Designing Page Layout

Layout Using Tables

Tables let you precisely control the position of elements in your web pages. For example, you may use the first column in a table for your navigation elements, the second column for text and the third column for notes, ads, or additional links. Frequently, the first row of a table contains the site's name and logo.

To design a page using a table, you insert the table first, adjusting it as necessary to define the layout of the page. Then you insert text, images, and other elements into the individual table cells.

Inserting a Table

1. On the Insert bar, click the Table button.

The Insert Table dialog opens.

2. Enter the number of rows and columns you want in the table.
3. For the table width, you can enter a fixed width of a specific number of pixels, or a percent of the width of the page. If you use a fixed width, the table will not be resized when the browser window is resized.
4. If you want borders to appear around the cells, enter a border thickness.
5. Cell padding refers to the amount of space (in pixels) between the contents and the edges of the table cells; cell spacing refers to the amount of space between the individual cells of the table. Enter the values you want into these fields.
6. Use the Header section to specify the location of the header contents in your table. Headers are used by screen readers so users with disabilities can keep track of table information.
7. Click OK.