Dreamweaver CS5: The Missing Manual

Inserting a Table

One of the main problems with HTML tables is that they require a lot of HTML code. Not only is this one reason why CSS is a better page layout method than HTML, it’s also a good reason to use Dreamweaver to create a table. If you’ve ever hand-coded an HTML table, you know what a tangled mess of code it requires; one typo can sink your whole page. Fortunately, Dreamweaver makes creating HTML tables simple.

1. In the document window, position your cursor where you want to insert a table.

   You can add a table anywhere you can add a paragraph of text. You can even add a table inside another table, by clicking inside a table cell.

2. Choose Insert→Table.

   You can also click the Table button on the Insert panel. It appears under both the Common category and the Layout category. You can also press Ctrl+Alt+T (⌘-Option-T). Either way, the Table dialog box opens (see Figure 7-3).

3. Using the Rows and Columns fields, specify how many rows and columns you want in your table.

   Don’t fret too much over your estimate, since you can always add or remove rows or columns later.

4. Type the amount of cell padding, in pixels, you want for the table.

   Cell padding is the margin inside the cell—the space from the edge of a cell to its contents (see Figure 7-2). Unfortunately, this property applies to every cell in a table (it also applies equally to all four sides of the cell). You can’t specify cell padding for individual cells, nor can you pad cell margins uniquely in all four directions (you can’t for ...