Hard CSS puzzle: Need to go outside containing div

[MrPete]

I've run into a hard problem and need an idea from you guru's :)

Simple concept: a debug/etc plugin (for WordPress) that dumps data at the bottom of the page. It's auto-inserted at the tail end of whatever footer data is emitted.

Typical footer html in WP themes look like this:

 <div id='footer'>
  blah blah blah
  <do recorded actions including my plugin>
 </div>
</html>

Until now, that's worked fine for lots of folk. Now I've run into a problem.

A theme has a fixed-height footer div, with white text and links on dark bg. They assume the only thing going into the footer is the copyright notice etc.

What happens: my debug text pushes the white text up out of the dark background so you no longer see the 'real' footer info. And the dark background remains at the bottom.

Any ideas? I'm hoping I can somehow attach the top of my inserted html to the bottom of the footer div.

I can insert any html and css that I like into the spot noted above. However, it must be generic: not specific to a single theme, able to function in most any environment.

Thanks much!

[Xapti]

check the CSS of the older styles that work fine, and examine them. Look at what it says in particular for anything that has to do with the footer.
Compare that to the new style that you're having problems with.

There should be a difference in the way the CSS renders that footer element, and should be easily fixable to the way the other styles display it

[MrPete]

Thanks for the idea, xapti...

Yes, there's a difference, as I said: This footer has a background with a fixed height and makes assumptions (i.e. that the text will fit).

I'm hoping that my plugin can be compatible across the board, without requiring many people to edit the theme/skin they use (lots of folks are clueless about such things.)