Layout Demo - Table

• W3C HTML 4.01 Specification

• W3C HTML 4.01 Specification: Chapter 11, Tables

• Why avoiding tables (for layout) is important

• HTML, CSS and Tables: The Beauty of Data

• Containing Floats

• Floatutorial: Step by step CSS float tutorial

HTML tables have historically been used to layout Web pages as well as represent tabular data. Currently experts discourage (or downright condemn) use of tables to achieve page layout. Some people have [mis] interpreted this to mean all tables are bad and should be avoided.

Consider what the W3C has to say in the HTML 4.01 Specification http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/cover.html regarding tables and page layout:

"Tables should not be used purely as a means to layout document content as this may present problems when rendering to non-visual media. Additionally, when used with graphics, these tables may force users to scroll horizontally to view a table designed on a system with a larger display. To minimize these problems, authors should use style sheets to control layout rather than tables."

Note the phrase To minimize these problems and the word should (my emphasis). In most cases Web page portability and source code readability (and thus, maintenance) will benefit by using tables for tabular data and using stylesheets for page layout.

A common feature of Web pages is a right or left column of site navigation or related links and a "main content" column. While this can be accomplished with tables, the content is better described as "a page of free-flowing content with a navigation section" rather than "tabular data."