In Microsoft Word, Web Layout view shows how a document appears when viewed by a web browser like Internet Explorer
. The web browser rendering process involves multiple steps to convert HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code into a visual webpage
. Rendering a Web Page:
- Parsing HTML : The browser fetches HTML, splits the content into tokens, parses the tokens, and converts them into nodes
. These nodes are then linked to create a DOM (Document Object Model) tree, which represents the structure of the HTML document
- Parsing CSS : The browser fetches CSS files and divides the content into tokens, which are transformed into CSS rules
. These rules are used to create a CSSOM (CSS Object Model) tree, representing the styles applied to DOM elements
- Render Tree : The DOM and CSSOM trees are combined to generate the render tree, which consists of the visual elements to be displayed on the page along with their computed styles
. Non-visible elements are excluded from the render tree
- Layout Calculation : The browser calculates the layout of each visible element, determining their exact size and position on the page. This process, known as reflow, considers factors such as viewport size, font sizes, and computed styles
- Painting : The browser fills in the pixels for each element using colors, images, borders, and styles, bringing the page's visual design to life
- Compositing Layers : Elements may be painted on separate layers, and these layers are then composited together. This optimization allows the browser to efficiently redraw specific parts of the page when changes occur
