Posted by Ed Seedhouse on 06/07/06 17:45

On Wed, 07 Jun 2006 05:53:51 GMT, "Stuart Palmer"
<tryandspamme@youcant.com> wrote:

>I want to create a web page using divs only (rather than tables) unless this
>really isn't possible.

What can I say? This sentence alone displays a complete
misunderstanding of modern approaches to layout.

Using only divs is just as bad as using only tables.

To move from table based layouts to more modern techniques is not just a
matter of "using divs". A div is just another html element, useful for
grouping elements into sections, but otherwise devoid of any real
meaning.

You need to start fresh, and forget your old way of looking at making
web pages, at least for awhile.

First you should learn how to write semantic, valid html or xhtml. You
need to understand the idea of separating layout from presentation. You
need to understand that CSS is predicated on *valid* html or xhtml.

Your first pass through the codemight well not contain any divs at all.
Put headings in H elements, paragraphs in P elements, lists in UL or OL
elements, and so on. A menue is just a list in disguise. The tags you
use should reflect the *meaning* of the content.

Then when you have your content marked up meaningfully you apply CSS to
style and if necessary position it. You can add divs to separate the
sections you want to position.

Stay away from absolute and fixed positioning until your knowledge is
really advanced. Browsers don't support them all that well and they
support them differently so cross browser consistency becomes a problem.
Learn to use and understand floats, and use them for positioning.

No one goes to a web page for it's beauty or it's layout. They go, and
come back again, for the content. So content should come first.
Layout's purpose is to make the content most accessible. Beauty is good
too, but not at the expense of useability.

Remember the web is not paper and your users have all the power over
presentation (they may not use it, most don't, but they have it). They
use different screen resolutions, prefer different fonts and different
font sizes and they have control over all of those things and you don't.

These are all oversimplifications, of course, and when you really
understand what you are doing you can break any "rule". But perhaps
they are good enough to get you on the right path while you are
learning.

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