height 100% inside table cells (standards)

this column is longer than the other, this column is longer than the other, this column is longer than the other, this column is longer than the other, this column is longer than the other

a blue box inside a cell

this column is longer than the other, this column is longer than the other, this column is longer than the other, this column is longer than the other, this column is longer than the other

a blue box with height:100% inside a cell

In the second table the blue box (which has height:100%) :

has height determined by its content (which is probably correct since its parent —the cell— doesn't have a specified height) in:
- Op7+
- Gecko 1.8/standards, 1.9
- IE5.5+/Win
- Saf 1.3+
stretches vertically to fill the cell in:
- IE5.0/Win
- Gecko 1.2+..1.7-, 1.8/quirks
- IE5/Mac/quirks (the box has the same height as the cell including padding, so it overflows at the bottom.)
has 0 height (the content overflows) in:
- IE5/Mac/standards
- Op6
- Gecko 1.2-/quirks (?)

Notes:

The Gecko behaviour is much version dependent!
In IE5.5+/Win/quirks the box is no more vertically centered.
In Safari 1.2- the second table breaks.

This page in quirks mode: height 100% inside table cells (quirks)

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