Dead links in Netscape with CSS

[andybjackson]

I'm using CSS to format the layout of web pages
rather than tables, including the standard two-column
layout with header and footer.

Trouble is, in Netscape 4.x, the links in one
column are always dead, while in the other they're
active as normal.

The CSS is also different between pages, depending
on the layout of the two columns, but the same problem
occurs. For example: <edit>
-- links in the left-hand column are inactive in N 4.

Any solutions?

Andy

[edited by: tedster at 3:04 am (utc) on Aug. 9, 2003]

[g1smd]

You'll need to delete the link to your site. See forum TOS.

HTML code validates. No obvious problems. Looking deeper.

.

Hmmm. 4 errors in the CSS:

* Line: 7 Context : body

Property text doesn't exist : black

* Line: 7 Context : body

Property bgcolor doesn't exist : white

* Line: 18 Context : table

Property spacing doesn't exist : 0

* Line: 20 Context : span

Arial is not a font-size value : Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif

Not sure where else to look.

[Ryan8720]

Don't worry over. Nobody uses NS 4.x.

[andybjackson]

Whoops, apologies for adding a link.

OK, I've validated the CSS and the HTML, but still
the left-hand column links are inactive in Netscape 4.x

I know a lot of folk are giving up on N4, but, for
example, the further education college I work at still
has N 4.7 on all the Macs ... or at least they did until
I had a word with IT dept last week. So, there's potentially still
a lot of users who can't change the browers they're using,
and are stuck with old versions through no fault of their own..

Anything else I can try for a fix? Anyone else experienced
this problem?

Cheers,

Andy

[hartlandcat]

Hey, you're the first person I've ever known of to manage to persude an IT department to upgrade from Netscape 4! They usually give feeble responses like "Netscape hasn't changed much since 4.7" etc.

Okay, maybe you might want to consider blocking the CSS from Netscape 4.x by using @import?

[TheDoctor]

maybe you might want to consider blocking the CSS from Netscape 4.x by using @import

I think this is probably the way to go. Despite all the whinging around here about NN4, it's very easy to deal with. Just create a CSS file for the absolute basics - font-family, background colour (not image, since that can be a problem in NN4), center the headings if necessary - then @import a file that has all the rest of the bells and whistles. That's it. NN4 users get a nice spartan look, with readable content and the option to upgrade if they want.

Would that IE users were as easy to deal with.

[tedster]

I suggest you play around with the basic template, that is, the way you create the 2-column layout. Focus on these factors:

1. You've got two divs, one positioned with float:right and one with float:left. That's pretty standard stuff.

2. You're also using position:absolute for these floated divs, and there's no left: or top: rules, so I'm not sure why you need it. The combination of absolute position with a float: rule is likely to confuse NN4.

[andybjackson]

Hi tedster,

Cheers -- I'm getting close: removing the 'position: absolute'
and the top & left values gives me active links in both
columns ...

Only now I've lost the positioning, and text is overlapping
with my header div area.

Apart from:

.left {
width: 45%;
float: left;
}

what else can I safely add to anchor vertical position
that N4 would be happy with?

Andy

[g1smd]

I don't let NN4 users see any of the CSS.

Much less hassle.

[SuzyUK]

try
clear: both; on your header div
so that everything following it should clear/sit below it..

Suzy