Chapter 8. Page Layout 2004
As you saw in the last chapter, table-based design gets the job done. With an
admirable track record and great browser support, tables are still a good layout
tool for Web designers. But tables have their disadvantages: Complex table
designs download slowly, are difficult to update, and can't always be deciphered by
assistive technologies like screen readers used by the visually impaired. In addition,
newer devices that now surf the Web梒ellphones, palmtops, and even game consoles梖requently choke on complex table layouts.
There's always more than one way to skin a Web page, however. Newer Web browsers
can also take advantage of the golden child of Web page layout桟ascading Style
Sheets. In Chapter 5, you saw how CSS provides powerful formatting options for
text, images, and other page elements. In addition, a subset of CSS properties known
as CSS-P (short for CSS-Positioning) lets you control the placement of elements on a
page. Fortunately, Dreamweaver MX 2004 introduces many new features that make
building CSS-based layouts a breeze.
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