Multi Browser Compatibility


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All Web pages should look good on every browser. But how to ensure this? I hope this set of suggestions will help.

First of all, multi browser compatibility must not mean reducing used HTML to some common subset (might get even to about HTML 2.0). The idea with MBC is to use extensions in that way it doesn't hurt the other browsers. Here are some examples (this list will grow):

- Tables - it's not so easy to use tables in that way, so they don't hurt browsers that don't use them (as for newer versions it applies to Lynx). With simple tables, this can be done quite simply, but with more complicated ones, using attributes like rowspan, it might be difficult. Basic idea here is to put proper combination of spaces and forced line breaks (tag <br>) into cells. For example given a table with few rows, each with few cells, might have additional spaces in cells, so their contents will be separated and line breaks put at the end of every cell that ends row. This will make text which is put in one row on table-capable browser to be put in one line on table incapable like Lynx.
- Frames - this time it's easy - you should use <noframes> tag, and put a version of the page for the browsers that don't use frames inside it. Precise solusions may be various - I put there only little modified version of the document put into main frame when browsed by frames enabled browser, others (not too nicely) put there only a link to that document. You may also try to prepare a highly modified version of the document, in which operations using frames are replaced by something else.
- Pictures - should not be a problem. You only have to remember about the use of alt attribute, and put there a text that replaces a picture well (you may even try ascii art), and if the picture is only a gadget - leave it empty (alt="").

Paweł Więcek <coven@vmh.net>
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