I'm starting a new site

[Momo]

Hi,

I'm starting a new site, www.oestfamily.com, and I've come up with a prototype design. Since there is only one page, I can easily make any changes. Also, on the site, there is an autostretch version. I would like to know how to make the stretching stop at about 740 pixels. Does anyone know about that and can someone help me? Thanks. :)

Also, any feedback on the design is welcome, for I would like to make it as good as possible before using it.

Thanks again for any help!

[webado]

Mo, if instead of defining your tables in terms of pixels you define them in terms of a percentage of availble screen width, you'll likely not need to ask about the visitor's screen size.


Your table that has width="582" could for instance be defined as width="80%". Similarly for all the <td> entries.
Not sure how you .css will have to be adjusted though.

[trackerm]

Hi Mo,

I fail to understand why you have another white box in the middle of nowhere.

Grabbing my trusty ruler and measuring the screen within my browser I calculate the area in square centimetres for the blank space left and right and below the box as:

4.5 x 18 x 2 = 162 (left and right margins)
23 x 2 = 46 (bottom margin)
Total = 208 Sq Cms

Total page size: 31 x 18 = 558

Total blank = 37%

Why do you wish to have 37% blank?

Any border means the eye will only look inside the border, thus outside the border is blank and unseen. Maybe John with his artists eye will back me up with why paintings have borders (usually). Use the edge of the screen as the natural border. You can't expect anyone to click a button to change screen size.

Mark

[Momo]

First, the big screen version is in 99%, so I will most likely use that.

80% didn't really work out: the buttons would end up wider that the table in some cases.

What white box are you talking about? The one at the top, of just the blank area with no text? Oh, I see now. Just the width of the table. Try seeing the big screen version, that is autostretch.

[JWJ]

Any border means the eye will only look inside the border, thus outside the border is blank and unseen. Maybe John with his artists eye will back me up with why paintings have borders (usually)

You're not wrong, and borders help the eye focus on what is important ... the picture. That said, web design is different and it is often a compromise depending on how much content needs to be displayed. I based my own site on 80% tables, but I am thinking about changing them to 90%. 100% width tables work when columns are used either side of the central main content, because even though those colums may contain links, menu's or banners, they still provide a boundary that helps draw the eye into the main area. A main content area that stretches from one side of the screen to the other can make the page look cluttered even when it isn't.

Personal views only, for what they're worth :)

[Momo]

I am planning on having two colums on the site; I hope it looks nice. If it doesn't, I will just use the current 99% version.

Does anyone know how to stop autostretching at about 700 pixels?

[Proteus]

Does anyone know how to stop autostretching at about 700 pixels?

easy! just make your header inside of another table 700px width...

[Momo]

Ok. I'll try that shortly. Thanks!

[Momo]

Wait...That would stop it from stretching out, but I want to stop it from stretching in: I don't want the main table smaller than 700 pixels. It can be bigger just not smaller. How do I do this?

[webado]

Well, what is wrong with all table and cell widths (and height is you like)set as %'s of screen size?

[Momo]

Because all the buttons will be wider than the main table if the browser window is made small enough (under 740 pixels wide.) I want stretching to stop so that it still looks good with some horizontal scrolling on small screens.

Try making the window small yourself on the big screen version of www.oestfamily.com , and you will see what I mean. There is a link on the homepage.

[webado]

Oh, I see, that would be because of your tab images, as they are fixed.

I still think that if those <td..> 's where you have those button images were defined as percentage widths of the table width you'd be able to achieve what you want.

[webado]

Oh, BTW, you have a big booboo on your page: the css is defined this way:


<link href="file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Adam/My%20Documents/stylesheet.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">


I guess you forgot to point to the one on the web site and you defaulted to your hard drive? The WYSIWYG editor strikes again!

[Momo]

Oh. I actually don't use that stylesheet. :oops: It was just experimantal, and I forgot to delete it. Thanks for telling me, and I bet if you didn't, it would have been there, and on all the future pages, for a long time :lol: .

I'll fix that now.

What about the autostretching stopping?

[Momo]

Ok, fixed.

For now, the CSS is defined within the documant itself.

[webado]

Sorry, I don't know about autostretch. I just use percenteges so, to my way of thinking, that would do the same thing as autostretch (or what I think autostretch does).

[JWJ]

I'm reluctant to post this because I'm out of my league with most of this stuff however, if I am understanding you correctly the effect you are looking for can be seen on my homepage. The first cell of the table contains a wide graphic and the 80% table will expand larger than the graphic size but not smaller.

If no one can come up with a more elegant, technically correct solution, maybe you could consider a transparent gif image that is 700x5 pixels in size and centre it in your first cell.

If this is nonsense then just ignore me :lol:
__________________________

Further to this, I have set up a primitive test page at www.JWJonline.net/autoshrink_test.htm and it seems to work just fine (assuming I'm understanding your requirements :D )

[webado]

No, this is not nonsense at all. In fact this would do it quite defintely. I was thinking about this, but thought only about a background image - which wouldn't actually work to limit anything. Then I didn't bother anymore since I see noting wrong with letting the page shrink all it wants. It would have been limited by the tabs anyway.

[Momo]

Thanks JWJ, that was exactly what I was looking for! I can easily make a transparent image in Photoshop, and then I will put it on the site. I hope I can get it to work on the header table too (the gray one (http://www.oestfamily.com) that reads welcome to oestfamily.com). But even if that doesn't work, I will put the header inside the main table and it should work(there are 2 table currently).

Thanks for the help.

[Momo]

Well, I got it to work, finally. The new page is at http://www.oestfamily.com/test.html . It will stop stretching at 730 pixels, which I think is a good width, because little people have 640x480 screens (Only one visitor so far.)

What do you think?

[trackerm]

Thats better! What about the space at the bottom of the page? Its the most important place for pygmies and other little people ;)


Mark

[Momo]

I'll see about that. I haven't gotten to homepage design yet, but there will most likely be some links down there. And there will be two side bars on the homepage, one with newest photos, and one with newest content.

So once I finish the homepage (by this weekend), it will be open to suggestions. :)