180920 - only one style context for outer and inner table frame

Status: NEW

(Core :: Layout: Tables, defect, P3)

Description

[Bernd]

Currently the outer-table frame and the inner table frame have both a style
context. The outer-table frame contains geometrical the inner table frame but
inherits some style properties from the inner table frame. This model works
somehow for specified values but breaks when some property on the inner table
frame has the value auto. The most prominent case is a absolute positioned table
with style="position:absolute; left:auto" (bug 53663). While I tried to sovle
that bug, I understand everything I tried was a hack. I never found a nice
reviewable solution.

I see the following scenarios to solve this:
a) the outer table frame has no style context and the inner table frame has one
b) the outer and the inner table frame share one style context
c) only the outer table frame has a style context.
d) we split the style context so the part that affects the outer-table frame
goes there and the other properties go to the inner table frame.- this may be
the worst solution

It would be good to see your oppionions.

Comment 1

[Robert O'Callahan (:roc) (email my personal email if necessary)]

I was going to say that option (d) is the best solution :-).

Scrollable elements have similar problems, where the element generates a
scrolling frame and a scrolled frame.

Comment 2

[David Baron :dbaron: (⌚️UTC-5, no longer working on Mozilla)]

 (e) Find a way to implement the CSS table model without having two frames for a   
     content node with 'display: table'

Comment 3

[Robert O'Callahan (:roc) (email my personal email if necessary)]

Apparently we need to have borders and backgrounds and other stuff applied to
the  table cell area but positioning applied to the cell area + caption. I don't
see how to do that without using one frame for the cell area and a different
frame for the cell area + caption.

Comment 4

[Hixie (not reading bugmail)]

 (f) get the spec changed so that 'inherit' inherites the 'auto' value and not a 
     computed length