Web programming: getting HTML/XML content to fit a % of the screen?

[TJN23]

I basically want all my users to be able to view an HTML file the same way, regardless of which resolution they are using. I'd like the viewability to look the same on a laptop as it does on a 21 inch screen.

The HTML file is generated by Excel - it takes the XLS file and outputs it to an HTML file with some XML inside.

Is this possible?

 

[Thyme]

You could put everything in a fixed width iframe. Your 21-inch-screen users might rebel, though 🙂

 

[Traire]

Put everything in tables and set the cell widths to %'s like:

<table align="center" border="0" cellPadding="0" cellSpacing="0" width="100%">
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="30%">
<div align="left">Left column stuff goes here</div>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="40%">
<div align="center">Center column stuff goes here</div>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="30%">
<div align="left">Right column stuff goes here</div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

 

[Monoman]

Originally posted by: Traire
Put everything in tables and set the cell widths to %'s like:

<table align="center" border="0" cellPadding="0" cellSpacing="0" width="100%">
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="30%">
<div align="left">Left column stuff goes here</div>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="40%">
<div align="center">Center column stuff goes here</div>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="30%">
<div align="left">Right column stuff goes here</div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

my choice also..

 

[sourceninja]

Study CSS, use div's or apply styles to other block elements. Learn it, love it, live it.

Tables are not ment for layout. Unless of course you need to display tablular data.

 

[TJN23]

ok thanks for the good replies

 

[BigPete]

Originally posted by: sourceninja
Study CSS, use div's or apply styles to other block elements. Learn it, love it, live it.

Tables are not ment for layout. Unless of course you need to display tablular data.

I'm recoding a site from HTML to PHP/MySQL and I'm moving the site layout away from tables. In fact, I have pretty much done this and it looks great! However, I wish to have a "members" page and I'm trying to display this without using tables but I think tables it the best way to go. So the question is.... Are tables still acceptable as long as they are not used for formatting but rather displaying data?

 

[kamper]

Originally posted by: BigPete

Originally posted by: sourceninja
Study CSS, use div's or apply styles to other block elements. Learn it, love it, live it.

Tables are not ment for layout. Unless of course you need to display tablular data.

I'm recoding a site from HTML to PHP/MySQL and I'm moving the site layout away from tables. In fact, I have pretty much done this and it looks great! However, I wish to have a "members" page and I'm trying to display this without using tables but I think tables it the best way to go. So the question is.... Are tables still acceptable as long as they are not used for formatting but rather displaying data?

Sure, that's what tables are for 🙂

Generally, I try to think of a blind person getting the page read to them by a reader. If it says "This is a table with X data" (where X is the caption) and it makes sense then that's when tables are cool. Ok, I know that sounds a bit silly, but that's how I reason it... Tables aren't evil, just misused.