Layout cell problem

message from phill20 on 22 Jul 2004

Good evening one and all, been using Dreamweaver for a while now without a
hitch..however got a problem when ever I try and use "Draw Layout Cell".
When I press the Draw Layout Cell button I get this error message.... "YOU
WONT SEE THIS ELEMENT UNLESS: VIEW> VISUAL AIDS> INVISIBLE ELEMENTS IS CHECKED
AND PERFORMANCE
SETTING FOR THIS ELEMENT IS ON".
I have been to view and visual aids invisible elements and it is checked on.
The preferance setting is also on.
Help as I cannot use as this error message keeps appearing and I cannot use
draw layout cell.
Any help would be very helpful...
Thanks Phil

Murray *TMM* replied to phill20 on 22 Jul 2004

I have a wonderful way to never see this message again.

NEVER USE LAYOUT MODE.

In my opinion, there are three serious problems with Layout Mode -

1. Perhaps most importantly, it sits between you and *real* HTML tables,
and fools you into believing that concepts like "layout cell" and
"autostretch" really mean something. They do not. As long as you use
Layout Mode, you'll never learn one of the most important things for new web
developers - how to build solid and reliable tables.

2. Actually, #1 wouldn't be *so* bad, except that the code that is written
by Layout Mode is really poor code. For example, a layout table contains
MANY empty rows of cells. This alone contributes nearly more than anything
else to a table's instability. In addition, if your initial definition of
the table is a bit complex, Layout Mode will throw in col- and rowspans
aplenty as it merges and splits cells willy-nillly to achieve the layout you
have specified. Again, this is an extremely poor method for building stable
tables, because it allows changes in one tiny cell's shape (i.e.,
dimensions) to ripple through the rest of the table, usually with unexpected
and sometimes disastrous consequences.

3. The UI for Layout Mode is beyond confusing - many options that you might
want to use are inaccessible.

To make good tables, keep it simple. Put a table on the page, and begin to
load your content. If you would want a different table layout, instead of
merging or splitting cells, consider stacking tables or nesting simple
tables instead, respectively.

And above all, do not try to build the whole page with a single table!

To read more about this approach, visit the DW FAQ link in my sig, and run
through the table tutorials.

Archived message: Layout cell problem (Macromedia Dreamweaver)