Table layouts

I hope this is the correct place to post this. I thought it was

I have begun to play with tables and so far I was doing really well. Except now I am stuck. I am trying to ad side by side tables BUT after I create the first one and go to create the second one next to it, it jumps to the next line. SO It ends up being under the last table instead of to the right of it. Something stupid and simple I am doing wrong?

Thanks

 

Tables aren't used anymore, only when it is a must.

If you still want to use it, add each table in a cell of a bigger table, something like:

<table-big>
<tr>
<td><table1></table1></td>
<td><table2></table2></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><table1></table3></td>
<td><table2></table4></td>
</tr>
</table-big>

Working with divs is much better.

 

I am using Dreamweaver 8 and was just playing with options and found it. IT does what I was looking for so I decided to use it. I don't know what divs is lol

 

That's not entirely true. Tables are no longer (ab)used for layouts, but they still serve a very important use - presenting data.

As for DIVs, a DIV is a "division" of a page, and is a block-level element that pretty much has no real meaning (out of the box anyway). It looks like this:

<div></div>

Code (markup):

Seriously, don't use tables for layout. Go to your local library and pick up a copy of "Build Your Own Web Site The Right Way Using HTML & CSS" by Ian Lloyd. You'll be glad you did (and getting it from the library won't cost you a dime either).

Oh, and don't trust a WISIWYG editor. It's just a crutch that'll refuse to actually teach you anything.

 

A WISIWYG editor is a good introduction to webdesign though.

Dreamweaver is probably the best and has many, many positive features to it.

Ultimately though, you need to look under the bonnet, so to speak, and have an understanding of the code that drives your website.

You can create an accomplished website using just tables - despite CSS being around since 1996, it has only been in the last couple of years in which it has really taken off and become the industry standard.

However, CSS will give you more control on the design than just using tables and X/HTML.

 

No, it's not. It'll just lull you into a false sense of security. Nothing, and I mean Nothing will beat a good solid foundation on the fundamentals of HTML and CSS, which is why I recommended Ian Lloyd's book on the subject. Which is another reason to avoid the $400 over-glorified text editor called Dreamweaver.

As for CSS, it's been around since 1996, but really didn't take off until 2001 when Internet Explorer 5 came out (Netscape 4's implementation was a piece of crap, they knew it, so they spent as much time as they could working on what became known as the Gecko rendering engine that was later used by Firefox).

As for the use of tables to layout a Web site, do that and I'm guaranteeing that the next person who takes up maintenance of that Web site is going to laugh their socks off, throw out the existing code and start over from scratch - unless they're just some Dreamweaver junkie or Frontpage floozie that is.

 

To each his own I always say! What you wrote is basically babble to me since I don't understand half of it!

Thanks for all the tips everyone. Hope to figure this out soon. It is VERY frustrating!

 

here's what to do: Don't try to make two tables - instead, use the split/merge cell feature to create different cells. If you want the borders of the tables to be different, then use an external CSS style sheet and use CSS definitions to style the borders using DW's CSS tool (you can control the top, bottom, left, right border etc...)

Kinda hard to explain here, but it is easy and it works once you understand.

Alternatively, you might try aligning one table to the right by highlighting it and selecting right aligniment, but not sure if side by side tables are the best idea - depends on circumstances.

 

Thank you. I will give that one a go! Seems the easiest so far !

 

The best way In my mind to create a layout is to use tables.

like this, properly indented and everything....

<div class="wrap">
      <table class="layout">
            <tr>
                  <td>
                        <table class="head">
                              <tr>
                                    <td>
                                          <img src="img/logo.jpg" alt="logo" />
                                    </td>
                              </tr>
                              <tr>
                                    <td>
                                          links and navigation
                                    </td>
                              </tr>
                        </table>
                  </td>
            </tr>
            <tr>
                  <td>
                        <table class="left">
                              <tr>
                                    <td>
                                    </td>
                              </tr>
                        </table>
                 </td>
                  <td>
                        <table class="center">
                              <tr>
                                    <td>
                                    </td>
                              </tr>
                        </table>
                  </td>
                  <td>
                        <table class="right">
                              <tr>
                                    <td>
                                    </td>
                              </tr>
                        </table>
                  </td>
            </tr>
      </table>
</div>

HTML: