Re: text formatting in Netscape 4.08 and IE 5

Jennifer:

Sad but true, Netscape and IE-5 do react a tad different to a <br> tag.

You might consider using a "list" for your links. <li> </li> Just use a <p>
between lines and it will put the "bullets" in for you. Any line that
"wraps" will automatically indent.

As to the text squeezing over to the left to be obscured by the dark blue
part of the background image, here are a couple of thoughts.

First off, IE-4/5 is doing it correctly. (Although I'm sure the Microsoft
haters will take exception and offer some obscure W3 standard as proof.)

To get around this, there are a couple of things one can do.

First: use an extra empty cell, (column), in the table over the background.
Make the columns for the links and the main text fixed widths and leave the
buffer column between with no set width. Just be sure your left column
containing the links is as wide as the blue beneath it. Then, when one
resizes their browser, the "buffer" column in the center will do the
compressing, leaving both links and text at their fixed width.

Do not make those fixed widths too wide however or you will end up with
horizontal scrolling which is a no-no.

The other way around this is to use background colors in the columns of the
table. Then if the right column squeezes over to the left, it will take it's
white background along with it and the text will still show.

This is a lot easier to play with if you have FrontPage or any other WYSIWYG
editor that will show the changes in real time, as you make them.

You will probably get other suggestions as well. Just remember, there is
always several ways to do most of these things and seldom any "right" way.
You just pick the one that works for you and looks good in the browsers IN
USE BY "YOUR" VIEWERS.

Best wishes
Ted Temer
Temercraft Designs Redding, CA
temer(at)c-zone.net
www.temercraft.com/
www.newsredding.com/


> Hi,
>
> I am trying to create the first of many pages for a local college.  The
page
> was designed to be very simple and accessible, nothing fancy at this time.
>
> I am having 2 problems with the page which I do not seem to be able to
> fix...
>
> First, Netscape 4.08 seems to not be reading the <BR> tag the same as IE
5.
> When the page is viewed in Netscape the links to the left which are in a
> table look very close together, however in IE 5 they each have a space
> in-between them which is what I want.  When I put 2 <BR> tags after each
> line Netscape will give the effect I want but IE then double spaces
> everything... I have tried to change the location of the <BR> tag and
> nothing helps... Is there something I am missing?
>
> Second, in IE 5, when I minimize the screen all text shifts over to allow
> for the smaller screen size.  In Netscape, the screen minimizes but the
text
> does not shift.  Is there some way to stop IE 5 from shifting the text in
> this way?
>
> Please excuse the ugly boxed in 'W' that will be changing (thank god!).
The
> page is still under construction but I wanted to see if I could get these
2
> problems resolved.
>
> page address:  http://www.javanet.com/~eandscon/mainpage/
>
> Thank you for any help you can provide.
>
> Jennifer C. Swartz
> Elliott & Swartz Consulting
> 21 Garfield Street
> Greenfield, MA 01301
> 413-775-9205
> eandscon(at)javanet.com
> http://www.javanet.com/~eandscon
>
>

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