Best practices for different print and online table styles

[bobmoon]

Hi all -

I am struggling with the Flare instructions for using a single table style sheet to achieve different layouts for print and online tables. Can anyone share a best practice for doing this?

In the past, I've used two different table style sheet CSS files, but Flare now recommends using a single CSS file with the print formatting specified in the @media print section. I'm familiar with how this works from a CSS perspective, but I cannot get it to work as expected in Flare.

If I read the Flare help correctly, they recommend something like this:

1. Set up the table style sheet for online
2. Apply that table style sheet to a topic or topics
3. Set the medium to print, and change the formatting to what you want for print
4. Apply that table style sheet again to a topic or topics

When I follow that process, the tables in my topics end up with a weird hybrid of my print and online formatting. Perhaps I'm just missing something.

I tried editing the table CSS file directly, thinking I could simply copy/paste the print formatting into an @media print section. That was even less effective.

I'd be grateful if anyone can share their experiences, or point me to a helpful forum post.

Thanks,
Bob

[paintedturtle]

Hi all -

I am struggling with the Flare instructions for using a single table style sheet to achieve different layouts for print and online tables. Can anyone share a best practice for doing this?

In the past, I've used two different table style sheet CSS files, but Flare now recommends using a single CSS file with the print formatting specified in the @media print section. I'm familiar with how this works from a CSS perspective, but I cannot get it to work as expected in Flare.

If I read the Flare help correctly, they recommend something like this:

1. Set up the table style sheet for online
2. Apply that table style sheet to a topic or topics
3. Set the medium to print, and change the formatting to what you want for print
4. Apply that table style sheet again to a topic or topics

When I follow that process, the tables in my topics end up with a weird hybrid of my print and online formatting. Perhaps I'm just missing something.

I tried editing the table CSS file directly, thinking I could simply copy/paste the print formatting into an @media print section. That was even less effective.

I'd be grateful if anyone can share their experiences, or point me to a helpful forum post.

Thanks,
Bob

Hi Bob,
Your steps are not quite right and it depends on what differences you'll have.

One way to do it:
1. Set up the table style sheet per for online.
2. Click on "print options' on the bottom left of the "TableStyle Editor" in Flare and set up any options you want for print / page breaks.
3. Apply the table style and realize that it will output different in HTML or print based on what you set up in the original table style sheet.
4. You can view the difference by changing the medium, as you indicated. I usually output to see the difference because I don't trust the preview.