CSS for layout

[kiwidesign]

As there are so many issues with cross browser compatibility when it comes to using CSS for layout I was wondering if it is worth the trouble. Using tables for layout - while not that flexible does seem to limit cross browser problems.

I would love some feedback on this issue and on what others are using/prefer.

[drengur]

It's a trade off between limiting cross-browser compatibility and limiting design in the end. I use css primarily, but I still use tables where they do the job (expanding banners etc.)I think it does give a lot more freedom than tables, and there's plenty of resources out there to help you along ;)
Hopefully with the release of IE7 css might not be so incompatible...

[MatthewHSE]

First off:

• You're right
• You're wrong

And all at the same time! ;)

You're right that table-based layouts do solve a lot of browser display problems, if you need the page to look the same cross-browser. That's the thing I had to come to grips with. A CSS layout, be it ever so carefully done, will fall apart in older browsers. (For that matter, tables will too, but you have to go even further back in browser history before that happens.)

So, given that older browsers don't handle CSS layouts too well, the procedure most CSS layout gurus recommend is to do a good job of source-ordering your content, then hide your CSS from old browsers. The result? They get an unstyled page that is readable and understandable, but not very pretty. Thus, technically, there are no browser problems since everyone still gets your content and can read it.

Obviously, this is not always acceptable. Sometimes you need the page to look as nearly the same cross-browser as possible. In those cases, tables are the only way to go, provided you want a layout somewhat more complex than the ordinary flow of text! ;)

A couple years ago, my statistics for my main site were showing absolutely zero NN4/IE4 usage, despite the fact that, at the time, I was using tables for layout and they would have gotten the same page everyone else got. I decided that with no visitors using browsers that old, I could afford to go with total CSS layouts. I did, and have had nothing but positive results from it.

After I'd been on the CSS Layout bandwagon for awhile, I had to help design a site for a U.S. Senate candidate. For that site, I chose to go with a full table-based layout. The site had high traffic and needed to be 100% consistent between all browsers.

All this to say, sometimes CSS is worth it and sometimes it isn't. As time goes by, it will be more and more worth it. So my advice is to learn it, use it where possible, and make an informed decision for each individual site as to whether or not a CSS layout is feasible.

[encyclo]

There was a recent discussion on this topic which might interest you too:

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