what are fixed and fluid layouts? course hero

Fixed layout ->the container element is set to not move. No matter what screen resolution the visitor has, he or she will see the same width as other visitors. Fluid Layout->In a fluid layout, the majority of the components inside have percentage widths, and thus adjust to the user’s screen resolution.

Full Answer

Difference Between Fixed and Fluid Layouts

Although most designers and developers would consider defining fixed and fluid website layouts to be elementary, we’ll go over it just to be clear.

Getting Around The Cons of Fixed Web Page Design

If you’ve decided on a fixed page design, you should know these few tricks to get around the cons of this layout and create a successful design.

Getting Fluid Web Page Design to Work

Even though fluid layouts can present a few problems, some of those problems can be overcome with a few tricks.

Which Is Right For Your website?

Choosing between a fixed and fluid website will depend a lot on the type of website itself. Weigh the pros and cons above to determine the right so...

What is fixed page layout?

In this type of web page layout, the web designer uses a preset page size that does not change based on the browser width or device screen size. This is the layout I learned during my University days. This was the traditional layout for decades until responsive design and mobile phones as internet devices became popular.

What does fluid width mean in a browser?

You will notice that a fluid width will often fill the width of the browser or device screen . Just like fixed width this layout also has its own woes. On a large screen, a paragraph can run across the page as a single long line. That doesn’t do any good to readability. Or if the content is a multi-column or grid layout, on a smaller screen the content is going to look too crowded. Very rarely or if not designed properly, overlapping or concealing of elements can occur when using a fluid width layout. Here is an example where when displayed on a narrow screen the text is overflowing outside the “box”.

How to avoid layout from being displayed in a corner?

To avoid the layout from being displayed in a corner, make sure that the layout is centred. Setting the margin as – margin: 0 auto; should ideally work.

What are the most common issues with page layout?

The page layout if not amended can display with varying issues – cropped and/or excessive white spaces being the most common issues. Look at this slide show with the various issues displayed on various screen sizes:

Which is better, fluid or CSS?

Fluid width layout is better suited for simpler designs with fewer graphic elements and complex techniques. You can also use CSS effectively to avoid disproportionate displays.

When to use width limiter?

Unlike in the case of the fixed width layout, custom media dimensions or width limiters (like min-width and max-width) will need to be used when displaying visual media like images or videos. Width limiters are not supported on some of the older browsers which could impact the display of the web page.

Why do designers prefer fixed layouts to fluid layouts?

Many designers prefer fixed layouts to fluid ones because they’re easier to make and provide more assurance that what the designer sees, the user sees. However, the pros and cons come out even with fluid-layout design.

What is fluid website layout?

In a fluid website layout, also referred to as a liquid layout, the majority of the components inside have percentage widths, and thus adjust to the user’s screen resolution.

Why does the designer have less control over what the user sees and may overlook problems?

The designer has less control over what the user sees and may overlook problems because the layout looks fine on their specific screen resolution.

Why is web design less fluid?

The less a fluid Web design depends on graphics and difficult techniques, the easier it will be to create and maintain. It will also be more compatible with alternate screen resolutions. With cleaner code and design, compatibility problems are more easily prevented, found and dealt with.

Why are seamless textures, patterns and image continuation needed?

Seamless textures, patterns and image continuation are needed to accommodate those with larger resolutions.

When working with a fixed width design, be sure to at least center the wrapper div to maintain a?

When working with a fixed width design, be sure to at least center the wrapper div to maintain a sense of balance ( margin: 0 auto; usually does the trick). Otherwise, for users with large screen resolutions, the entire layout will be tucked away in the corner.

Is there a need for min width?

Widths are the same for every browser, so there is less hassle with images, forms, video and other content that are fixed-width. There is no need for min-width or max-width, which isn’t supported by every browser anyway.

What is layout in websites?

Layout is the visual aspect of a website that may not be obvious to the users. It refers to the positioning and size of text, images and other content on a website.

Fixed layout

Fixed layout is a design style that has become popular in the recent years. It is quite simple to implement and a lot of websites use this style nowadays. Fixed layout in websites is the most common design pattern used by websites. It gives a section of a website a single purpose and is easy to use, while still being visually pleasing.

Fluid layout

In general, the layout of a website is fluid and continuously changing.

Adaptive layout

The web has evolved over the years. With new technologies and more powerful computers, websites have become much more interactive and dynamic. As a result of this, adaptive layout in websites has gained popularity.

Responsive layout

Responsive layout design is a new approach in web design. It is a mobile-first design that has evolved from fluid layouts to the more fixed grid layout.

What is Fluid Design?

A fluid design, is a type of website layout design where most of the elements that make up the site will adjust to the users screen resolution (screen size). These layouts will use percentage widths for all its containers and columns.

Does Evolutionary Designs have a fluid layout?

As you can see from this screenshot of Evolutionary Designs it has a fluid layout set, it stretches everything out. You loose the background, the columns are stretched to across the screen, and the floating icons are setting on the content. Its not very attractive.