Avoiding Tables in HTML

[Andy]

I hate tables, and since I am an HTML coder to make sure my site code is as lean as possible to please search engines, I used to find tables hard to avoid in positioning web page content and defining my page layout.
My fingers are so tired of typing the <table><tr><td></td>...tags. I've done this so many times that I can do it faster than a wysiwyg editor. Then there's the valign="top" nonsense. Oh how I miss that one!

But now I am free! I read an article on css positioning of page content related to accessibility where you suggest to the web browser how to display your page yet it's easily overridden by mobile appliances and people with impaired vision etc. The idea is to use a Style sheet to suggest how the page should be displayed and the content is in your .html page.

I was blown away when I saw this: http://www.csszengarden.com and tried the links that change it's appearance even though the content remains the same.

One small problem is that different browsers don't adhere strictly to the rules of css leading to the boffins to create hacks that exploit the web browsers to display the same way. I don't like this approach. I prefer to accept that they display slightly differently and stick to standard coding.

I have put together a rapid tutorial on how to do css positioning without tables and the site itself is using this method. It is very brief and does not give you pixel-perfect results and you need to undersatnd the basics of implementing style sheets, but if you code websites you should know about this: http://www.templatetool.com/css-positioning.html

[islanding]

Hay Andy,
    Very Nice, I must say that is was very interesting. Thanks for sharing this information. You should also check out SMARTY. I hope you enjoy it.

Talk soon..........

[Sunny]

Isn't CSS fantastic?  If only every web designer took advantage of them, and they were more universally recognized in browsers!  I hope that people will start to catch on, and CSS will expand enormously. 

Anyway, great tutorial, Andy.  I also recommend A List Apart for all their wonderful CSS tips and tricks.  And the king of CSS, Zeldman.

[Andy]

Hi folks, looks like I have hit on a keen up and coming area of interest here.

Thanks for directing me to these established sites related to css development.

I will do my bit in bringing this area of technology to the non-techie masses.