Trouble with tables? Here are some common table issues, and some
possible solutions for these situations when they arise.
Disappearing Tables
If you load your site and get blank space instead of your table,
the first thing you'll want to look for is a missing </TABLE>,
</TD>, or </TR> tag in your table code. Leaving these out can
cause various problems, including the "disappearing table". If
you find one missing, add it in and reload. If it still is not
there, check for more. Hopefully once you have found them all
your table will be visible again.
Unknown Space
If you seem to have lots of space for no reason, look for <BR> or
<P> tags that may be in places you did not want them. Watch out
for these outside of <TD></TD> tags, as they can cause weird
spacing problems. So, avoid structures like this:
<BR>
<TR>
<TD>Write words etc.</TD>
<BR>
<TD>More content</TD>
<BR>
You'll notice there that the <BR> tags are in places they should
not be for the table to work properly. To make the new table row,
use only the <TR> and no <BR> tags. To break the content within a
cell, be sure the <BR> is between the <TD> and </TD> tags and not
outside of them.
Nesting Tables
Another thing to remember is to try and nest your tables (one
table within another) as little as possible to avoid potential
errors. The more you nest tables, the harder it is to find an
error when you have problems. When you do need to nest your
tables, try to use indentions to your favor so you will have an
easier time when you look at the code. One option that may help
is to indent a number of spaces each time you nest a new table,
something like this:
<TABLE>
<TR>
<TD>
<TABLE>
<TR>
<TD>Content words etc.</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
This way, you can see both the inner and outer table more easily,
and be able to discover problems more quickly.
Spacing Trouble
If your table shows up with too much spacing around the edges,
try checking your cellspacing and cellpadding attributes with
your <TABLE> tag. If you want no space around your table
contents, both of these must be set to zero. The default leaves
space there, so they must be set to zero rather than left alone.
<TABLE cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
Check them out, especially if you nest tables. You may have to do
quite a bit of tinkering to get the spacing you want, including
more nesting!
Percentages vs. Pixels
This topic alone has sparked many heated discussions on internet
discussion lists and forums. Both have their advantages and
drawbacks, so you'll need to consider them when designing your
tables and your web site.
Tables defined with a percentage will expand and contract with
the browser at different resolutions, or if the viewer changes
the size of the browser window. These are often used on pages or
sections containing mostly text, which may not need precise
formatting. The advantage here is that you can fill the screen no
matter what its size, so you don't have to worry about blank
space. Also, when a browser is opened in a really small window,
the viewer may still be able to read your text (depending on your
layout). On the other hand, percentages can be risky as they may
look bad in really high or low screen widths. If you use this
method, be sure to test with as many widths as you can to ensure
everything looks how you want it to appear. Also, you have to be
careful using images and horizontal rules, as they can cause the
table to expand beyond the percentage you set if they are too
long in width.
Tables defined with a set pixel width will remain at that width
no matter what the viewer does to the screen. In this way, you
will know what your table looks like on all screen widths. On the
bad side, you leave lots of blank space for those at high
resolutions, or you may end up giving the dreaded horizontal
scroll bars to those with smaller screen widths. Often these are
set at about 600 pixels so those with 640x480 can view the page
with a maximized browser. This keeps the page viewable for most
everyone, but can leave blank space on one or both sides at high
resolutions.
Yet There Still Could Be More
There are numerous other issues and potential problems with
tables, but it is almost impossible to cover them all at once.
Hopefully these tips and bits of information will help you get
the most out of your tables until a sequel or two can be written!