CSS layout issue - IE. which hack?

[big_britches]

Hi - I see that no less than 50% of the threads issued in this forum are covering a twist on my very question; I guess when I get a grasp on these issues I will have safely arrived in CSSdesignerland...

Here's a link to the site in question, which is wonderful in FF but shifted horribly to the right in IE:

http://strongfelt.com/v2/home.html

it works fine in every browser i've checked but IE, leading me to believe I need some sort of spacing/white space hack...but which one? I feel like I could get it through tinkering and reading online eventually, but due to serious time constraints and an anxious client, I gratefully and humbly defer to the experience of you fine folks. can anyone help me here? Thanks so much in advance...

oh - and here's my CSS. i know it's chunky, but i'm learning:
-------------------------
/* CSS Document */
/* HACK IE - regrettable but the easy way to make it behave ( for now) */
.clearfix:after { content: "."; display: block; height: 0; clear: both; visibility: hidden;}
/* Hides from IE-mac \*/
* html .clearfix {height: 1%;}
/* End hide from IE-mac */
/* basic elements */
body {
background-image: url("images/blankBGimage.jpg");
background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-color: #CCC093;
background-position: top center;
background-attachment: fixed;
text-align: center;
font: normal 11px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
margin-bottom: 30px;
padding: 0 12px 0 12px;
color: #2E2C22;
}
p {
font: normal 12px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
margin: 0px;
padding: 0px 12px 0 12px;
text-align: left;
}
p2 {
font: normal 11px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-weight: bold;
margin: 0px;
padding: 0px 12px 0 12px;
text-align: left;
}
h1 {
font: normal 11px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
letter-spacing: 0px;
margin: 0px;
background-color: none;
color: #2E2C22;
}
h2 {
font: normal 7px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
letter-spacing: 0px;
font-weight: bold;
padding: 10px 0 0 14px;
margin: 0px;
text-align: left;
background-color: none;
color: #2E2C22;
}
h3 {
font: normal 9px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
letter-spacing: 0px;
margin: 0px;
padding: 5px 0 5px 10px;
background-color: none;
color: #2E2C22;
}
h4 {
font: normal 12px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
letter-spacing: 0px;
font-weight: bold;
margin: 20px 0 10px 10px;
background-color: none;
color: #5C0101;
}
a:link {
font-weight: bold;
text-decoration: none;
background-color: none;
color: #2E2C22;
}
a:visited {
font-weight: bold;
text-decoration: none;
background-color: none;
color: #2E2C22;
}
a:hover, a:active {
text-decoration: none;
background-color: none;
color: #5C0101;
}


/* specific divs */
div#container {
top: 0px;
margin-left: auto;
margin-right: auto;
min-height: 800px;
width: 800px;
}

div#navbar2 {
background-image: url("images/subnav.gif");
background-repeat: no-repeat;
position: absolute;
top: 110px;
margin-left: 524px;
width: 97px;
height: 380px;
}

div#main {
position: absolute;
margin: 60px 0 30px 85px;
padding: 0px;
width: 524px;
text-align:left;
}

div#header {
background: transparent;
background-image: url("images/header.gif");
background-repeat: no-repeat;
margin: 0px;
width: 524px;
height: 106px;
}

div#nav_bio {
float:left;
margin: 87px 0px 4px 34px;
}

div#nav_statement {
float:left;
margin: 87px 0px 4px 16px;
}

div#nav_portfolio {
float:left;
margin: 87px 0px 4px 16px;
}

div#nav_resume {
float:left;
margin: 87px 0px 4px 105px;
}

div#nav_contact {
float:left;
margin: 87px 0px 4px 16px;
}

div#contentwell {
min-height: 440px;
width: 524px;
margin: 0px;
padding: 0px;
background-image: url("images/contentBG.gif");
background-repeat: repeat-y;
}

div#resnav {
width: 524px;
height: 50px;
margin: 0px;
padding: 0px;
}

div#resnavfoot {
width: 524px;
height: 75px;
margin: 0px;
padding: 0px;
}

div#footer {
text-align: center;
background-image: url("images/footer.gif");
background-repeat: no-repeat;
margin-bottom: 20px;
padding: 0px;
width: 524px;
height: 24px;
}

#footer a:link, #footer a:visited {
margin-right: 20px;
}

ul {
list-style-type: none;
padding: 0;
margin: 0;
text-align: center;
}

li {
margin: 28px 0 28px 0;
background-repeat: no-repeat;
}

[zerokilled]

hi,

can you take a look at this site? http://rafael.adm.br/css_browser_selector/
maybe it can help you a lot. is a simple solution using javascript, but you don't have to touch the javascript code, just read how to use the solution and you are done. good luck!

