Chapter 8. Fluid Layouts


Experiment with page layouts that expand and contract.

It's only natural to talk about how an entire page can embrace flexibility as well as the components contained within it. We've gone over several components in previous chapters of the book, but now let's explore page layouts in generalhow CSS can be utilized to create columned pages that expand and contract regardless of screen or window size.

Before we begin, I should mention that I'm not going to fuel the debate over whether a fluid layout is better than a fixed-width layout (or vice versa). I believe that each has its own place, and deciding to use a fluid or fixed-width layout hinges on many variablesfactors that are unique to each project and its requirements. Choosing fluid versus fixed isn't a religious choice but rather an option dependent on the site at hand.

That said, this chapter will cover strategies for creating fluid layoutsanother tool for the bulletproof arsenal. Knowing how to comfortably execute them will only add to your toolbox of flexible options.

Fluid (sometimes also called liquid) layouts are not exclusive to CSS; in fact, you could create a fluid layout using tables. But there are other benefits from keeping layout details in style sheets, as you'll discover in this chapter.



Bulletproof Web Design(c) Improving flexibility and protecting against worst-case scenarios with XHTML and CSS
Bulletproof Web Design(c) Improving flexibility and protecting against worst-case scenarios with XHTML and CSS
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2006
Pages: 97

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