What is a document layer?

I search on what it is I'm having no luck.

[MarcMiller]

What is a document layer?
I am finding many sites on the Internet with tutorials on manipulating document layers, however when I search on what it is I'm having no luck. So if someone could give me an explanation and perhaps a link to a further explanation if they know of one I would greatly appreciate it.

[tedster]

1. layer is a word that Dreamweaver began using to describe an absolutely positioned div -- this was non-standard use within their application and of no value when coding. It just crept into common usage, but it is in no way a rigorous term.

2. layer was also a non-standard html element introduced in Netscape 4 and abandoned in the next version (Netscape 6). Again, this was never a standard, but the NN4 object model does have document.layers

[Bernard Marx]

I am finding many sites on the Internet with tutorials on manipulating document layers

Ignore them, and move on to find something more up-to-date. The Web is full of fuddy-duddy old stuff. Although not an absolute truth, any interesting scripts have given up on trying to support Netscape 4. So, unless a scripting article is specifically about backward compatibility with dinosaurs, mentions of "document.layers" is a warning that you're learning out-dated techniques.

[treeline]

How about <ilayer> is it the same outdated issue? Is there still a valid use for these, or have they been replaced by <iframe>?

[Bernard Marx]

Pretty much the same thing as <layer>.
There is a difference, but it really isn't worth thinking about any more.

Interesting to note that layers were a little like iframes, in that they could be filled with the content of separate documents, but (unlike iframe) became part of the main document.

Obsolete, but ahead of their time too (see, I didn't say "Ajax").

[rocknbil]

I was puttering around with layers when Macromedia's only real products were Shockwave and Freehand. :-D

I still have some of those scripts that support layers . . . lol . . .

[NevF]

A document Layer is familiar and commonly associated with Macromedia Dreamweaver and is use to specify the absoloute position of itself allowing you to control size, position and alignment and is maintained inside to <Div> (properties) folowed by your own content</DIV>

How-to
I find this tool handy as it is better than an editable region and is user-friendly
To get this object. See if the insert toolbar is there, otherwise click CTRL + F2, on the insert toolbar make sure the "common" tab is expanded. Click the third icon down on the left. Now this should add a "layer" to your page. Ur in full control now. Put in anything you want where you want at any size on your page

Hint if any scripts you use and want to put in the Layer that use the DIV Tags. Simply put it into a table in the tags

[NevF]

P.S. I am sorry for not including this in my last Post but if anyone wants to find out bout Dreamweaver. I uncovered this a while ago....

[learnthat.com...]

Complete Tuorial!