CSS tables are used to style HTML tables, making them look neat and organized for clear data presentation.
- Add borders, spacing, and colors to enhance table design.
- Create responsive tables that adjust for all screen sizes.
HTML
<html>
<head>
<style>
table {
width: 50%;
border-collapse: collapse;
margin: 20px auto;
}
th, td {
border: 1px solid #000;
padding: 8px;
text-align: center;
}
th {
background-color: #f2f2f2;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<table>
<tr>
<th>Header 1</th>
<th>Header 2</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Data 1</td>
<td>Data 2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Data 3</td>
<td>Data 4</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>
- This code defines a table with two columns and three rows, including a header row.
- The CSS styles apply borders, padding, and background color to enhance the table’s appearance.
CSS Table Properties
1. Border
The border property defines the appearance of borders around table elements (e.g., table, tr, td, th). It specifies the border’s width, style, and color.
Syntax:
border: table_width table_color;
HTML
<html>
<head>
<style>
table,
th,
td {
border: 1.5px solid blue;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<table>
<tr>
<th>Roll No.</th>
<th>Name</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>A_B_C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>X_Y_Z</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>
- This HTML code creates a table with two columns: “Roll No.” and “Name,” and two rows of data.
- The CSS styles apply a 1.5px solid blue border to the table, table headers (<th>), and table data cells (<td>).
2. Border Collapse
The border-collapse property controls whether the borders of adjacent cells are merged into a single border or kept separate.
Syntax:
border-collapse: collapse/separate;
HTML
<html>
<head>
<style>
table.one {
border-collapse: collapse;
}
table.two {
border-collapse: separate;
}
table,
td,
th {
border: 1.5px solid blue;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<table class="one">
<tr>
<th>Roll Number</th>
<th>Name</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>A_B_C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>X_Y_Z</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<br>
<h2>borders separated:</h2>
<table class="two">
<tr>
<th>Roll Number</th>
<th>Name</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>A_B_C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>X_Y_Z</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>
- The first table uses border-collapse: collapse;, making borders merge into a single line.
- The second table uses border-collapse: separate;, keeping borders distinct and spaced apart.
3. Border Spacing
Border Spacing property specifies the distance between the borders of adjacent cells when border-collapse is set to separate.
Syntax:
border-spacing: value;
HTML
<html>
<head>
<style>
table.one {
border-collapse: separate;
border-spacing: 10px;
}
table.two {
border-collapse: separate;
border-spacing: 10px 30px;
}
table,
td,
th {
border: 1.5px solid blue;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<table class="one">
<tr>
<th>Roll Number</th>
<th>Name</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>A_B_C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>X_Y_Z</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<br>
<table class="two">
<tr>
<th>Roll Number</th>
<th>Name</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>A_B_C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>X_Y_Z</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>
- The first table uses border-spacing: 10px;, adding equal 10-pixel spacing between all cells.
- The second table uses border-spacing: 10px 30px;, adding 10 pixels of horizontal and 30 pixels of vertical spacing between cells.
4. Caption Side
Caption Side property specifies the placement of the table caption relative to the table.
Syntax:
caption-side: top/bottom;
HTML
<html>
<head>
<style>
body {
text-align: left;
}
h1 {
color: green;
}
table.one {
border-collapse: separate;
border-spacing: 10px;
caption-side: top;
}
table.two {
border-collapse: separate;
border-spacing: 10px;
caption-side: bottom;
}
table,
td,
th {
border: 1.5px solid blue;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<table class="one">
<caption>Caption at the top of the table.</caption>
<tr>
<th>Roll Number</th>
<th>Name</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>A_B_C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>X_Y_Z</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<br>
<table class="two">
<caption> Caption at the bottom of the table </caption>
<tr>
<th>Roll Number</th>
<th>Name</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>A_B_C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>X_Y_Z</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>
- The first table uses caption-side: top;, placing the caption above the table.
- The second table uses caption-side: bottom;, positioning the caption below the table.
5. Empty cells
Empty cells property specifies whether or not to display borders and background on empty cells in a table.
Syntax:
empty-cells:show/hide;
HTML
<html>
<head>
<style>
table.one {
border-collapse: separate;
border-spacing: 10px;
empty-cells: hide;
}
table.two {
border-collapse: separate;
border-spacing: 10px;
empty-cells: show;
}
table,
td,
th {
border: 1.5px solid blue;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<table class="one">
<tr>
<th>Roll Number</th>
<th>Name</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>X_Y_Z</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<br>
<table class="two">
<tr>
<th>Roll Number</th>
<th>Name</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>X_Y_Z</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>
- The first table uses empty-cells: hide;, which hides borders and backgrounds of empty cells, making them invisible.
- The second table uses empty-cells: show;, ensuring that empty cells are displayed with their borders and backgrounds.
6. Table layout
The Table layout property is used to set up the layout algorithm used for the table.
Syntax:
table-layout:auto/fixed;
HTML
<html>
<head>
<style>
table.one {
width: 80px border-collapse: separate;
border-spacing: 10px;
table-layout: auto;
}
table.two {
width: 80px border-collapse: separate;
border-spacing: 10px;
table-layout: fixed;
}
table,
td,
th {
border: 1.5px solid blue;
width: 80px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<table class="one">
<tr>
<th>Roll Number</th>
<th>Name</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>A_B_C_D_E_F_G_H_I_J_K_L_M_N_O_P</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>X_Y_Z</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<br>
<table class="two">
<tr>
<th>Roll Number</th>
<th>Name</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>A_B_C_D_E_F_G_H_I_J_K_L_M_N_O_P</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>X_Y_Z</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>
- The first table uses table-layout: auto;, adjusting column widths dynamically based on content size.
- The second table uses table-layout: fixed;, making column widths fixed and ignoring content size.
Best Practices for Using CSS with Tables
- Use border-collapse Property: Apply border-collapse: collapse; to merge table borders into a single border, creating a cleaner appearance.
- Ensure Responsive Design: Implement responsive design techniques to make tables adaptable to various screen sizes, enhancing user experience across devices.
- Utilize Semantic HTML Elements: Employ appropriate HTML elements like <thead>, <tbody>, and <tfoot> to structure your table content semantically, improving accessibility and maintainability.
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