2.3. Tables in HTML

The <table> element serves as a container for the elements that define the content of a table. Any table consists of rows and cells, which are set using the <tr> and <td> tags. Inside <table> it is permitted to use the following elements: <caption>, <col>, <colgroup>, <tbody>, <td>, <tfoot>, <th>, <thead> and <tr>.

Tables with an invisible border were long used for laying out web pages, allowing a document to be split into modular blocks. This way of using tables took hold on many sites, until it was superseded by the more modern approach of layout using layers.

Syntax

<table>
  <tr>
    <td>...</td>
  </tr>
</table>

Attributes

align

Defines the alignment of the table.

background

Sets a background image for the table.

bgcolor

The background color of the table.

border

The thickness of the border in pixels.

bordercolor

The color of the border.

cellpadding

The gap between the border and the content of a cell.

cellspacing

The distance between cells.

cols

The number of columns in the table.

frame

Tells the browser how to display the borders around the table.

height

The height of the table.

rules

Tells the browser where to display the borders between cells.

summary

A brief description of the table.

width

The width of the table.

Universal attributes and events are also available for this tag.

Closing tag

Required.