[ditt0]

Change the html to:

<div id="container">
<div id="main">
<div id="header">
<div id="nav_bio"><a href="http://strongfelt.com/v2/bio2.html">BIO</a></div>
<div id="nav_statement"><a href="http://strongfelt.com/v2/statement.html">ARTIST STATEMENT</a></div>
<div id="nav_portfolio"><a href="http://strongfelt.com/v2/portfolionew.html">PORTFOLIO</a></div>
<div id="nav_resume"><a href="http://strongfelt.com/v2/resume2.html">RESUME</a></div>
<div id="nav_contact"><a href="http://strongfelt.com/v2/contact.html">CONTACT</a></div>
</div>
<div id="contentwell"><img src="home_files/homeimage.jpg" alt="" height="446" width="524" class="big_image" /></div>
</div>
<div id="navbar2">
<ul id="subnav">
<li><a href="http://strongfelt.com/v2/workshopdescr.html">WORKSHOP<br />DESCRIPTIONS</a></li>
<li><a href="http://strongfelt.com/v2/workshopsched.html">WORKSHOP<br />SCHEDULE</a></li>
<li><a href="http://strongfelt.com/v2/k12ed.html">K-12 ART<br />EDUCATION</a></li>
<li><a href="http://strongfelt.com/v2/feltprocess.html">FELTING<br />PROCESS</a></li>
<li><a href="http://strongfelt.com/v2/natdyeprocess.html">NATURAL DYE<br />PROCESS</a></li>
<li><a href="http://strongfelt.com/v2/acquisition.html">ACQUISITION<br />OF WORKS</a></li>
<li><a href="http://strongfelt.com/v2/care.html">CARE</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div id="footer">
<h2>© 2006 STRONG FELT, Lisa Klakulak. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.</h2>
</div>
</div> and the css to:


body {
text-align: center;
font: normal 11px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
margin:0 0 30px 0;
padding: 0;
color: #2E2C22;
background: #CCC093 url(blankBGimage.jpg) no-repeat fixed center top;
}
p {
font: normal 12px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
margin: 0px;
padding: 0px 12px 0 12px;
text-align: left;
}
p2 {
font: normal 11px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-weight: bold;
margin: 0px;
padding: 0px 12px 0 12px;
text-align: left;
}
h1 {
font: normal 11px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
letter-spacing: 0px;
margin: 0px;
background-color: none;
color: #2E2C22;
}
h2 {
font: normal 7px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
letter-spacing: 0px;
font-weight: bold;
padding: 10px 0 0 14px;
margin: 0px;
text-align: left;
background-color: none;
color: #2E2C22;
}
h3 {
font: normal 9px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
letter-spacing: 0px;
margin: 0px;
padding: 5px 0 5px 10px;
background-color: none;
color: #2E2C22;
}
h4 {
font: normal 12px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
letter-spacing: 0px;
font-weight: bold;
margin: 20px 0 10px 10px;
background-color: none;
color: #5C0101;
}
a:link {
font-weight: bold;
text-decoration: none;
background-color: none;
color: #2E2C22;
}
a:visited {
font-weight: bold;
text-decoration: none;
background-color: none;
color: #2E2C22;
}
a:hover, a:active {
text-decoration: none;
background-color: none;
color: #5C0101;
}


/* specific divs */
div#container {
width: 640px;
margin:0 auto;
height:800px;
text-align:left
}

div#navbar2 {
background-image: url("subnav.gif");
background-repeat: no-repeat;
width: 97px;
height:380px;
float:left;
margin:175px 0 0 0;
}

div#main {
margin: 60px 0 0 0;
padding: 0px;
width: 524px;
text-align:left;
float:left;
}

div#header {
background: transparent;
background-image: url("header.gif");
background-repeat: no-repeat;
margin: 0px;
width: 524px;
height: 106px;
}
.big_image {
vertical-align: text-bottom;
}
div#nav_bio {
float:left;
margin: 87px 0px 4px 34px;
}

div#nav_statement {
float:left;
margin: 87px 0px 4px 16px;
}

div#nav_portfolio {
float:left;
margin: 87px 0px 4px 16px;
}

div#nav_resume {
float:left;
margin: 87px 0px 4px 105px;
}

div#nav_contact {
float:left;
margin: 87px 0px 4px 16px;
}

div#contentwell {
width: 524px;
margin: 0px;
padding: 0px;
background-image: url("contentBG.gif");
background-repeat: repeat-y;
}

div#resnav {
width: 524px;
height: 50px;
margin: 0px;
padding: 0px;
}

div#resnavfoot {
width: 524px;
height: 75px;
margin: 0px;
padding: 0px;
}

div#footer {
text-align: center;
background:url("footer.gif") no-repeat 0 0;
padding: 0px;
width: 524px;
height: 24px;
clear:both;
margin:0;
}
#footer a:link, #footer a:visited {
margin-right: 20px;
}

ul {
list-style-type: none;
padding: 0;
margin: 0;
text-align: center;
}

li {
margin: 28px 0 28px 0;
background-repeat: no-repeat;
}

It should work now, except the images paths in the css might be different.
And please don't use the hacks:)

[big_britches]

Change the html to:
and the css to:

It should work now, except the images paths in the css might be different.
And please don't use the hacks:)

------------------------------
I am greatly in your debt, Ditt0. This worked like a dream, and spawned an entire night's reading and studying online why the differences you implemented worked. I have much to learn yet, but it's getting better...

http://www.strongfelt.com/v2/home.html

one more mysterious issue: on the portfolio page, the entire portfolio is a .swf. I've used the new flashobject.js embed, so it isn't that...but for some reason, on SOME browsers, this .swf isn't there. I've seen it twice now - on the client's MAC laptop in FF, and on IE/PC 6 on ONE of the 3 PCs I've tested on. this is blowing my mind, as things work fine on other IE/PCs, and on every other FF I've tried, PC and MAC. This is probably a question for the flash forum, but I thought I'd address it here to save space...

Again, thanks so much for your response, Ditt0; I hope I get to repay you eventually...