Maybe I'm old school (heck, I know I'm old school), but I like using the tried-and-true <Table> and <img src=”/blank.gif”.. formatting approach to websites as opposed to CSS absolute positioning. There were exceptions when I used the CSS absolute approach, but I use HTML formatting mostly.
I rewrote an old page this morning and was curious how the approach to creating a blank space with a blank.gif file evolved.
initially using a Label control
lblBlanker.Text = "<img src=\"/images/utils/blank10x10.gif\" width=\"" +
int.Parse(dr["width"].ToString() + 50).ToString() + "\" height=\"20\">";
then using an Image control
imgBlanker.ImageUrl = "/images/utils/blank10x10.gif";
imgBlanker.Width = pw.width + 50;
imgBlanker.Height = 20;
then a static library
Cntrls.DoBlanker(imgBlanker, pw.width + 50, 20);
Less is less, after all.