CSS sledgehammer... #4

...bugs & extreme cases...

how are browsers handling this..?

Exploring browser-differences and looking for some predictability across browser-land. I'm using "minimal" test pages for this, in order to avoid code-confusion.

Some of my test-pages are valid, some are non-valid, and some are not determined and/or finished yet.

1. nested rules and parse errors
   - separating browsers.
2. recovery from parse errors
   - separating browsers.
3. floats: removed and layered
   - Opera 8 can't handle this.
4. floats: partly removed, nested and layered
   - Opera, Safari and IE can't handle this.
5. floats: layering — sort of
   - included fix for Opera 8 weakness.
6. faulty layering of covered links
   - IE6 and IE/Mac fails.
7. calculations: off screen extremes, using absolute positioning
   - pretty wide limits, but not endless.
8. nested rules and parse errors #2
   - separating browsers.
9. nested rules and parse errors #3
   - separating browsers.
10. corrupted rules and parse error recovery
    - targeting browsers.
11. corrupted rules and parse error recovery #2
    - targeting browsers orderly.
12. corrupted rules and parse error recovery #3
    - targeting browsers orderly.
13. overflow: hidden and negative margins on floats
    - Opera 8.0 handles this badly.
14. Image Replacement nonsense - UGH
    - a joke, but it's working...
15. Loony line-up of floats
    - survives in some browsers...
16. exposing float-margins and float-dimensions
    - Gecko lost without dimension?
17. centering of right-aligned float
    - with overflow to the left.
18. basic image-control #1
    - controlling overflow in a fluid-width environment, using floats and positioning.
19. basic image-control #2
    - controlling overflow in a fluid-width environment, using text-align.
20. hacking @import
    - testing valid and non-valid hacks to see if the relevant stylesheet is applied.
21. stacking multiple nested floats
    - the basics for simple drop-shadows and similar effects.
22. stacking multiple nested & positioned elements
    - the basics for simple drop-shadows and similar effects.
23. stacking multiple nested in-flow elements
    - the basics for simple drop-shadows and similar effects.
24. horizontal ruler styled vertically
    - in the absense of a vertical ruler. No good in IE.
25. fluid “decoration”
    - positioning outside an element.
26. date-stamp
    - Repositioning an article-date, or any element for that matter.
27. counting stylesheet links
    and for fun: counting stylesheet links to the extreme
    - IE/win can only handle a limited number of links.
28. counting @imports
    and for fun: counting @imports to the extreme
    - IE/win can only handle a limited number of @imports.
29. inline and block styling and handling
    - basic testing across browser-land.
30. horizontal ruler as separator
    - overstyling IE/win's defaults.
31. branching extends the number of @imports IE/win can handle
32. reducing link repetitions

be observant…

This is a warning to less experienced web designers, who happens to pass by in their search for answers and solutions.

The fact that something works in a certain way in a certain combination or in complete isolation, only hints at how something may work if we add or change some of the conditions and/or combinations and place it in different surroundings.

Everything is “conditional” and quite often “illogical” as long as we're dealing with software, specs, software bugs and designer bugs. Perfect answers can not be found by creating simplified test cases, but they sure are of great help when we're in the process of clearing things up a bit.

will be continued…

Test-pages will be added as I discover new problems related to my own web carpentry, and find time to explore them.

I'm also revisiting test-cases with irregular intervals, and update them with new finds as new browser-versions arrive.

Note: if you're looking for some ordinary bugs, solutions and workarounds, follow my example and look at my off site resources (in the right column on this page). I've shortened the list to the most relevant and useful pages/sites as of my latest revision.

sincerely 

Hageland 19.mar.2005
last rev/addition: 04.oct.2008