Re: Getting PHP variables to display fixed length

Japhy wrote: 
Hello,
I am coding a menu using PHP.  Selections on the menu have code like :

<li> <a href="Updatefindatesedit.php">$fin_name1 $fin_date1 </a></li>
<li> <a href="Updatefindatesedit.php">$fin_name2 $fin_date2 </a></li>
etc


My problem is the $fin_name1 variables can be anywhere from 1 - 20
characters

so my menu items come out looking like
Joe 2000/01/01
Fred 2001/01/02
Alexander 2001/01/03

Can I get the $fin_name* variable to take up a fixed amount of space
when displaying?  My idea is to use strlen on fin_name and put a number
of &nbsp's between, but that sure seems like a dumb way to do it.  I
figure someone with more knowledge can tell me an easier way to do
it....
TIA
Japhy

Can I suggest that the date needs to be moved to a known position to the right of the name and that sufficient space be provided for the longest name. An html table is one way. The other is CSS, eg,


<ul>

<li style="width:12em;">
<div style="float:right;width:4px;text-align:right;">yyyy/mm/dd</div>
fin_name
</li>


<li style="width:12em;">
<div style="float:right;width:4px;text-align:right;">yyyy/mm/dd</div>
fin_longer-name</li>

</ul>

adjust the width of the containing div and the float div to suit.

Ideally the css declarations will be in selectors in a style block or style ***, e.g.

<style type="text/css">
ul.name-date li  { width:12em; }
ul.name-date li div { float:right;width:4px;text-align:right; }
</style>

</head>

<body>

<ul class="name-date">

<li>
<div>yyyy/mm/dd</div>
fin_name
</li>


<li>
<div>yyyy/mm/dd</div>
fin_longer-name</li>

</ul>

Louise
.

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