Columned layouts is a shortfall of CSS websites.

Posted September 16, 2004

As I promised for objective view on CSS layout, I have found that doing a columned layout that involves three or more columns, is extremely difficult to pull off using CSS. I have found on most CSS sites, they just use a table, because tables were designed to contain tabular data, just the purpose for columns.

In order to archive a four column layout using CSS, you would need to have two container div blocks, one floated to the right and to the left. Then, inside one of the blocks, you would need two more blocks, again floated to the right and left. This is three columns. Finally, add two more blocks inside one of the blocks you just floated, and float one of those to each direction, left and right.

Extremely, difficult, and I have not actually tried it. But I think it would be difficult to manage, and it may be better to just use a table, hoping that the CSS3 spec will correct some of those problems in the coming years.