This is how I build sites: 1. Start by creating the xhtml structure, which forces me (and hopefully the client) to look at the structural and semantic organisation of the CONTENT. 2. Once I have that, I can then assign the relevant divs to each part of the layout, with names that identify the structural content (ie #primaryContent) rather than where it is or how it looks (ie #sidebar, #redText). Once that xhtml is validated I know I have a sound structure that can be understood by any browser or device. 3. I then build stylesheets to give me sitewide control over presentation and delivery to alternative devices (ie browser upgrade notice for N4 using an image that is not displayed in css-compliant browsers; skip nav link for screen readers etc), and the nav and content etc can then be ordered however I like for presentation (ie given an absolute position or negative margin to force a different display order). I then add alernative stylesheets that allow the user to modify text size or contrast without having to go through their own browser menus. 4. Once this is done I have a clean site that means I can maintain the content on one hand without wading through bloated tag and table soup, and control the design by editing several, or in many cases just one, css file. I use tables, for tabular data, and ensure I use things like caption, summary, headers attribute etc to make them structurally sound and accessible. 5. If I used a table-based layout, point 1 would be impossible, point 2 a hamstrung compromise, and point 3 redundant.
I'm not saying having nav after content is passe, far from it, it's very useful. I'm just saying many people are on a learning curve and still trying, which is more helpful than bailing and reverting to outdated methods. ______________________________________________________________________ css-discuss [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.css-discuss.org/mailman/listinfo/css-d IE7 information -- http://css-discuss.incutio.com/?page=IE7 List wiki/FAQ -- http://css-discuss.incutio.com/ Supported by evolt.org -- http://www.evolt.org/help_support_evolt/
