[alcatraz]

I was wondering if there was a way to make a website's background the size of the browser window, rather than a specific number of pixels. I'd also like the code for making a site full screen.

Thanks,
Alcatraz

[Carmichael]

I don't know if that is even possible for a couple of reasons:

1)Images on a computer are made at specific dimensions. I.E. 800 by 600, 400 by 400 etc. Any HTML coding that could change that would also alter the images look, stretching it and altering the level of detail. A 400 pixel image is going to look really pixelated stretched out to 800dpi.

2) The coding would have to be able to change for every single user. Not everyone uses the same screen dimensions. I have an older system at home, it uses 32-bit 800 by 600 graphics. The system at work is 16-bit 1024 by 768 while the labs at school use more advanced graphical systems. That 400dpi image on my home sytem is much smaller looking on the one at work. Basically you would have a background image that would be distorted by the html depending on which computer you use to view the page.

I don't know if any of that is helpful. . .
If you do find a piece of html that will do that, could you let me know? I would like to see it in action myself.

Carmichael

[daigoro]

Well, I guess it depends on what you are trying to do, it is as Carmichael says stretching images isn't a good idea.

On the other hand if you could use some sort of tiled background you could use that as a background in table rows/cells that span the whole browser window and so on... or on the page itself. I guess you could also use javascript to detect the users screen resolution and load the correct background image for that resolution. Using DHTML you could probably create a lot of great effects also, but I guess it all depends on what you mean by a website background.

As for coding a site so that it always uses the whole screen width. It's just a matter of setting the width of the tables to percentage instead of pixels.

Am I making any sense here?

[Carmichael]

I just remembered a DHTML site you might want to look at. The have some stuff that might cover what you're looking for. http://www.dynamicdrive.com/

I have gotten some interesting little trick from that one.

Carmichael

[alcatraz]

The day after I posted, my friend told me about dynamic drive, so I got some coding there. I didn't find anything in the manner of background size being a percentage, but I found the coding to make the browser window itself fullscreen. I then made two versions of my site, one of which being 800x600, and the other being 1024 sommat by 684 (did I get those numbers right?). I got a suggestion to try using tables, but I suck at those and won't try that yet.

I'm also wondering if anyone knows anything about netscape. It doesn't support DHTML or some HTML codes that I'm using. Does anyone know a way around this or when they're gonna fix this.

The DHTML coding I use is mainly the fullscreen code (maybe it's the java portion, not the DHTML) and the HTML I'm using that netscape doesn't like is: style="visibility: hidden;" which makes an image invisible (sorta obvious, I suppose)

Thanks,
-Alcatraz

[hclark]

The way around the differences is to use a browser detect (sometimes called sniffer) script that determines what browser a person is using and sends them to a page built for that particular browser. Then you have to develop multiple versions of your page, but if you want things to look nice in all browsers that might be your only option. You must remember too, that there are other browsers out there besides IE and Netscape. I use Opera most of the time. Of course if this is more of a personal site you might not be as concerned about accomodating people.

As for your problem with code not rendering correctly, most likely they're not going to "fix it". In many cases Netscape is following closely to the standards set by the W3C. IE builds in things that they think people will like but are not always standards compliant so your code works in their browser but not Netscape. They tend to do whatever serves MS and their products the best. IE also will render code that is not well written where Netscape expects you to use good code.

Check out the CSS validator and the HTML Validator at http://www.w3.org/. If your site is compliant with those you will be doing good.

One question, why do you want to make an image invisible? If you want an invisible image, why not just use one?


[This message has been edited by hclark (edited February 20, 2002).]

[alcatraz]

Thanks, I'll check out that site. The reason I wanted an invisible image was for a link that corresponds w/the background. Could you send me a nice transparent image? that would be nice. I was also using them as spacers because I don't know how to place an object exactly where I want it. It was a sort of spurr of the moment thing, "Oh! Look! That looks like crap! Hmmmm...maybe if I move it forward a bit by putting an image there, making it this size, and making it invisible...WOW! That's nice!". The next day I was on a netscape browser and wondered why it looked like crap once again. I checked my coding and it was fine. Amazing how inconvenient netscape is.

-alcatraz

[SirRob]

Are you mad!!!!!! Not using tables http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/frown.gif. You cant make a website without tables. Well not a good one.

[Bond]

I'm not very experienced at website design but I have observed most of the better looking websites with lots of pictures I've visited use tables.

Also what program are you using? Don't many of the WYSIWYG HTML editors pretty much make this kind of thing a breeze?

I don't think you should blame Netscape. From what I hear they stick closer to conventions than Microsoft.

[alcatraz]

Well, IE keeps to what people seem to like and use. No one really cares about keeping to the conventions as long as it reads the majority or the scripts out there. IE does; Netscape doesn't. I'd really like to use tables, but I'm retarted and no one seems to want to teach me. I use angelfire for my site, but I don't have anything to assist or edit my coding.

Ummm...Help me?

-Alcatraz