks line: > Row3: .... > > > Rows with different number of elements are layouted like this: > > Row1: | label1: | [input1 ] | label2: | [input2 ] | label3: | [input3 ] > | > Row2: | label4: | [input4 ] > | > > > So the main question is, can I remove my structural table that lies around > each "row" and replace this with a CSS neatly wrapping some div's, or should > I better keep using the table until CSS2/3 and better tools become usable ? > > Sometimes for more complicated forms it's acceptable and still accessible to use a table, so long as the inputs are in a logical order i.e. in a row as opposed to columns of input sections and the labels correspond to the input ids correctly. Judging by the above examples this is the case. Seeing as you can't tell how how much text the labels contain or how many columns you need then a table is your best option for similar results cross-browser .
Alternatively if you really want it all layed out with css forget 'columns' and 'rows' altogether and use fieldsets to group labels and inputs (this is really how it should be done). You can get fieldsets to stack up nicely using floats and a width in px/em/%. This is a good example of CSS forms: http://www.themaninblue.com/experiment/InForm/ > I could also provide a sample page, though believe > me, you really don't want to take a close look at that HTML. > Probably not ;) What else is written out in columns, rows and sections besides forms? hth, Rob ______________________________________________________________________ css-discuss [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.css-discuss.org/mailman/listinfo/css-d IE7b2 testing hub -- http://css-discuss.incutio.com/?page=IE7 List wiki/FAQ -- http://css-discuss.incutio.com/ Supported by evolt.org -- http://www.evolt.org/help_support_evolt/
