XML and Fixed Layout problem

[Tau'ri]

Love the way the CSS Fixed Layout #3.1- (Fixed-Fixed-Fixed) (http://www.dynamicdrive.com/style/layouts/item/css-fixed-layout-31-fixed-fixed-fixed/) works. It is great. However, when I add the line of:
<?xml version="1.0"?> to it at the top of the HTML all of the centering goes out the window in IE and becomes left aligned. Does anyone know a hack the will solve the centering / left alignment problem when using the XML statement? I have a PHP file that relies on the XML in order to work. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

Jeff Hansen - (TeamJH)

[Tau'ri]

Does anyone know of a work-around for this?

[boxxertrumps]

use HTML 4.01 strict instead of XHTML.

[Tau'ri]

use HTML 4.01 strict instead of XHTML.Is this what TWey is talking about in another thread? If so, Moderators, could you please edit this reply to reflect the reference? Thanks.

Jeff Hansen - (TeamJH)

Place appropriate link here.

[Twey]

I've discussed it in countless threads, and never got around to writing a sticky. It would probably be a good idea.

The bug you're running into at the moment, however, isn't that, although it is related. Usually, even though it doesn't actually understand XHTML, IE will parse an HTML page with an XHTML DOCTYPE in standards compliance mode. However, because it doesn't actually parse the page as XML, the XML prologue before the DOCTYPE causes it to ignore the DOCTYPE and throws it into quirks mode (as it should). In IE7 they have worked around this by making a specific exception for XML prologues.

The answer is simple: serve either XHTML or HTML, and make sure your content types and DOCTYPEs match. As a rather poor workaround, you could also remove the XML prologue: it must be unnecessary anyway, or your page wouldn't render properly in IE, which ignores it.