Bob I like the "MARVIN theme," it makes it easer to used and read.
Thank You!

"We" are amused!

So, let it be written

So, let it Be Done!!
(Yul Bryner)

You're right, the Marvin theme is much easier on the eyes! Thanks Bob for the new theme and all of the good stuff you do.

Plan? Ain't got no Plan!
"Beyond Thunder Dome"

The new theme is definitely easier to read, but the use of tables is deprecated in modern web design, precisely because it's relatively inaccessible for those with vision problems. You can find complete guidelines for accessibility at [ http://w3.org/WAI/ ] but in brief:

1. When you use a graphic, especially a title, please include an "alt" tag in the HTML code for the graphic. Traditionally the "alt" entry identifies the graphic element succinctly: alt="IMG: yourtitle" and may be supplemented by an "invisible" "longdesc" attribute. This link will be invisible to most browsers, but those designed for the visually disabled can link to a longer description. Note: I've used curly braces for angle brackets in the examples, except for retaining curly braces for stylesheet entries.


{img src="pandp.gif" alt="IMG: Pride and Prejudice" longdesc="pandp.html"}


2. Instead of tables, it's sometimes possible to use a stylesheet entry and use a "class" attribute to place the text on the page. This allows users who need to enlarge the text to an extreme degree to override the author's style with their own, placing the parallel text in a sequential format.

Unfortunately, Microsoft support of stylesheets is broken to the extent that the only really reliable formats that can be applied to a page are those which could be duplicated with a "definition list." Until Microsoft meets its just reward, generalized parallel columns are very difficult to achieve and prone to failure, although two columns are doable with relatively robust results. Nonetheless, one should take care that the text treatment degrades gracefully if stylesheets aren't loaded. This usually means that positioning has to follow block level elements, so that constituent pieces of visible text don't become too terribly jumbled.

Consider placing the navigation to the right. Since the scrollbar is usually located on the right, this places two navigation tools next to each other.

In the stylesheet, you'll need the basic format for the page: e.g. "BODY {margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 5%;}" and any other stuff you might need. But you'll also need a few entries to flow text to one virtual column or another, like this:


#leftcontent {
float:left;
width:70%;
background:#fff;
border-right:2px solid #000;
border-bottom:2px solid #000;
margin-right:15px;
padding-bottom:20px;
}

#rightcontent {
}

p,h1,pre {
margin:0px 30px 10px 30px;
}

h1 {
font-size:14px;
padding-top:10px;
}

#rightcontent p {
font-size:10px;
margin-left:0px;
}

In the body of the page, you could flow the navigation column easily using a "DIV" element with an "ID" attribute.


{div id="leftcontent"}



story stuff



{/div}


and


{div id="rightcontent"}



navigation stuff



{/div}

3. If you simply must use a table, use the "summary" and "header" attributes to let persons with visual disabilities know what's going on.


{TABLE border="1"
summary="This table is used to place navigation elements to the left of the page."}
{CAPTION}Not needed for a navigation table.{/CAPTION}
{TR}
{TH id="header1" abbr="GO"}Navigate{/TH}
{TH id="header2" abbr="STORY">Story{/TH}
{TR}
{TD headers="header1"}Navigation stuff{/TD}
{TD headers="header2"}Story Text{/TD}
{/TABLE}


A screen reader used by persons with vision disabilities might render the information as:

Summary:This table is used to place navigation elements to the left of the page.
Caption: Not needed for a navigation table
Summary: This table is used to place navigation elements to the left of the page.
Go: Navigation stuff
Story: Story Text

Consider removing the navigation column on the destination page that displays the actual story. The user can easily follow a link at the bottom of the story to continue reading multi-part stories, and a separate go back to navigation link can be provided so users don't have to "back out" of multiple levels of a single story. This would leave the entire page available for the story itself, and allow both prettier formatting and easier reading.

Choice is good. Some people may like this, but I tried the Marvin theme, and there's far too much stark white for my tired old eyes. I much prefer a light colored background (and preferably a larger, serif font), especially when reading longer stories.

Amelia