Chapter 10:
Tables
Tables...
Example of a Table...
| What are tables used for? |
| Tables are used to make data easier to
interpret or to just give your document more
impact. |
<table border=4>
<tr>
<th>What are tables used for?</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Tables are used to make data easier to interpret or to just
give your document more impact.</td>
</tr>
</table>
Tables are one of the most challenging things to code with
HTML. It isn't very hard, it just takes a while to get the
hang of. Tables start with the <table> tag, and usually
contain the border=n attribute within the opening
tag. If the border=0, than the table's border is
invisible. Usually when you do not use the border attribute
the table border will become invisible. This is useful when
you want to align text in rows and columns, but don't want
a table border around it. border=1 is a thin
border. border=2 is a little thicker,
border=3 a little more thick.. and so on. The
table MUST end with a </table> tag, or the table will
not appear at all!
Example of tables with borders...
This table has a border of
0.
|
<table border=0>
<tr>
<td>This table has a border of 0.</td>
</tr>
</table>
|
| This table has a border of
3. |
<table border=3>
<tr>
<td>This table has a border of 3.</td>
</tr>
</table>
|
Each row within the table is defined by the opening
<tr> tag and the
optional </tr>
closing tag. Within each table row are table cells, which
are defined by the <td> opening and
</td>
closing tags. Most table rows contain more than
one cell. Many times, you will need a heading
for a column of cells of the first row. To do
this, you will use the <th> opening and
</th>
closing tag. The table heading tag makes the
text in that cell BOLD and CENTERED. You only
need use the heading cells when necessary.
Example of a table with multiple rows and
columns...
| Heading A |
Heading B |
Heading C |
| Cell A |
Cell B |
Cell C |
| Cell D |
Cell E |
Cell F |
<table border=2>
<tr>
<th>Heading A</th><th>Heading B</th><th>Heading C</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Cell A</td><td>Cell B</td><td>Cell C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Cell D</td><td>Cell E</td><td>Cell F</td>
</tr>
</tr>
</table>
But what if you want your table to look like the
following?
| Heading A |
Heading B |
Heading C |
| Cell A & D |
Cell B |
Cell C |
| Cell E |
Cell F |
<table border=2>
<tr>
<th>Heading A</th><th>Heading B</th><th>Heading C</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan=2>Cell A & D</td><td>Cell B</td><td>Cell C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Cell E</td><td>Cell F</td>
</tr>
</tr>
</table>
Notice how the rowspan=2
attribute was added. This allows that cell to span two
rows. If you want a cell to span more than column, use the
colspan=n attribute.
Also, you may wish to use the ALIGN and VALIGN attributes to align the
contents of cells. If you wish to change the horizontal
alignment of the contents of a certain cell, add
ALIGN=LEFT,
ALIGN=CENTER,
or ALIGN=RIGHT to the
opening <td> tag. If you
wish to change the vertical alignment of the
contents of a cell, use the VALIGN=TOP, VALIGN=MIDDLE, or
VALIGN=BOTTOM
attributes. You may also want to try out the
WIDTH=n%
attribute, to change the width of a table or a
cell.
Example of ALIGN attributes within a table...
| Left Alignment |
Center Alignment |
Right Alignment |
<table border=1 width=100%>
<tr>
<td align=left>Left Alignment</td>
<td align=center>Center Alignment</td>
<td align=right>Right Alignment</td>
</tr>
</table>
Your own HTML
page...
Right click on the image in the centre of the
black-bordered box below, and select "Save Image As" /
"Save Picture As", or similar. Save it as "phxsuns.jpg" in
the same directory where your home page "Home.htm" is
stored.
Tables can be used without borders, to align images and
text next to each other. Change the heading of your home
page to a table, like this:
<html>
<head><title>My Home
Page</title></head>
<!-- The body starts here - and a background image is
loaded -->
<body background="bgnd.gif">
<!-- This is a table: 3 columns, 1
row, no border -->
<table border=0 width=100%>
<!-- Beginning of the row -->
<tr>
<!-- Beginning of the first cell -->
<td align=center>
<!-- The first cell contains an image -->
<img src="fraidbut.gif">
<!-- End of the first cell -->
</td>
<!-- Beginning of the second cell -->
<td align=center>
<!-- The second cell contains the original heading
-->
<font color="Blue"><h1>YOURNAME's Home
Page</h1></font>
<!-- End of the second cell -->
</td>
<!-- Beginning of the third cell -->
<td align=center>
<!-- The third cell contains an image -->
<img src="fraidbut.gif">
<!-- End of the third cell -->
</td>
<!-- End of the row -->
</tr>
<!-- End of the table -->
</table>
<!-- This is a horizontal line -->
<hr>
.
.
.
</body>
</html>
Save the text file as "Home.htm".
Go To Chapter 11
Return to index
| 