Slim websites ?

**renier8** · 03-21-2007, 02:15 AM

Hi everyone.
I started my journey on HTML and whatever might follow about 1 month ago. So I am still very new, and eager to learn, so expect some more questions in the near future.

I allready have one question. I see some websites, like webmaster-talk, and yahoo, that fills my whole screen (regardless of my resollution). Then I see others, like www.gamespy.com and www.gamespot.com, that has the bulk of the website almost centered into a frame (about 960px wide), and often they will have an advert of sorts running in the two "bars" of empty space at both sides of the "frame".

I would really like to know how that is done, if someone would be so kind.

Thanks in advance.
Renier

**chrishirst** · 03-21-2007, 07:53 AM

By using a "wrapper" container of a fixed size and centred to contain all the other elements

Code:

#wrapper {
    width:998px; /*998px approx for 1024 768px for 800 */
    margin:0px auto;
}

HTML Code:

<body>
<div id="wrapper">
<!-- all other elements -->
</div>
</body>

**renier8** · 03-21-2007, 12:08 PM

thank you.

**madal** · 03-21-2007, 12:41 PM

You are talking about two different approaches:

The first one is liquid ("fluid") layout. Liquid layouts are designed to be entirely flexible. As the browser window expands or contracts, the page's layout will follow suit, ensuring that the content fills the display at any window size...

Another one you are talking about is fixed ("ice") layout. The window width is constant and unchanging, no matter how large or small the user's browser window becomes...
It si contigent upon the designer's assumption of the width of the user's browser window. You cleverly noticed that fixed designs are often unkind to larger screen resolution....lot of unused white space