Datasheet

17
Chapter 1: The Many Ways to Design a Web Page
Figure 1-3:
In the old
days, the
only way
you could
create a
2-column
Web design
was by
using an
HTML table
like the one
shown here
to control
the place-
ment of text
and images.
Because you can merge and split table cells, you can use them to control
the layout of a page, positioning text and images more or less where you
want them. If you set the table border to 0 (instead of 2 as I did here to show
you the borders), you can hide the table so that it doesn’t interfere with the
design.
Although I recommend that you redesign sites like the one shown in Figure
1-3 with CSS and <div> tags (covered in Chapter 6), I do understand that
some designers still find it easier to create layouts with tables, and not every-
one has time to redesign existing Web sites.
Tables are still considered the best way to format tabular data like the col-
umns and rows that might make up a list of winners from the chocolate
game with their photos, and scores. In Chapter 7, you find an introduction to
Dreamweaver’s Table features and tips for creating accessible table designs
by including the table header tag in all your tables. You can even combine CSS
with tables to create more streamlined designs.
Considering frame options
In Chapter 8, you find instructions for creating Web sites that use frames,
like the Flamingo site shown in Figure 1-4. Among Web designers, frames are
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