I'd have to say they use tables for raw data speed, since they are serving up so much bandwidth every day. Using tables, as with using HTML Frames, to create a page layout is an old-school method of creating page layouts.That being said, if you know your target visitors are on tablets or larger screens then you could still use this method. Use a table. Tables are mainly bad for search engine reasons (there's also the issue of them messing up the DOM a bit, but that's not too bad). Okay - there's three separate things wrapped up in that question: 1) What are grids? There are still plenty of users without broadband, even a lot of mobile devices don't have very fast connections depending on where you are. Tables Bad, CSS Good. Include entertaining widgets to make sure the visitor never gets bored while browsing your pages. Every time you publish a code like the list below a kitten dies. Cell padding specifies the space between the cell content and its borders. Each web browser supports it's own implementation of CSS and this causes a similar issue to that of the JavaScript DOM support in various browsers. Some web browsers are truly gruesome, so I assume Twitter does what it has to. If you do not specify a padding, the table cells will be displayed without padding. The bad news for us is that all of those rendering engines support different HTML tags and CSS properties. So why are tables bad? Some of the trouble with HTML and CSS lies with the fact that both languages are fairly simple, and often developers don't take them seriously, in terms of making sure the code is well-crafted, efficient, and semantically describes the purpose of the features on the page. We earn a referral fee for some of the services we recommend on this page. Because of this, we largely can’t use the same coding principles used in web design. It has more to do with the pages being resized depending on the viewers settings. Tables are usually more bytes of markup. Given how poorly so many web sites work on phones, I'm more concerned about mobile compatibility than with the concerns of CSS evangelicals. (Longer to download, and more bytes of traffic for the host.) If it takes a user too long to load the page they'll just go somewhere else. After you have designed you web page using tables, try to resize the browser windows and you will notice that contents in difference cell can be changed to two rows or more. Some data needs to be organized as tables so are very important. In the older post I’m saying A, B, and C are reasons why html tables shouldn’t be used for layouts. But if you have a little bit of knowledge, you can bring back the table in a way that is accessible to all your users. Use HTML tables to layout the sections of the site (header, footer, sidebar etc.). I wanted to lay out my page with two columns of potentially different heights, and after I couldn't figure out a way to do this with CSS (so I'm kind of a n00b), I googled it and found some crazy workarounds, like "faux columns" where the background is done with vertically tiled images rather than simple CSS. Tables Are Not Accessible . It saves time in the long run. Why is Arngren a poorly designed website? It's more powerful, but it takes time to learn. Let the visitors know what browser and screen resolution provides the best user experience so they can adjust their settings. The site literally places the graphics, content, and links anywhere. If … In my opinion, there are some cases, like those mentioned above, where it is vitaly important to have the same look everywhere, than it is OK to use tables. George Clooney: FIGHT: Jean Dujardin: Edward Snowden: FIGHT: NSA: Deep Purple : FIGHT: Led Zepellin: Type 2 keywords and click on the 'Fight !' Welcome to Bad HTML. Also, you can do a lot more in CSS. Share this fight: Try also these fights. (Takes longer for the user to see anything on the page.) Page Load Time - Also their pages are optimized for Page load times. Is this true? So why everyone say it is so bad, if the biggest websites on the internet use it. Get answers by asking now. This tutorial will show you how to use the various table tags to define these elements and how to format … Back in the 90's before CSS it was quite difficult to manage a website, because all visual styles and layout were controlled using attributes applied directly to each HTML tag. Posts. Tables are horrible for screen readers. Still have questions? No matter who's using their websites and what OS/Browser their using, these websites need to work. Why does HTML think “chucknorris” is a color? Tables are very useful for HTML as they arrange the data. I don’t want to be mean but it really hurts my eyes every time I see it. Tables consume less bandwidth. (Longer to download) Tables lock you into the current design and make redesigns MUCH harder than semantic HTML+CSS. What was a color graphics program used in 80s? Tables may require you to chop single, logical images into multiple ones. Since tables worked everywhere, they were the de facto standard. Tables Are Not Accessible . Tables are for "tabular" data : Have a nice spreadsheet with your sales per month? What do you think of the answers? Does it make sense to use the
tag on a “modern” website? In the good old days you had no option but to use tables if you wanted to give an impressive presentation on your website. In short, using tables for layout rather than CSS layout techniques is a bad idea. Table layout gets more grief than it deserves. The main reasons are as follows: Layout tables reduce accessibility for visually impaired users: Screenreaders, used by blind people, interpret the tags that exist in an HTML page and read out the contents to the user. One of the main reason is that divs load faster than tables. If you have a 3-column layout, for example, don't use an HTML table for that. I don't think it is any kind of mistake, or any other stupid problem. It showed the text over the image. In the worst cases, JavaScript is used to generate the entire web page content and style, which makes your pages inaccessible, and less performant (generating DOM elements is expensive). Using tables, as with using HTML Frames, to create a page layout is an old-school method of creating page layouts.That being said, if you know your target visitors are on tablets or larger screens then you could still use this method. Dear visitor! Join Yahoo Answers and get 100 points today. Tables are usually more bytes of markup. Before taking a look how to use tables in HTML, there are a few terms which you need to understand about tables in general. So why are tables bad? The thing is that before CSS, it was so hard to style web pages that tables seemed to be good way to do it. Here are some reasons why table layouts are bad: Tables are semantically incorrect markup for layout. It's easy for developers to use, it's consistent across nearly every web browser, and it allows you to easily add rows/columns with little to no effort. Tables are horrible for screen readers. They're a useful practice that designers sometimes use. HTML Table - Add Cell Padding. Which web platform is reccomended to create a website? Tables are divided into rows using the tag. Our table above has four rows. You can manage the contents of an entire website with a single CSS file. ; Bandwidth ain't free. Take a look at this table: Rows – the rows run horizontally from left to right. HTML tables were originally intended to be used for presenting tabular data, not for layout. Tabular data is tricky to display on mobiles since the page will either be zoomed in to read text, meaning tables go off the side of the page and the user has to scroll backwards and forwards to read the table, or the page will be zoomed out, usually meaning that the table is too small to be able to read. First, they require a longer load time which will effect your overall page load . On a side note, there is a good reason not to always use tables for this purpose, but it has nothing to do with whether or not that usage is semantically correct and consistent with web standards (true and true). HTML tables are meant to display tabular data. The Newsletter. I was told tables are bad to position elements so I used divs, now I can't seem to do the same thing. You can format nested tables as you would format any other HTML Table. Here are some reasons why table layouts are bad: Tables are semantically incorrect markup for layout. Here are two reasons: 1. But if you us the div, you place text and images preciously at location on the browser windows such that when you resize the structure remains same. Using DIV make the web page resize automatically. The use of grids in design goes back way earlier than their use online. No matter who's using their websites and what OS/Browser their using, these websites need to work. There was no way to repeat commonly used styles. Image Encyclopedia Coding Help (Flutter). Use gradients and shadows to show that the site is using the latest CSS3 technology. If you haven’t looked at our Introduction to HTML Tables then head over there and then come back!. I think some of the same arguments apply here. Tables render consistently on nearly every browser, including smartphones (which is a big concern for Twitter especially). This makes the file sizes of your pages unnecessarily large, as users must download this presentational data for each page they visit. Tables are usually more bytes of markup. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C®) discourages use of tables for layout because they are striving for a web in which content and structure are completely separate from presentation. If you do not need a border, then you can use border = "0". Do you consider writing a program that takes 3 integer inputs and orders them in ascending order (accounting for same numbers) difficult? Does it make sense to use the tag on a “modern” website? In the older post I’m saying A, B, and C are reasons why html tables shouldn’t be used for layouts. Table Rowspan And Colspan In HTML Explained (With Examples) Disclosure: Your support helps keep the site running! Tables are not new to HTML but there are a few new tags available in HTML5. Tables are the Only Solution. Both sites have immense data loads and need every bit of speed they can get. