Re: Sloppy Tables

message from Joe Makowiec on 15 Jul 2004

Assuming you meant http://www.extravaganzadesign.com/career3.htm

Rowspan == BAD
Colspan == BAD

Reslice the image so that it can go into a table which does not use
rowspans and colspans, but rather is strictly X rows x Y columns.

Pick up a copy of FireFox browser, and add the Web Developer extension
onto it. It has a number of tools which will allow you to, say, outline
table cells so you can see the kind of problems you're having.

extravaganza_ replied to Joe Makowiec on 15 Jul 2004

Thanks for both of the replies and sorry about my sloppy posts (at least they
go with my sloppy table. ) I will follow up on the links and the firefox
browser. (I have never used colspans and rowspans very much before but I see
them used so often in web design that I thought I should learn how to do them.
I would rather avoid them whenever possible.) Thanks again.

Joe Makowiec replied to extravaganza_ on 15 Jul 2004

Colspans and rowspans lead to fragile tables. You're gambling that the
browser will be able to sort them and put them in the correct place. For
that matter, you're gambling that you got the correct layout in the first
place... I'll use them (rarely and relcutantly) when I'm handcoding a
table, and have two categories in columns. If a particular item only has
one of those categories, I'll span two columns.
http://www.brunswicklibrary.org/internetResources.html and see the
second category.) That's an old page, though, one I inherited, and it's
probably due for a redesign

David Stiller replied to extravaganza_ on 15 Jul 2004

Before we throw in the towel on tables all together (re: == BAD, == BAD,
etc.), let it be known that colspan and rowspan are completely valid
<td>/<th> attributes, according to W3C.

http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/REC-html40-19980424/struct/tables.html#h-11.2.6.1

Even poor old, brow-beaten tables are valid. It's *how they're used*
that makes a given implementation handy or not. Don't use a screwdriver to
hammer nails or a hammer to drive screws, and you're okay.

David
stiller ( at ) quip ( dot ) net

Archived message: Re: Sloppy Tables (Macromedia Dreamweaver)