[WEB4LIB] WEB Query: Styles

[Thomas Dowling]

> <SELECT NAME="Terms" MULTIPLE SIZE="6">
> <OPTION
>
VALUE="A-&-A-INTERNATIONAL-INDUSTRIES-INC">A-&-A-INTERNATIONAL-INDUSTRIE
S-INC</OPTION>
> <OPTION
> VALUE="A-CONSULTING-TEAM-INC-THE">A-CONSULTING-TEAM-INC-THE</OPTION>
> <OPTION VALUE="AAMES-FINANCIAL-CORP">AAMES-FINANCIAL-CORP</OPTION>
> <OPTION VALUE="AAON-INC">AAON-INC</OPTION>
> <OPTION VALUE="AAR-CORP">AAR-CORP</OPTION>
> </select>
>
> Is there away to use "style" sheets to affect the presentation of the
> content is controlled by style? Sometimes the text may be too long or
> the font size to large. There is a hack to this by putting <font> tags
> around the select option but i know that is not "standard".
>

Non-standard, invalid, and rightfully ignored by many browsers. :-)

Unlike other HTML elements, most form elements are more a product of
native operating system widgets than of browser rendering.  That's why
<input type="submit" value="OK"> looks so much like the OK button in
your word processor's Print or Page Setup dialog boxes.  So for a
browser to add style properties to form elements, it either needs to be
hooked deeply enough into the operating system to alter its widget
display--the IE approach--or use its own widgets--the current Mozilla
approach.  And wouldn't you know it, this works on IE5 and Mozilla 5:

  <style type="text/css">
  SELECT {
    font-size: 75%;
    font-family: Utopia, serif;
  }
  </style>

It does not work in Netscape 4.x or Opera, because they're relying on
the native OS widgets.


Thomas Dowling
OhioLINK - Ohio Library and Information Network
tdowling at ohiolink.edu