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Blog Entries from March 2005
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DOM Layout Effects
CSS3 is said to offer a variety of new functionality in making spectacular designs, but until then people all around are developing ways to bridge the gaps. I first ran across this layout effect in Alex's design blog (external link), I figured that I would share this interesting use of DOM.
Alessandro Fulciniti has developed a way of making rounded corners without the use of images, but rather a DOM effect. He uses cascading block elements to create the smooth corners. When the script doesn't run, you just don't have the borders (quite simple!).
Alessandro Fulciniti is also kind in providing a pretty solid guide (external link) in how he created this rounded effect. It provides all the source code needed for this DOM effect. You can also view some examples (external link) to see it in action.
With the rise of DOM predicted in 2005 we can already see it being more widely used in this post-CSS period. I personally am going to pick back up some JavaScript and see what I can do with the interesting techniques of DOM.
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Acid2 Test Suite
We've all heard it already, but Microsoft is preparing the next version of their web browser Internet Explorer 7. In the past, Microsoft has always promised interoperable with other browsers, but has failed every promise. Even with Microsoft's bad reputation among web developers, Microsoft has seemed to involve web developers more in this project that before.
They've already asked in the Internet Explorer web blog (external link) which standards web developers think need to be included in IE7. Developers have porn their hearts out with all the standards that IE needs to support. Among the masses this ones appear frequently:
- Better DOM Support
- Complete CSS 2.1 Support
- PNG Support (Including Alpha Transparency)
- Fix Box Model
- Scalable Vector Graphic Support
Although the complete list is extremely long, this one seems to sum it up pretty good.
Some people may remember the first acid test developed by Todd Fahrner in 1997, which was instrumental in ensuring interoperability between browsers in their CSS1 implementations. Acid2 is similar in it's purpose, but to ensure CSS2.1 compatibility.
Acid2 was prepared by WaSP (external link) (Web Standards Project) and a challenge to Microsoft. All Microsoft needs to do is make sure IE7 passes the Acid2 test before shipping, and half the web developers will be pleased. I personally won't be happy until Microsoft supports standards on the level of browsers such as Opera and Firefox.
The Acid2 Test Suite isn't up online yet to see exactly what Microsoft is being forced to accept, but I'll continue to keep you up to date on the issue.
Another point I'd like to make is that Acid2 is being put together by Hakon Wium Lie, CTO of Opera Software. Since an Opera developer is going to be making Acid2 we can be sure that it will take CSS to the full extent.
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Absolute Clearance
A problem that many people face is trying to make a footer when using absolute positioning in the design. The simplest fix is to use floats as you're able to clear the footer, but this isn't available in absolute positioning. One advantage of using absolute positioning though is that you can place your page elements in any order on the page, usually with the content first.
The ideal median is being able to place your content first and have a way to clear for a footer. There are two hacks or workarounds to this - absolute clearance and negative margins.
Absolute Clearance
Shaun Inman developed a way for absolute clearance using JavaScript. The only downside is it can slow the page time and won't work when JavaScript is turned off in the browser. This method is the most easily adaptable to your situation. You can find the code at his website (external link).
Negative Margins
Ryan Brill introduces us to negative margins at A List Apart (external link). This method uses floats, but allows you to place the floats with the content first using a negative margin CSS tricks. I haven't personally tried this method yet, but it seems to be more practical.
What we should hope for is an easy CSS absolute clearance method with the coming CSS3.
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