Why do the coordinates always seem to change with AP DIV tags

Question

Hello,
I have been learning Dreamweaver and got to a chapter about Drawing AP DIV's. Seemed like a great idea, despite some of the known downfalls, older browsers, trouble centering etc....but my question is more about the drawn element itself on the page. It doesn't seem to hold it's Top and Left Numbers inthe property inspector. I mean, it doesn't move, but it seams every time I check the coordinates to maybe align another one to right of it or below it, the Top and Left numbers keep changing. When I put back in my coordinates, it doesn't seem to move, even though the numbers are different. Is it me? or is this just a flaky think in the program? Too knew to it to know it's quirks.
thanks!
babs

Answer 1

iBabs2 wrote:
I did a chapter on Layout Tables and liked them much better ;-)
Tables are not much better than using AP Divs. If you're referring to Layout Mode, start thinking again. Layout Mode was removed from Dreamweaver CS4 because it created the most complex, inaccessible code.
Many people still use tables for layout, but if you're just learning Dreamweaver, you would be better advised to learn how to use CSS for layout. Dreamweaver CS3 and CS4 have 32 prebuilt CSS layouts that provide a rock-solid foundation for most basic layouts.
We are all experienced in the printing programs, so we live via coordinates...
The similarity between print and the web is purely superficial. A printed page is fixed. A web page is not. People view on different browsers, and at different monitor resolutions. Some view with their browser fully expanded. Others, like myself, resize the browser to occupy just part of the monitor.
The language of web design is CSS. It's not something you can learn overnight, but it's essential for learning how to build modern, standards-compliant sites. You'll find some useful tutorials at http://www.adobe.com/devnet/dreamweaver/css.html.
As for the coordinates not updating correctly in the Property inspector, the PI can sometimes be hinky when calculating position, particularly if the computer doesn't have a lot of RAM. The other possibility is that you nudged the border of the AP Div. It's very easy to do without realizing.