Webmaster Forum / HTML, CSS, Scripts / CSS / April 2008

If by "ticks" you mean the question marks I see in FF and the empty
squares I see in IE6, then I guess you're talking about their vertical
alignment with the left-hand labels. Yes?

albeit only partially

You do know that they are *always* going to be different for most
non-trivial pages, don't you? They are, after all, different browsers.

Make the /whole/ table a table, including the text labels on the left.

Also, I would say it is time to make your code validate (dorayme's
remark notwithstanding). Any time you're bashing your head against
differences between IE and FF, remember to check your code validity. It
may not solve the problems you're having, but it almost never hurts.

HTH

<heavy sigh>

Is this what they're teaching at the university level these days? It's
appalling. Please learn something about semantic HTML and get rid of
about 90% of those div's and br's.
http://microformats.org/wiki/posh

See also the links at the bottom of that page. Send your instructor(s)
there, too.

That's not really much better. You have the column headings completely
outside the table to which they apply, in invalid list markup.

There are 46 validation errors, some of which are serious, like
duplicate IDs.

The layout has issues as well. You are attempting to position text
blocks at precise x/y pixel coordinates. This is doomed to fail because
you cannot control the font size. Subsequently you end up with
overlapping text, making it unreadable.

You need to start over, I think.

<http://validator.w3.org/>

Paul,

First fix all validation markup errors. This is the first step to do
with your webpage. We can not go any further without fixing this
issue. Fix CSS errors if there are any. If you need help on this, then
visit:

Using Web Standards in your Web Pages
http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Using_Web_Standards_in_your_Web_Pages:Makin
g_your_page_using_web_standards_-_how_to
and
http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Using_Web_Standards_in_your_Web_Pages

Where can I validate my webpages? How to validate webpages?
http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Using_Web_Standards_in_your_Web_Pages:Makin
g_your_page_using_web_standards_-_how_to#Where_can_I_validate_my_webpages.3F_How
_to_validate_webpages.3F

You have to understand that there is no correct or incorrect webpage
rendering when the markup code is invalid. So fix that and we will
give you more info, recommendations, useful suggestions.

I agree with Bergamot. You misuse div and br; you over-use div and br:
lack of semantic too.

{
Divitis and classitis
   Related to <span> mania. Adding unnecessary div elements and class
attributes.
   Why? See “<span> mania” and “lack of semantics”.
}
Web development mistakes, redux
http://www.456bereastreet.com/archive/200408/web_development_mistakes_redux/

"
Classitis and Divitis
A common error of beginning CSS coders is to use far too many <div>
tags and class attributes (...)
"

Web Page Development: Best Practices
http://developer.apple.com/internet/webcontent/bestwebdev.html

"
Superfluous elements and classes
When starting out with CSS, it’s common to make the mistake of using
unnecessary XHTML elements, superfluous classes, and extra <div>
elements. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the code will be invalid,
but it counteracts one of the reasons of separating structure from
presentation; to get simpler, cleaner markup.
"

Developing With Web Standards
Recommendations and best practices
http://www.456bereastreet.com/lab/developing_with_web_standards/css/#css

Fix your validation markup errors: then we will be able to offer
additional assistance.

Why we won't help you
http://diveintomark.org/archives/2003/05/05/why_we_wont_help_you

Regards, Gérard