Layout width

Pixels, Resolution screens, Layout width

[boomtown123]

I've searched this website for information on layout width and I had some additional questions. (I don't think I should post in the other forums yet. I'm still too green.)

Can someone briefly explain the relationship between "resolution", "pixels" and "layout width"?

It seems like there are three choices when choosing a width:
1.800x600
2.Fluid
3.Other

What are some of the pros and cons of these three choices?

Also, and most importantly, I'm curious what webmasterworld.com uses? When I maximize the WebmasterWorld website window, the website stretches to fit the screen. (Does that mean its fluid?) When I maximize my website that my developer is building (on a 17'' monitor), I get a big white bar on the right hand side. In technical speak, what should I tell him I want in order to fix this?

I appreciate any help you all can provide with any or all of these questions. Thanks!

[adwatson]

Resolution generally refers to how many pixels your computer screen can show - i.e. this one is set at 1280x768 (1280 pixels across, 768px high). 800x600 is the lowest common denominotar resolution these days - you can be pretty sure anyone using a computer to view a site will have at least this resolution. Of course with "new" browsers like cell phones, PSPs, etc. nothings for sure.

Fluid means the site is designed to stretch to fill the available space. This requires a bit more technical know-how and design skill, as you have to figure out what parts of background colors/textures will stretch well, etc.

I can't really tell you what to tell your developer without seeing the problem - it sounds like perhaps there's a background repeating when the site width is stretched to a certain width.

[boomtown123]

So, quick follow up question...

Is webmasterworld.com a "fluid" website?

[adwatson]

Yes. Also known as "dyanmic width".

[TechnoGeek]

Hello, boomtown123.
Resolution is the size of the screen, measured in pixels. It is somewhat related to the size of your monitor's screen, measured in inches. A greater monitor allows a greater resolution just because you can see more things. You can vary the resolution of your Windows desktop and set it to one of several pre-fixed sizes. The most common sizes are 800 x 600, and 1024 x 768. You can vary also the size of the browser's window, to occupy all or a part of the screen.
A web site can be designed to be displayed at a fixed resolution, for example, at 800 x 600. That means that the browser's window must have at least this size. When displayed at a lesser resolution, it will not display in its entirety. When displayed at a greater resolution, there will be portions of the screen that are not used (assuming that the browser's window occupies all the screen). Alternatively, the web site can be designed to occupy all the browser's window, whichever its size.
I would not be much concerned about this issue. As adwatson said, most people now use 800 x 600 as a minimum. If your site can be viewed fine at this resolution, for me it is OK.
Best regards.