overflow in table from one column to next

[Mel]

Hi all;

is it possible to have a 2 column table and have the content flow from
first column to second ?

 

[David Dorward]

is it possible to have a 2 column table and have the content flow from
first column to second ?

No, and it would be really odd tabular data if it was possible.

CSS 3 proposes a means of having columns, but I wouldn't suggest using them
when the spec becomes a recomendation as dealing with columns on screen is
a truly horrible experience (scroll up, scroll down, scroll up, scroll
down, scroll up, scroll down, scream in frustration, etc).

 

[Neredbojias]

Hi all;

is it possible to have a 2 column table and have the content flow from
first column to second ?

It depends. You can do:

col 1, line 1 > col 2, line 1 > ...col N, line 1 > col1, line 2...

But I know no way of doing:

col 1, line 1 > col 1, line 2 > ...col 1, line N > col 2, line 1...

 

[Neredbojias]

To further the education of mankind, Neredbojias

But I know no way of doing:

col 1, line 1 > col 1, line 2 > ...col 1, line N > col 2, line 1...

Except of course in the "normal" way of floating the whole right column and
letting it drop under the left which is usually viewed as undesirable.

 

[Andy Dingley]

is it possible to have a 2 column table and have the content flow from
first column to second ?

Not in HTML. These would be described as "newspaper columns" and
they're a useful feature in paper-based typesetting. It's a limitation
in HTML/CSS that it just doesn't do flow models in this way. You can do
it through XSL:FO or PDF though.

OTOH, they're a damn nuisance to read on the web (or on screen at all)
because our scrolling tends to be quite linear and a "long page" isn't
the problem it would be with physical paper. Try reading a long PDF,
like an academic paper, some time. They're often laid out with 3 or 4
columns for printing on A4, but they're a nuisance to read on screen.