CSS or tables?

[Clara James]

I always prefer css, because css is easy and very affective way to design and develop your site.

[3magicbeans]

Hi,thanks for sharing the discussion regarding to CSS or tables that are beneficial for website designing.I think css is more better than tables because it takes less time to learn and makes the website layout more attractive.Thanks again a lot....

[removed]

[moneyonlinesorg]

The way I've looked at it, since I came online back in 1992, first websites in 1996, after designing with tables, was that divs and css were the new tables. Speaking from the standpoint of a designer that's used both, benefits of divs with css, to me, is better control and less html code. It essentially lowers your html file sizes because most the actual styling code now resides within the css. It's the whole idea of division of format and style. One file provides basic format, the other provides layout and style.

[Xelos]

A bit necro-post but if topic is up I can add my few $. It's funny because I start my web design adventure then div-based styles become popular so I didn't made any site with tables. Some time ago I had to code some mail templates and i learned that it's simpler tomade it like in old times with tables. And I must confess it was quite hard for me to use them and it took some time to learn it. This shows me that css based layouts are much better for readability and it's easer to modify it.

[moneyonlinesorg]

With email marketing, different situation. It's much easier to go back to the old table layout for stuff like that, don't have to worry about dependent files and such that way as much or whether they'll make it along with the email file.

[HTMLBasicTutor]

Don't understand why you guys want to use tables. Find them most frustrating (other than maybe for 3 or 4 blocks for layout). Data fine, but for building a web page? You have to redo the whole site if you want to change the table cell layout where as if you use CSS you just have to change the CSS file and maybe make a couple of other tweaks.

To better understand the problems with HTML emails you could read through The Email Standards Project

[Dan Williamson]

Originally Posted by HTMLBasicTutor

Don't understand why you guys want to use tables.

What else am I supposed to use when I am layout out tabular data?

Tables exist of displaying and holding tabular data that would go into a table, it's not a layout container, nor should it be used as such. Anyone using tables to hack together a website is doing it wrong, they're using HTML wrong. That is a fact.

You wouldn't use lists for paragraphs and you wouldn't use paragraphs for lists, don't use tables for layouts.

[HTMLBasicTutor]

Originally Posted by Dan Williamson

What else am I supposed to use when I am layout out tabular data?

I was referring to using tables for layout.

For some reason programmers of things like ecommerce software have this thing about using tables instead of divs for the information they fetch from the database.

[Dan Williamson]

Originally Posted by HTMLBasicTutor

I was referring to using tables for layout.

For some reason programmers of things like ecommerce software have this thing about using tables instead of divs for the information they fetch from the database.

I should have used the sarcasm smiley. Sorry.

[MarPlo]

I try to use DIVs and CSS for layout. Makes the code cleaner and loading faster.

[wulaishiwo]

CSS are used for format and layout, tables are not good for layout, but sometimes you need to use tables. Both CSS and table are important in builing website,so you must be familiar with them.

[Dan Williamson]

Originally Posted by wulaishiwo

CSS are used for format and layout, tables are not good for layout, but sometimes you need to use tables. Both CSS and table are important in builing website,so you must be familiar with them.

You should use tables, only when you are using tabular data, you should use divisions and CSS for mark-up and presentation respectively.

[WebDesignerLondon]

Tables is the past, CSS is the present and probably the future. I used to use tables for layouts becase I liked the idea that I could create a grid to base my site in, but CSS and DIVs is so much nicer once you've spent a little time learning. You can completely change the way a site looks with just a few changes to the CSS, which speeds up the process of development. Plus it'll mean shorter code, faster loading pages, and higher Google rankings. Take the time to move to CSS if you hadn't realised already! :-)

[backend]

I go for CSS divs, simply because its more professional look,faster loading of websites. Tables are only use for tabular data and not for positioning,divs are flexible unlike tables.Its very inappropriate that you use tables for the whole web structure.

[Banners Mall]

I prefer CSS.It potentially offers an almost perfect solution to design elements in Website design.It offers practical, efficient and quick methods of altering the design.

[findyourartschool]

CSS is different than Tables as if you need the tabular layout then it has to be done by using tables only but CSS is used for styling of the tables.

[Sitebuilder Pros]

CSS works better in search engines than tables, so use CSS.

[bedum]

I would go for css tablesless

[snakeair]

Originally Posted by bedum

I would go for css tablesless

Why?

[Octopus]

Conclusion: CSS for style, Tables for tabular data.

Some people don't want to work with tables anymore, but just like everything in code, you have to know when to use it and how to use it correctly.