RE: [PHP] New to PHP question

On Wed, 2009-01-28 at 16:05 -0600, Boyd, Todd M. wrote: > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Stephen [mailto:stephen-d@rogers.com] > > Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 1:41 PM > > To: Paul M Foster > > Cc: php-general@lists.php.net > > Subject: Re: [PHP] New to PHP question > > > > Paul M Foster wrote: > > > If you want exact layout (columns > > > lined up, etc.), the simplest solution is to use HTML tables. > > > > > > > > > > > The horror. > > > > Do not use tables for layout. > > > > Use CSS. > > > > Especially now that Microsoft, just this week, is sending out IE 8 > > which > > seems to be fully CCS standards compliant. > > Your high horse--get off of it. > > Are you not familiar with "div-itis"? If I need to represent data in a > grid-style layout, I am going to use a <table> every time instead of > making tons of <div> elements and tying them into the appropriate CSS. > > http://www.giveupandusetables.com > > Also... as far as I know, XHTML 1.0 Strict and XHTML 1.1 still include > the <table> tags. I can understand wanting to separate style from > structure, but I think that tables are more structural than stylish. You > have to draw the line somewhere. > > If you're displaying tabular data, use a table. If you just want stuff > to be in a grid and the structure has no bearing on the content, then > it's time to weigh in. > > Finally, just because IE8 is (supposed to be) fully CSS standards > compliant doesn't mean anything for IE7, IE6, IE5, etc. > > > // Todd > I hate div'itis as well. Some people seem to think it's a big faux pas to use table tags now, when that couldn't be more wrong. Use tables for tabular data, CSS for the rest (with as few exceptions - and there are always some eh - as you can manage.) I've seen people try to rebuild a table of data, that you might represent in a spreadsheet, as a collection of div's. Bad form, as the data has now lost all meaning. This is the same as replacing all your <h1> tags with <div class="header1"> or <strong> with <span class="bold">. Silly idea, slap on the wrist, don't do it again. Personally, CSS is my preferred way of working now. I can define a whole bunch of elements, semantically as possible, and then can redefine the look as often as I wish afterwards with CSS. Look at the CSS Zen Garden if you don't believe how useful this is. Rather than going through a bunch of page to replaces tables, or PHP code to change the output layout, you can redefine your CSS to alter the look. It's not a black art, it just needs a little practise. Remember how bad we all were when we first started using HTML? It's exactly the same thing here! Ash www.ashleysheridan.co.uk