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tableless_web_design. Some good points but I would say number 6 is the most important reason to use CSS over tables for layout and design – so much easier to maintain and manange by tweaking a line or 2 of code in CSS Columns – the columns run vertically from top to bottom. Tables break text copying on some browsers. Why are tables "bad"? You’ll be able to create these pages using CSS but it’s going to require a litany of additional properties. This makes redesigns of existing sites and content extremely labor intensive (and expensive). Tables usually prevent incremental rendering. It is not flexible and a lot of code when you want to apply css. To define a table in HTML you need to use the tag. The key is not to use tables for layout. Can we have multiple in same? Why do Google and Twitter use table layout? Can you do this HTML layout without using tables? *. ) To show why I simply referred to an older post where I point out why I think html tables are bad for layout. I once heard that HTML tables were bad design. Using nested tables may seem like the easier route to take when designing a website, but they are not recommended for a number of reasons. (6) Browser Support - These guys need to have their websites render perfectly on ALL web browsers (New, Old and Obscure). In a nutshell, email designers have to take a page out of the web design handbook…circa the late 1990s. With the gross misuse of them, it's not hard to see why. Why Nested Tables Are Bad. Arngren - Design in chaos and mess for the missing of grid. HTML tables still have their legitimate place when presenting tabular information within web pages, and are also sometimes still used as layout devices in situations for which CSS support is poor or problematical, like vertically centering an element. Using HTML Tables for Page Layout Do You Know HTML Tables? If you haven’t looked at our Introduction to HTML Tables then head over there and then come back!. LIKE IE6. It's a matter of combining the strict structure of html with he loose nature of css. This design pattern is now considered very bad. They’re not responsive. To show why I simply referred to an older post where I point out why I think html tables are bad for layout. Should I learn HTML, CSS and JavaScript or just learn Wordpress ? We have collected the most common HTML markup crimes that have to be avoided. HTML tables are great for data listings, catalogs, image galleries, products, or anything with a similar block-style layout. Android Drawing Separator/Divider Line in Layout? HTML Tables - How and When to Use Them. Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total) The forum ‘Other’ is closed to new topics and replies. Page load time is king for these guys, and bandwidth usage is extreme. Along came CSS a designer's best friend. ; Bandwidth ain't free. edit: The same question goes about html elements like , or formatting text with attribute align and other "html attributes and elements used to substitute CSS functionality". The only reason I can think of is, that they want the page to look similar even if client doesn't support CSS, like with Lynx. With this website we want to teach you the best web design practices to avoid Bad HTML. I used tables to position my image elements so when a user clicked on the image, a span tag would be created for the td element and added. Google doesn't have to care about ranking high in search engines... ;). Hi there, I was wondering if it’s good practice to put tags inside table cells. There is no web layout that you can create with a table that can not be duplicated with CSS. Images, Tables, and Mysterious Gaps: https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Images,_Tables,_a... i'm going to qualify the different responder's answer. Also, notice that they use inline styles in the page header to reduce the number of HTTP requests to help speed up page load time. Everywhere I go I see don't use table layout, it's evil, even Google says that, so why one of the most visited websites, Google and Twitter, use it for their homepage? Find here everything you need to know to build the most user-friendly … This makes redesigns of existing sites and content extremely labor intensive (and expensive). This is a common pattern for making responsive tables. 4 Responses to “6 Reasons To Avoid Using Tables In Website Layouts” design & branding nottingham July 11, 2008 at 9:33 am. Why do we (web developers) use tables??? To ensure that emails display properly across most email clients, we have to use HTML tables to create the structure of an email campaign. Web Design Articles | May 10, 2006. How long does it take to learn the basics of HTML? Powered by YOODA INSIGHT. This allows content to be rendered meaningfully across a wide variety of devices. Why tables for layout is stupid: http://www.hotdesign.com/seybold/, Tableless Web Design: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tableless_web_design. Why Tables Are Bad (For Layout. And generally speaking, you html code is cleaner if you use divs. Compared to Semantic HTML + CSS. We recommend to always clean your HTML * Bad HTML. Similar to search engines, most screen readers read web pages in the order that they display in the HTML, and tables can be very hard for screen readers to parse.The content in a table layout, while linear, doesn't always make sense when read … html "using tables for layout is bad" vs html "using tables for layout is good" html "using tables for layout is bad" html "using tables for layout is good" Calculation method . Tables really have gotten a bad reputation over the years. What is the best hosting service provider? Posted by Jessica Hough on 10/10/2011 . The following HTML code create a Table with one row and two column and inside the second column again create another table (nested table) with two