Working with tables in WordPress

  • Hello!

    I have found Word Press so helpful to build my site. But one thing I have had trouble with in WordPress are working with tables.

    First of all, I would have liked if the editor had an “Insert table” icon.

    But since it doesn’t, what I have done is I have made my tables in MS Word and used the “Insert Word” icon.

    Or, I have built my tables in Kompozer and copied the html into my blog.

    This usually has worked fine — until eventually surprises begin and my page starts disappearing! I blame the disappearing on my tables — because if I take the table out — the page suddenly reappears!

    A few days ago, I ran across a thread here:

    https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/258194?replies=9

    where ‘wp-rory’ fixed up someone’s table problem. There he says that WordPress has trouble with the old version of html tables. He suggests (if I understand correctly):

    1. Take out the <tbody> tags

    2. Use style="background-color:#ffff55" instead of bgcolor="#ffff55"

    3. Use <div style="font-family:Verdana"><strong>Meeting Room</strong></div> instead of <div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>Meeting Room</strong></span></div>

    And perhaps some other changes.

    This leaves me a bit confused and a bit frustrated…

    1. Is wp-roy correct?

    2. When I insert a table into WordPress (using my MS Word method mentioned above) the WP editor using what wp-roy calls the old version of html!

    3. If I make a table in Kompozer (version 0.8a4) I also get the old version of html!

    What is the best way to work with tables with WordPress?

    Where are tutorials or the like to help work with the new version of html?

Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)
  • Thread Starter Avrohomd

    (@avrohomd)

    Anyone have a lot of experience with tables?

    Maybe you could try:
    https://www.ads-software.com/extend/plugins/wp-table-reloaded/

    I have no experience with that and I almost never use tables in WP. Whenever I do, I write the code myself.

    At Opera (the web browser) there’s an excellent tutorial on HTML tables. (Please do not read tutorials like W3Schools.)

    It’s also worth mentioning that you shouldn’t use tables for layout – only for proper tabulated data. Support for CSS is now widespread enough to use that for layout/presentation.

    You might also look at Dean’s FCKEditor plugin – it has an ‘insert table’ button.

    Thread Starter Avrohomd

    (@avrohomd)

    Thank you Funkphenomenon for the helpful tutorial.

    Esmi – also thank you. You are on target, that I am using tables for layout. I have tried using CSS – with limited success. Probably due to my lack of knowledge about CSS.

    and Vtxyzzy — that’s just what I came across yesterday — in this thread: https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/359364?replies=2

    I have tried it and was able to hurdle over my problem with the help of this new editor!

    But none of you directly addressed what wp-rory was talking about. A new version of html and the points I understood he was raising.

    Any comments?

    THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!

    Thread Starter Avrohomd

    (@avrohomd)

    I am really enjoying using Dean’s FCKEditor plugin ! Not only it has an icon for inserting tables. But once you have a table, it is very easy to add columns or rows.

    To do this, you just click on a cell. Then do a right click. You are given a menu for adding or deleting rows and/or columns. As well as adjusting the table properties.

    I had to learn how to edit image properties. For this you select the image. Then you click on a little picture icon. A image dialogue box opens.

    wp-rory was talking about an updated version of HTML, a version that is officially a web standard since 1999. So I think you can’t call that a new version… Things like tbody are indeed unnecessary, but replacing HTML layout properties with inline CSS isn’t lot of improvement, either (I’m talking about the suggestions 2 and 3 from you start post).

    Best is to drop the tables altogether, like esmi says; tables are not meant for layout purposes.

    If you absolutely have to use layout tables, please don’t use thead, 'th',tbodyortfoot`. That markup really is restricted to data tables.

Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)
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