Tables - Web Development and Design Foundations with XHTML - page 318

Figure 8.10
Table with
cellpadding set
to 10

FAQ

Can I mix and match fixed widths and percentages?

Yes. The width attribute can be applied to table cells ( <td> elements) as well as to the entire
table ( <table> element). If you are using a table to format an entire page, you might want a
particular column used for navigation links to have a fixed width while the entire table uses a
percentage width. As always, test your Web pages using different screen resolutions to make
sure that you achieve your desired effect.

The bgcolor Attribute. This deprecated attribute specifies a background color
for the table. The values can be a color name or numeric value. See the color chart at
http://webdevfoundations.net/color. An example with a background color, no border,
and cellpadding of 10 is shown in Figure 8.11. The XHTML code for the <table> tag
follows:

<table border="0" bgcolor="#99CCFF" cellpadding="10 ">

Figure 8.11
Borderless table
using cellpadding
set to 10 along with
a background color

The summary Attribute. This attribute specifies a summary of the table contents
that can be accessed by a screen reader. The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) suggests
using the summary attribute with tables containing data. For example:

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<table border="0" width="75%" title="Birthday List"
summary="This table contains a birthday list. Each row provides
birthday and contact information for an individual. The columns
contain name, birthday, phone, and e-mail address.">

The title Attribute. This attribute specifies a title of the table that can be accessed
by a screen reader. The value of the title attribute is displayed by some browsers, such
as Internet Explorer 5 (or later), when the mouse passes over the table area. The WAI
prefers using the summary attribute or the caption element instead of the title attribute.

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Applying Attributes to Rows and Cells
Many of the <table> element attributes discussed above can also be applied to <tr> ,
<th> , and <td> tags to customize the look of your table. In particular, the bgcolor ,
align , and width attributes are most often used. The following are commonly used