# Having trouble with text\_fields and CSS

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/having-trouble-with-text-fields-and-css/195583>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [September 25, 2010, 10:33pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/having-trouble-with-text-fields-and-css/195583 "2010-09-25T22:33:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![adistarmid](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@adistarmid](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/adistarmid)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 10:33pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/having-trouble-with-text-fields-and-css/195583/1 "2010-09-25T22:33:02Z")

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If I don’t use CSS, the text fields only have their labels left  
justified with the fields wherever they end up.

This CSS  
.household {  
position:absolute;  
left:1.8in;  
}  
causes the text fields to be left justified at 1.8", but changes the  
field height, making the fields unreadable. I have tried height,  
margin, and padding with no luck… Please help.

Bob [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)

By the way, if anyone needs to see what this looks like, go to

[http://mysite.verizon.net/vze10eqgh/](http://mysite.verizon.net/vze10eqgh/)

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**Author:** ![adistarmid](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@adistarmid](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/adistarmid)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/having-trouble-with-text-fields-and-css/195583/2 "2010-09-25T22:46:30Z")

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On 25 September 2010 21:32, Bob S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> margin, and padding with no luck… Please help.  
> If you install firebug in firefox you can select the field and firebug  
> will show you the style for the object and where it is getting that  
> style from, which may give you a clue.

Also whenever I see anything a bit odd like that I check the page html  
using the w3c html validator and sometimes the fundamental cause is  
invalid html.

Colin

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**Author:** ![adistarmid](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@adistarmid](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/adistarmid)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/having-trouble-with-text-fields-and-css/195583/3 "2010-09-27T16:39:39Z")

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Colin L. wrote:

> On 25 September 2010 21:32, Bob S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:
> 
> > margin, and padding with no luck… Please help.  
> > If you install firebug in firefox you can select the field and firebug  
> > will show you the style for the object and where it is getting that  
> > style from, which may give you a clue.

The debugging console for WebKit browsers (Safari, Chrome, …) will do  
likewise.

> Also whenever I see anything a bit odd like that I check the page html  
> using the w3c html validator and sometimes the fundamental cause is  
> invalid html.

Oh hell yes.

For further questions on this issue, a CSS forum may be more help; this  
is not really a Rails issue.

> Colin

## Best,

Marnen Laibow-Koser  
[http://www.marnen.org](http://www.marnen.org)  
removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid