271853 - '-moz-column-width' doesn't work when applied together with '-moz-column-count'

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(Core :: Layout, defect)

Description

[Anne (:annevk)]

Comment 1

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

It seems to work correctly for me. When there isn't enough room for 3 10-em
columns, we reduce the column count as necessary and distribute the extra space
over the columns (column-width-policy isn't supported yet so we assume the
initial value, 'flexible'). What do you think the problem is?

Comment 2

[Steffen Wilberg]

Attachment: testcase with less text

It looks like -moz-column-width:10em is not respected, if -moz-column-count:3
is set together with it.

But that's probably because of
http://www.w3.org/TR/2001/WD-css3-multicol-20010118/#increasing

If I read that correctly, we'd need to specify column-width-policy:strict to
get 3 columns which are 10em wide, i.e. doesn't fill the available space
horizontally, and get taller.
So this bug should be about implementing -moz-column-width-policy.

Comment 3

[Steffen Wilberg]

Attachment: testcase with less text

The same text in both divs this time.

Comment 4

[j.j.]

Couldn't this be closed?
Seems to me it works as intended, wfm? invalid?

Comment 5

[Anne (:annevk)]

The attached testcase seems to work. My external testcase however, does not.
Somehow the 'width' is not applied to the BODY element.

Perhaps because 'margin' and the column properties are specified together?

Comment 6

[j.j.]

This is "case 3" of the spec http://www.w3.org/TR/2001/WD-css3-multicol-
20010118/#the-number
"3. the style sheet specifies both the number of columns and their width"

"CWRG = column_count * column_width + (column_count-1) * (column_rule_width) + 
(column_count-1) * column_gap)"
"In case 2 and case 3, the content width of the element may be different from 
CWRG."

6.2.1. 'column-width-policy' is not supportet, but the initial value is 
"flexible".

"The 'flexible' value indicates that the width of columns can be increased to 
fill all the available space."

So if the body in your testcase is wider than 3*10em + 2*1em your columns can be 
increased to fill body's space. 

Invalid, I think. 

Comment 7

[Scott Johnson (:jwir3)]

As of 12 April 2011, the css3 multicol spec has been moved into Candidate Recommendation, and it differs greatly from the spec that was cited in this bug. In the current version of the spec, under section 3.1 'column-width', available at: http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-multicol/#lsquo1 there is a note after Example XIII stating the following:

The reason for making ‘column-width’ somewhat flexible is to achieve scalable designs that can fit many screen sizes. To set an exact column width, all length values (in horizontal text these are: ‘width’, ‘column-width’, ‘column-gap’, and ‘column-rule-width’) must be specified.

If you do this, and make your column-gap to be larger (~42em), this example will work as (I believe) you want it to. 

Without this column-gap specification, Example XII in this same copy of the spec indicates that column-count will take precedence over column-width in the event that there are multiple ways to interpret the combination of the properties.

Comment 8

[Jean-Yves Perrier [:teoli]]

Scott, I've updated https://developer.mozilla.org/en/CSS/column-width with sentences taken and (slightly) adapted from your useful answer. I hope you wouldn't mind.