Tables operate visually like a spreadsheet, dividing information into rows and columns of cells. This is particularly useful when presenting information in schedules, syllabi, and calendars.
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Tables are, in many cases, the most practical way to layout text and images the way you want on a page (in fact, in order to put this text next to the image to the left, both were put into a table). To make a table, click on the Insert Table button in the Objects Palette (see left); you will get a dialog box that looks like this: |
The Rows and Colums fields should be pretty self-explanatory (don't worry if you are not sure how many rows or colums you want to start out with, you can always change that once it's been created). Cell padding is a pixel value that puts space within each cell, whereas Cell Spacing is a pixel value that puts space between each cell. Width can be in either percent (percentage of the page you want the table to take up) or pixels, and Border is what allows you to make the tables invisible. If you give a table a border of 0, you will not be able to see the cell boundaries when you view it in Netscape (or another browser). Once you are done setting values for the different table attributes, click on OK and the table will appear where the cursor was.
You can modify an existing table by using the Properties inspector. The image below shows the Properties inspector when the table at the top of the page is selected. Select a table by clicking on the right or bottom side, or in the upper left-hand corner. To select a single cell, click at the top or left margin of that cell.
Using the Properties inspector allows you to choose the width, height, and alignment of the table on the page. If you are using a border, you can change the colors. And you can add a background color or image to the table which is separate from the rest of the page. (If no background is selected, the table will use the one which is used on the whole page.) You can also select a single cell, row or column of the table and change the background. Cell padding adds space (in pixels) between the contents of a cell and its border. Cell spacing adds space between cells.
A page with a table with borders:
Investigating Minds: http://www.slc.edu/~ebj/IM_97/syllabus.html
A page with an invisible table used for layout: Elizabeth Johnston- Philosophy: http://www.slc.edu/~ebj/
Dreamweaver help provides and excellent section on creating and modifying tables, and chapter 10 in the Dreamweaver Visual Quickstar Guide is called "Working With Tables".