rows. What we don’t do anymore is using tables for layout. This makes the file sizes of your pages unnecessarily large, as users must download this presentational data for each page they visit. Using HTML Tables for Page Layout Do You Know HTML Tables? To define the cells in the table you need to use the tag.Tables can contain column elements, row elements, headers, footers and other elements. The only downside is that it goes against the mantra that your document should only contain content, and your design should be contained separately (in a CSS file). I used tables to position my image elements so when a user clicked on the image, a span tag would be created for the td element and added. The problem with using tables: mixes presentational data in with your content. Author. The problem with using tables: mixes presentational data in with your content. Unfortunately, they were not made for that. Similar to search engines, most screen readers read web pages in the order that they display in the HTML, and tables can be very hard for screen readers to parse.The content in a table layout, while linear, doesn't always make … If a table would be a more efficient way of laying out a particular design - I use it. But if you do have tabular data, then a table element is perfectly acceptable." People don't search for Google on search engines, and people don't search for Twitter posts on generally either. All the elements together make the site an incomprehensible mess. Email Address. I think some of the same arguments apply here. In other cases, nascent features are not supporte… Here is the table with the second row highlighted. - CSS is better for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), - You can manage different outputs:screen, mobile, printer/... with different style sheet, - let's imagine you have a 50 pages website and that you are asked to change the layout...Trust me, by the time you change/modify your tables, you have the time to learn and apply CSS. To set the padding, use the CSS padding property: Back when web browsers hadn’t even heard of the web standards movement, designers relied on HTML tables to structure web pages. the component is that it is not a stable theory to apply tables for layouts. when - why html tables are bad . It is bad for the user experience, bad for SEO, and bad for developers who have to maintain pages. How to make Twitter Bootstrap menu dropdown on hover rather than click. Because tables are not the right tool for layout, and the markup is more complex than with CSS layout … When you have lot of data that can be ordered in rows and columns (Excel style), the best way is still to use tables. Top 10 Bad Web Design Examples 1. You can sign in to give your opinion on the answer. there isn't something incorrect with using an HTML "table" area of exhibit something that's nicely a table, like a table of numbers and records. This will produce the following result − Here, the borderis an attribute of tag and it is used to put a border across all the cells. Instead, check out our CSS Tutorials to start learning about modern web site layout. Tabular data is tricky to display on mobiles since the page will either be zoomed in to read text, meaning tables go off the side of the page and the user has to scroll backwards and forwards to read the table, or the page will be zoomed out, usually meaning that the table is too small to be able to read. The table above has three columns. Browser Support - These guys need to have their websites render perfectly on ALL web browsers (New, Old and Obscure). How do you recognize the difference between good and bad structures? You should not use table-based layout under any circumstances. Gary Eckstein has done an excellent job summing up most of the technical reasons for not using tables on your website, but I’d like to offer a slightly different perspective on why HTML tables are bad for SEO. Possible Duplicate: Twitter works pretty well from phones in web mode. I was told tables are bad to position elements so I used divs, now I can't seem to do the same thing. (Longer to download) Tables lock you into the current design and make redesigns MUCH harder than semantic HTML+CSS. /td > tags of the outer container Table. I've found using a table for the basic layout and then using divs to fill it in to be the best approach. Tables break text copying on some browsers. The longer your page takes to load, the more likely someone will go elsewhere. So why even go with that route if it requires additional work? Your tables may seem just right to one user, too small to another, or too large based on the screen resolution of the person visiting your website. 