mIE will not center my site

**Moldarin** · 06-10-2006, 04:21 AM

Hi,

I have had problems centering my Website in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 .

And I cannot understand why it do not work. It used to work, but then I updated a lot of the CSS implementation on the site. After I did that I did not check the site in mIE6.

And my eyes have grown tired in finding the bug. So could a fresh pair of eyes try and help me fix The Web Design Journal for Internet Explorer?

**Paul_F** · 05:40 AM

I haven't looked through your HTMl or CSS but if you have a text-align:center; on the main DIV then you will need to add

Code:

margin:auto;

as well.

**Moldarin** · 06-10-2006, 05:56 AM

Code:

.content {
width:720px;
margin:18px auto 0 auto;
border-top:1px solid #9ab5c9;
}

**Paul_F** · 06-10-2006, 06:55 AM

So if you add: text-align:center;

Does that solve it?

I SEO'd a website a few weeks ago then might help: http://www.shakim.co.uk/. The CSS is styles.css in top level.

**AliKat** · 06-10-2006, 10:00 AM

margin: auto doesn't work in IE. You need to add

body {
text-align: center;
}

in your wrapper div whatever the name is

.content {
text-align: left;
}

The latter will correct centered text.

**vangogh** · 06-10-2006, 04:22 PM

margin: auto works with IE. You just need to use a proper doctype.

Moldarin I think the first line in your source <xml...> is what's throwing IE off. Try taking that out and see if it centers.

**AliKat** · 06-10-2006, 05:48 PM

What doctype is that, I've never been able to make it work?

**chrishirst** · 06-10-2006, 07:02 PM

any full doctype (with URL) will set IE into standards mode BUT including the xml declaration ( <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> ) will cause IE to revert to "quirks" mode.

There is a chart at http://hsivonen.iki.fi/doctype/

**LadynRed** · 06-10-2006, 11:28 PM

Yes, and with XHTML if you have ANYTHING before the DOCTYPE line, it will throw IE into Quirks mode

**chrishirst** · 06-11-2006, 05:09 AM

maybe just qualify that a little for the programmers.

... if you have ANYTHING that displays as text in the output to the browser before the DOCTYPE line ...

programming code that sets the page up (recordsets, variables etc) will NOT cause this to occur.

**Moldarin** · 06-12-2006, 07:39 PM

OK, it works on the main page and subpages now.

But not on the forum pages...

**chrishirst** · 06-12-2006, 07:49 PM

not a full doctype on the forum page