Two types of layouts, Table-based layouts and CSS-based layouts can be used to manage the formatting of a web site. Table-based layouts are easy to use and implement when compared to CSS-layouts and editors like FrontPage and Dreamweaver make it very easy for developers to include them. The main disadvantages of Table-based layouts are that tables break on various browsers thus producing layout dysfunctions and it increases almost unnecessarily the HTML/text ratio.
Cascading style sheets (CSS) make it easy to manage the formatting of a web site and it can be used to control the appearance of objects on a page or throughout a site. It can be designed and redesigned, and can control the formatting of hundreds of pages, including fonts, link colors, margin settings and background images. It is widely supported by modern browsers and allows flexibility in positioning. CSS based layouts Keeps the HTMl/text ratio at a low level thus decreasing load time and Allows the display of main content first while the graphics load afterwards.
CSS also avoid accessibility issues raised by table cells and the content flows logically without disruption. A div tag defines a block of content (division/section in a document) to be formatted. Div tags can be defined through an ID or a class attribute. Using CSS and div tags reduces markup code, speeds up page downloads, separates content from its visual presentation, and brings code closer to Web standards compliance.
The Essay on CSS Layout Versus Table-Based Layout
... informational content” to users that are disabled (“CSS Layouts Vs. Table Layouts”). Indeed, this is a significant advantage of CSS based layouts. All the same, the simplicity of table based layouts ... with table based layouts. One of the solutions is, of course, to use CSS instead. These sheets have been in use for text formatting for ...
If the div tags are defined in external CSS file than by changing properties of div tags in only CSS files the appearance of multiple pages can be controlled. Reference Web Development Series: formatting content, January 4, 2007 retrieved on 11 February 2007 http://academictech. doit. wisc. edu/ORFI/wds/index. htm Mardiros, C 2006. CSS Layouts vs. Table Layouts – Alternate Browsers and Accessibility Issues. Retrieved on 11 February 2007 from http://www. mardiros. net/css-layout. html .
