(Newbie) If css is better than table, then is there any problem?

**johnn** · Oct 12, 2001 02:21

Hello,
I would like to know if there is any problem to use css in place of table? Can css replace tables totally? I see that Sitepoint use both of them.

Thanks in advance,
John

**tommatthews** · Oct 12, 2001 03:22

Here is a very good Site Point article on this subject:
http://www.webmasterbase.com/article/379/14

**Tyhe** · Oct 26, 2001 07:04

Heya,

I use tables as well as CSS. I can't really see why you would replace your tables with CSS, and I use the CSS only for the text elements.

Greetz.

**diacono** · Oct 26, 2001 07:33

i personally rekon it would be better to use both of them but for what they were originally made for.
tables where not created with design in mind but for the optimum layout of data... so my recomendation is not to over use tables for design issues.

this is where css comes in handy since it's targeted at design

**neil100** · Oct 26, 2001 07:52

Currently CSS can not totally replace tables, although some sites do use css only, for instance http://www.alistapart.com they are very restricted in the type of layout they can achieve, you will notice they are all very square or blocky, because that is all you can achieve due to browser differences.

Even something as simple as vertically centering a div in the middle of a page currently requires several workarounds just to make it work with IE 4.0, 5.0, 5.5 and 6.0. (don't even try nestscape!).

So unless you wish to develope exclusively for IE 6.0 or want to be very limited in your layouts then no tables can't be totally replaced yet.

**johnn** · Oct 26, 2001 12:18

Thank you all. I'll use both of them

**Phil.Roberts** · Nov 19, 2001 23:04

CSS is the future of web design.

Sure it doesnt work in old browsers and cant achieve QUITE the same designs as using tables but those techniques are not the way forward, and supporting obsolete technologies is ultimatly self-defeating.

Plus CSS layouts have the advantage of being almost 100% alterable from a single file. Using CSS for layout is a big step towards almost total separation of content from presentation.

**Winged Spider** · Nov 20, 2001 14:13

I'd like to argue that any design that can be done using table layouts can be done using CSS.

This is of course to a degree. Compicated nesting images is not CSS friendly.

But even the yahoo weather page has been converted to a table-less design.

CSS design also forces us to be Graphic Designers instead of "look nice" jockies that we are. The blockly look that I've seen on CSS based sites is usually more interesting than a table layout.

**M. Johansson** · Nov 20, 2001 15:56

Originally posted by Winged Spider
I'd like to argue that any design that can be done using table layouts can be done using CSS.

Tell me how to make an equavilent of tebles with rounded corners, and I'll switch soo fast.

**shane** · Nov 20, 2001 17:08

Originally posted by truelight
Tell me how to make an equavilent of tebles with rounded corners, and I'll switch soo fast.

Try the following truelight. There's probably browser problems involved somewhere along the line but a quick view in IE5.5 and Opera and things were ok.

Just plug the corner images into the boxes or specify the background images in the css and it looks promising.

Code:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">

<html>
<head>
	<title>Untitled</title>
	<style type="text/css">
		#content {
			position: relative;
			background-color: #ffcc00;
			width: 300px;
			height: 100px;
		}
		.corner {
			position: absolute;
			background-color: #cc3300;
			width: 20px;
			height: 20px;		
		}
		#topleft {
			top: 0px;
			left: 0px;
		}
		#topright {
			top: 0px;
			right: 0px;
		}
		#bottomleft {
			bottom: 0px;
			left: 0px;
		}
		#bottomright {
			bottom: 0px;
			right: 0px;
		}
	</style>
</head>

<body>
<div id="content">

	<div id="topleft" class="corner"></div>
	<div id="topright" class="corner"></div>
	<div id="bottomleft" class="corner"></div>
	<div id="bottomright" class="corner"></div>


</div>


</body>
</html>

**M. Johansson** · Nov 20, 2001 18:04

DANG! It's THAT simple? And I have been blearghing around with these tables?

Arrghghghgh

I'm gonna go at changing all my layout tomorrow.

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