Lesson 6. Creating Tables

Tables allow you to present information in an organized manner; they contain rows and columns that intersect to form cells in which you can place content. Cells can then be merged to create larger cells. Tables can be used to present a wide variety of content, from tabular data that needs to be presented spreadsheet style to visual treatments with combinations of graphics and HTML text.

Tables can be used to control layout. By arranging content within table cells, you can place objects in specific locations on a page and create more complex visual arrangements. Tables were one of the HTML elements that initially gave designers and developers control over the layout of their sites. Keep in mind, however, that using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) can be a better method of developing the layout and design of a page because it provides a wider number of layout choices and appearance options while

In this lesson, you'll create tables that contain text and graphics while learning how to augment layouts with tables and use them in conjunction with CSS.

giving designers and developers a better control over the look and feel of the entire site. Table-based layouts are generally more restrictive; you can achieve a greater degree of flexibility with CSS. Additionally, CSS is more efficient, more accessible, and meets the current standards of Web development as defined by the W3C. Because support for the latest CSS can be limitedolder browsers in particular have poor support for CSStables can still be useful. As a result, and considering that many older sites that you might work with are likely to use tables for design purposes, it is important to understand the concepts and techniques of table-based layout.

If you want to view the final result of this lesson, open index.html from the Completed/Schedule folder within the Lesson_06_Tables folder.