Tables

Using Tables

Tables help control the placement of text and graphics. To put descriptive text and illustrative graphics side by side, use a table. To create columns of information, use a table.

We used a table on the Illustration page to show a piece of clip art and its fly-out menu alongside the actual clip art picture. The table has 2 columns and 1 row. The link below will take you to that example. When you have looked at it, please use your browser's Back button to return to this page.

Go to Table example

Adding a table to your page is easy.

1. Choose Table from the menu bar and Insert from the drop menu, then Table. . . from the cascading menu.
2. Specify the number of rows and columns, the alignment, border size, cell padding and spacing, and the width of the table in pixels or percent.
OR You can click the table button on the toolbar and drag the mouse pointer to indicate the number of rows and columns.
Whichever method you choose, a new table will be inserted in your web page at the position of your cursor.

Tables can help you control the placement of your text.

Suppose you have a background image that is dark on the left edge - you want your text to start far enough away from the left edge to be readable. Make a table with a blank left column of the necessary size and borders set to 0 so they won't be visible. Your text is nicely positioned some distance to the right. We colored the background of the left column to make it visible.

To add a row at the bottom of a table, just position your cursor in the bottom right cell of the table and press the Tab key. A new row will automatically be added.

Return now to the "Design" page for some Final Thoughts.