structure problems

[brendanhedges]

hi everyone,

I have a problem i cannont seem to fix. but i know there must be a simple answer to it out there somewhere.

i am trying to construct a web site for my business and i am having problems getting the layout to be the same regardless of screen size.
for example, on my 19" monitor set to 1280 x 720 the page in explorer looks just as i laid it out in the WYSIWYG editor i am using to create the page. but, if i adust my screen size to 800 x 600 all of the contents of the page in ie move and the formatting of the page is not as i intended.

is there a standard to which

http://www pages

should be laid out to, ie, no more than xxx pixles accross, for instance?
if so then how come some sites load into ie and fill the screen no matter what the screen size is set to, whilst others seem to have a white 'strip' at each edge?

i am sure these questions are elementary to you guys but this novice needs some help.

many thanks

brendan

 

[tanderso]

Use percentages in your table sizes... eg:

<table width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;80%&quot;>

, etc.
Sincerely,

Tom Anderson
CEO, Order amid Chaos, Inc.

http://www.oac-design.com

 

[fxcolin]

Keep in mind that if using 100%, etc. that your pictures are in pixels only. While your pages will stretch accordingly, the pics will not, therefore it could look distorted.

If using pixels, Should try to design for 800X600.
On a larger screen, although it shrinks, atleast people
won't be scrolling side to side on a smaller screen.

http://www.fxstudios.ca

 

[petey]

Some designers prefer "liquid design", some prefer "fixed design". The difference is that one flows outward to fit the screen and the other stays a constant width.

I prefer liquid design because of it's flexibility. Check here for some layout templates that do it both ways:

http://glish.com/css/

Also many designers design so that it looks best on 800x600 screens, but there's no rules about it, just common sense.

petey

http://www.drpeterjones.com/

 

[BDNFLNC]

Don't use percentages.

 

[tanderso]

Here's a site I designed which uses percentages for a layout that stretches with the window size:

http://everyfan.net/.

And this is one that is static:

http://tortugasurf.com/.

Basically, use a dynamic layout when you have elements (such as text) which respond well to stretching, and use a static layout when you want an exact configuration. Either way, you should use repeating graphics to fill in the spaces left over, whether between stretched elements or to the side of a static layout. Sincerely,

Tom Anderson
Order amid Chaos, Inc.

http://www.oac-design.com