Simulating columns?

[Ciaran]

Ideally, real working columns are what I want but any comprimise that
works is of interest.

You might be right. Hard to say now. Sometimes the OP's "root" questions
is hard to decipher.

If it is just floating blocks, then work out a value for the width in
ems of the UL to accommodate the longest LI entry, if you do not want
line wrapping, and float with margins to taste! Easy...no scripting at
all required.

I'm intrigued Jonathan, where to the margins come into it? Can you
give me a quick idea of the css? It sounds like it might work well.

Ciarán

 

[dorayme]

Ideally, real working columns are what I want but any comprimise that
works is of interest.

Which you have ever really properly explained. What are all the
characteristics of "real working columns" in plain English even
if you do not know how to achieve them on a webpage?

 

[Ciaran]

Which you have ever really properly explained. What are all the
characteristics of "real working columns" in plain English even
if you do not know how to achieve them on a webpage?

Well as I said, any solution that breaks the information into columns
so it can be displayed across the page as well as just down the page
would be good.

I know this is not really a solution until CSS3 but ideally, the text
is displayed in one long list and when it hits the bottom of the page,
it continues at the top in the next column.

Last resort is a redesign with a linked anchor menu

Cheers,
Ciarán

 

[rf]

Well as I said, any solution that breaks the information into columns
so it can be displayed across the page as well as just down the page
would be good.

Causing much scrolling up and down?

I know this is not really a solution until CSS3 but ideally, the text
is displayed in one long list and when it hits the bottom of the page,

Please define "page". What is a web "page"? How long does it have to be
before we have reached the "bottom" and a new column is required?

it continues at the top in the next column.

Causing me to scroll all the way back to the top of the "page"?

 

[dorayme]

Well as I said, any solution that breaks the information into columns
so it can be displayed across the page as well as just down the page
would be good.

You see, this is either really easy or very hard depending on
quite what you want and quite how many downsides you are prepared
to buy. If you want very clever and are prepared to go to a lot
of trouble (unless you are already skilful in server side
programming?), study what Adrienne has said about server side.
You still will have to sort out a lot of requirements. If your
lists are in a sort of order, and are of different lengths this
adds to the complexity.

Consider again the advice I gave you before which does not mean
you should no have columns but rather that you should use the
columns for other purposes than to distribute the lists, you
could include a navigation list in another column. You can give
other information in yet another. I would bet quids on this being
the least trouble for both you and your page customers. There is
nothing they could not understand this way.

I feel I am nagging you now. Good luck anyway.

 

[Ciaran]

You see, this is either really easy or very hard depending on
quite what you want and quite how many downsides you are prepared
to buy. If you want very clever and are prepared to go to a lot
of trouble (unless you are already skilful in server side
programming?), study what Adrienne has said about server side.
You still will have to sort out a lot of requirements. If your
lists are in a sort of order, and are of different lengths this
adds to the complexity.

Consider again the advice I gave you before which does not mean
you should no have columns but rather that you should use the
columns for other purposes than to distribute the lists, you
could include a navigation list in another column. You can give
other information in yet another. I would bet quids on this being
the least trouble for both you and your page customers. There is
nothing they could not understand this way.

I feel I am nagging you now. Good luck anyway.

Ha ha ha not to worry - I'll think of something! Thanks for the
support!
Ciarán

 

[BobaBird]

I agree that Ctrl-F or Command F is very simple, but I wonder how many
people really know to use that, or if they would think to do that.

That crossed my mind when I made a long intranet page at work, so I
added a statement "Use <Ctrl-F> to enter search term" at the top to
save those unfamiliar with web browsing from tedious scrolling. When
it came time to add another page I was asked, by an experienced web
user, if I would be "programming in that search feature."

 

[Andy Dingley]

I have a very long dynamically generated bulleted list and I'd like to
make it display in columns rather than down the left and side of the
page.

Newspaper columns aren't supported, and they're difficult to implement
because of the need to move the break points around depending on
required column height vs. available column height. Your practical
solutions are to either pre-process this server-side, or to tweak it
dynamically client-side with somewhat ugly JavaScript.

If you're worried about print work, XSL:FO and something like Apache
FOP can do this pretty well.

Really though, don't use full-blown newspaper columns on the web.
We've got good vertical scrolling, it's better to keep this (long, but
only one axis) than it is to start requiring two-axis scrolling.

For a simple list that needs two or three short columns, just insert
explicit column breaks. Fluid layout to a level above this just isn't
necessary.