positioning - when do I use relative, when absolute

[rambleon]

I'd like some guide lines about when to use relative and when to use absolute positioning. Seems to me absolute is better as changing the position of 1 element does'nt mean I have to change the relative position of all the following elements.
I also like to know 'relative' to what - the element to the left, right, above? How do I define a container - please
point me to a tutorial.

Thanks

Rambleon

 

[BillyRayPreachersSon]

Seems to me absolute is better

Well... that very much depends on what you are trying to achieve. For some things, it is better, for some, very much worse.

Absolutely positioned elements are removed from the flow of the document, in other words, they take up no space within the document, seemingly floating on top of it.

Relatively positioned elements are not removed from the flow of the document, so affect document flow, size, etc.

Regardless of which method is used, elements are positioned relative to the closest ancestor that has a position of either relative or absolute - which is not always the body / window.

Hope this helps,
Dan


[tt]D'ya think I got where I am today because I dress like Peter Pan here?[/tt]