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MazY
06-11-2001, 20:18/08:18PM
Why is it whenever I run into a ******* problem with design, it's always with ******* Netscape?

OK, me design buddies who have always managed to get me straight to date.

My latest client site, http://www.pinoleum.co.uk has a blue cell across the top, with the menu sitting inside. Perfect.

Why does this same cell appear as white in all versions of Netscape from 4.08 and up?

Don't just use the home page to look at the code though as I have been playing with table bgcolor just in case that made a difference. It didn't.

Stupidly, I actually got it working once, didn't save it, and subsequently kicked myself afterwards!

Answers to the usual address please...

Many thanks, guys....
Blue
06-11-2001, 21:20/09:20PM
Hi Maz,

Try changing the <body> background color to the same color of your menu table (#0066CC). Then you might have to mess around with your tables a little, but that should do it (and don't ask me why ******* netscape works like that).

Good Luck,
MazY
06-11-2001, 21:35/09:35PM
Hmmm. Nice shot, Blue but not quite it.

Whilst it does, as would expect, make the cell blue, because the way the tables are set up, I get blue where I really can't have blue throughout the entire page.

Next suggestion, please...

Could it be the css file causing this at all?
rmridgew
06-11-2001, 22:17/10:17PM
ok i dont know if you are in the process of editing the page or what

I am using NetscapeŽ Communicator 4.06
and the page loads fine until it gets to you js nav bar,,,and begins reload after reload
anyone else?
Blue
06-11-2001, 22:30/10:30PM
frickin, frackin, frockin #@^%$&^*@^ netscape!!!:steaming:

OK Maz, try this:

Put a table (100%) inside your nav table with a #0066CC background color, and place your javascript inside it....

Flockin, farckin %#$^@#$@^##& netscape!!!:steaming:

Lemme know...
MazY
06-11-2001, 22:49/10:49PM
Right. Almost solved it. As we all know, NS doesn't like empty cells. Technically speaking, that cell is empty. The DHTML menu just asumes a screen position which is the same as the top of the cell. So, as per usual with NS, add a space and that has solved that. Almost...

However, now as you can see by looking at the newly revised page (complete with blue line), the borders are out. (a) they are not black (Does NS 6.1 support bordercolor?) and (b) the height is misaligned.

Keep 'em coming. So, how do I tackle the border problem. Don't you dare tell me that NS can't support bordercolor. But then why should it. It doesn't support anything else!

Have I ever mentioned just how much I really, really, realy hate Netscape?
JuniorHarris
07-11-2001, 08:02/08:02AM
I looked at it this morning with NetscapeŽ Communicator 4.76 and it appeared fine...did I miss something?
MazY
07-11-2001, 08:14/08:14AM
You must have as I have thic gray stodgy borders, where they should be black, in NS4.08 and 6.1.

You sure you're looking at the right site?
markymark
07-11-2001, 08:41/08:41AM
Maz, Haven't you missed something more essential than the border thing. This is caused by having a border tag at all. Get rid of it and come up with a different way of putting that black line at the top and bottom.

The main thing is that the screen scrolls horizontally at 800 x 600mm in Netscape 4.x . This is because you have used percentage widths for where the text is. The second <td> tag should be 500px. and the first around 265px. This cures that problem - don't know what it looks like at 1024x768 though.
JuniorHarris
07-11-2001, 09:01/09:01AM
> You sure you're looking at the right site?

Yup, it's the one with all the pretty girls...right?

Looking again, I do see the black borders around the individual menu selections, however off to the right I do see the dingy gray as you noted. I am also seeing the horizontal scroll bar as well, even when I maximize the browser on my 1600x1200 display! :eyes:
markymark
07-11-2001, 09:05/09:05AM
It does it at 1600x1200 too ? Well my solution works, Maz, but this is a css problem with NN. There is another solution. Basically, you re-code the page so that this area is not controlled by a layer or div tag, but is just regular HTML. Then it will work as a percentage of the browser width.
JuniorHarris
07-11-2001, 09:19/09:19AM
Yes it does!
MazY
07-11-2001, 09:45/09:45AM
Right. Thanks guys, I think.

So, in order....

Does NS support cell images? I believe it does but not certain. That way I can make an image of the blue band with the black line at the top and bottom? Yes, No?

That solves the border problem.

God I wish they would take that Netscape pile of %$*&&*"($& off the market!
MazY
07-11-2001, 09:58/09:58AM
Right, so using the cell image does solve the border problem. Thanks guys.

However, can't get my head around the 800x600 scroll problem. The client insists on the content using as much screen width as the user has, ergo the percentage widths.

So how do I get around this?
markymark
07-11-2001, 10:23/10:23AM
Re-code the page so that part of it isn't controlled by any kind of css. Actually, if you take a look at www.claritypackaging.co.uk - which I designed and optimised, view the source, you will see how to do it and keep the css elements and so on intact.


Hope this helps

Mark
MazY
07-11-2001, 10:31/10:31AM
Thanks again, Mark

You're a star! I shall go play again. I need to have it in and running by the end of the week! Gulp!
MazY
07-11-2001, 13:01/01:01PM
Mark

I appear to have fixed the home page, I think. If you could take a look when possible to double check I haven't missed anything obvious.

The real git is that I'm not sure what I have done to fix the scrolling problem. It certainly wasn't scientific. I just basically deleted the old table, started again, made the left colum 18% and the right column 82% with the table width set to 100%!

I've also taken the menu out of the cell, as such and it now sits at the bottom of the page. This seems to allow NS to use a cell image property. (Seems the cell has to be empty!) All most bizarre!

Still, if I learn just one new thing a day, I'm a happy bunny!
markymark
07-11-2001, 14:08/02:08PM
Sorry Maz, the scrolling problem still exists. Give me an hour and I'll try to sort it for you, if you like.
Blue
07-11-2001, 14:44/02:44PM
Maz,

Rather than using images as borders for your nav bar, try this "fool netscape" trick:

<table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" bgcolor="#000000" >
<tr>
<td>
<table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#0066CC">
<tr>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

Notice the cellpadding for the first (outer) table...this is where you set your "border" size. Your content then goes into the "nested" table.

<edit>Oops...there is supposed to be a non-breaking space between the second set of <td>'s...<end edit>

As a suggestion for the horizontal scrolling thingy....try enclosing all your content within one table set to 100% (you may have to place a transparent 1x1px "spacer.gif" inside it)? Then, for all the top level tables within, make their left hand columns set to an absolute pixel value and their right hand columns set to 100%.
MazY
07-11-2001, 15:10/03:10PM
Mark

Are you certain? Only I have just looked at it it Netscape 4.7 and it is fine, fine in IE and fine in NS 6.1.

You did do a refresh didn't you? As mine was incorrect until I refreshed.
markymark
07-11-2001, 15:22/03:22PM
Uh, Maz, um...no.....I didn't. Just have. and I worked on a new version of the page. Ignore my PM, I am what is known in the trade as an idiot.

Mark
MazY
07-11-2001, 15:35/03:35PM
Hell no. I'm the idiot today!

Was what I have done to fix it pretty much what you have done? I guess that it must be.

It's taking a lot of work going through each page and recoding it but I guess it will be better in the long run.

Again, huge thanks for the assistance. Owe ya one.
JuniorHarris
07-11-2001, 22:17/10:17PM
Nice work Maz it looks fine now in my Nutscape browser!~

Netscape is pretty picky, and it doesn't take much to make it act wacky. I've had to code many nested tables for things to appear right in Netscape, where IE allows a single table! Very frustrating to think you have finished a page, only to discover Netscape has a problem which requires almost as much time to solve as it did to code the page!~;)