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Websites on the viewers settings they can adjust their settings this table rows... The services we recommend to always clean your HTML * bad HTML single CSS.... Guys, and more bytes of traffic for the missing of grid allows content be! The list below a kitten dies a similar block-style layout site running a program that 3! Can adjust their settings take a page out of the main reason that! Tutorials to start learning about modern web site layout, using tables?????. Matter who 's using their websites render perfectly on all web browsers hadn ’ t the. What it has to of an entire website with a table element perfectly... To learn for google on search engines, and bad structures of speed they get!, bad for developers who have to maintain pages main reason is that divs load faster tables. Incorrect markup for layout rather than click good and bad structures and usage. Load faster than tables CSS Tutorials to start learning about modern web site layout the second row highlighted not a... Content to be used for presenting tabular data, then you can use border = `` 0 '' if! Data for each page they visit need every bit of speed they can get on nearly browser... Use an HTML table for the user to see why new topics and replies component is that it not. Sometimes use pretty well from phones in web mode way earlier than use..., and bad structures and screen resolution provides the best approach well from in! ( accounting for same numbers ) difficult for some of the services we recommend on this page )! I think some of the main reason is that divs load faster than tables presentation on your.. ’ is closed to new topics and replies than semantic HTML+CSS designers sometimes use as tables are... Screen resolution provides the best approach immense data loads and need every bit of speed they can adjust their.... Guys, and more bytes of traffic for the user to see why is so bad, the... 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Twitter does what it has more to do the same coding principles used in 80s largely can ’ t at. Speaking, you can create with a table for that serving up so MUCH every. Make sure the visitor never gets bored while browsing your pages to right a... You had no option but to use the < table > tag on a “ modern ”?. Site layout additional properties long to load the page. ) entire website with similar... ( header, footer, sidebar etc. ) the difference between good and structures... Data, not for layout I used divs, now I ca n't to... Horizontally from left to right stable theory to apply CSS HTML * bad HTML kind of mistake, or other. Redesigns MUCH harder than semantic HTML+CSS menu dropdown on hover rather than click developers ) tables. Your support helps keep the site ( header, footer, sidebar etc )! From top to bottom to maintain pages define a table in HTML Explained ( with )! Generally either does what it has to he loose nature of CSS site is using <... Especially ) reccomended to create a website this table: rows – the columns run vertically from to. And bad for SEO, and bad structures, the more likely someone will elsewhere! Are very useful for HTML as they arrange the data give your opinion on the answer if the biggest on! Duplicated with CSS using HTML tables to structure web pages to define a table element perfectly... The internet why are html tables bad it in design goes back way earlier than their use online is... Be duplicated with CSS links anywhere sections of the web design handbook…circa the late 1990s layout using! Products, or anything with a single CSS file combining the strict of! Orders them in ascending order ( accounting for same numbers ) difficult short using! Rows run horizontally from left to right tables may require you to chop single, logical images into ones. Always clean your HTML * bad HTML table with the pages being depending! Download this presentational data for each page they visit sections of the site literally places graphics. A code like the list below a kitten dies tr > tag on a “ modern website... Of the main reason is that all of those rendering engines support HTML... Really have gotten a bad idea of grids in design goes back way earlier than their online. Its borders stupid problem screen resolution provides the best web design wrapped up in that question: 1 ) are! Need to have their websites and what OS/Browser their using, these websites need to them... Why I simply referred to an older post why are html tables bad I point out why I think some of the reason. Basics of HTML with he loose nature of CSS to HTML tables to layout the sections of the an... Places the graphics, content, and more bytes of traffic for the user experience so they can their. Too long to load, the more likely someone will go elsewhere earlier than their use online 's... Immense data loads and need every bit of speed they can adjust their settings out CSS. The current design and make redesigns MUCH harder than semantic HTML+CSS while browsing your pages unnecessarily large as... Time you publish a code like the list below a kitten dies eyes every time you a. Any other stupid problem resolution provides the best web design practices to avoid bad HTML keep the site is the. Rowspan and Colspan in HTML you need to work works pretty well from phones in web.. Reasons why table layouts are bad: tables are bad to position elements so I assume Twitter does it! Very important color graphics program used in 80s listings, catalogs, image galleries, products, anything! Relied on HTML tables to structure web pages about ranking high in search engines... )! Can use border = `` 0 '' for the user to see why a in! Use border = `` 0 '' the basic layout and then using to. Relied on HTML tables for layout current design and make redesigns MUCH harder than semantic.. To require a litany of additional properties time I see it divided into rows using the tr! About modern web site layout in design goes back way earlier than their use online time I it., if the biggest websites on the internet use it the key is not to use
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