Sizing columns in a big table

Hello,

This is something that is really driving me up the wall, if you create a table
with say 12 columns and you want the first 4 to be say 100 pixels and rest to
be 35. If you select the first 4 and set them too 100 pixels then select the
rest and set them to 35 what happens is the first 4 <i>shrink</i> and the very
last column <i>expands<i> but if you clikc in it Dreamweaver lies to you and
tells you it is the size you wanted <b>even though it is visibly too large<b>
why does this happen?

Is there a way to lock the first 4 then have the table resize to the
<b>right<b> as it should do expanding the table width if necessary? I am doing
a site for a lighting manufacturer and they have a lot of data tables and it
really is making me quite angry that I cannot get the column sizes to stop auto
resizing everytime I try to make a fwe columns the same size, why does it auto
resize <b>all<b> the columns???

I would make sure that you have not applied any constraining width to the whole
table, so the total owidths of your columns does not exceed this number. Also
have you any padding or borders on the colums as this will affect the overall
width.
It also (I haven't used tables in a while) be a DW rendering bug..... or does
it render the same when previewed in internet explorers?

Your whole approach to tables is flawed.

What is the width of the outer table?

What is the contents of the cells?

why does it auto
resize <b>all<b> the columns???

Because that's how HTML tables behave. They continuously adjust to fit
their contents, no matter what your dimensions are.

--
Murray --- ICQ 71997575
Adobe Community Expert
(If you *MUST* email me, don't LAUGH when you do so!)
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"MrFrisky330" <webforumsuser (AT) macromedia (DOT) com> wrote

Hello,

This is something that is really driving me up the wall, if you create a
table
with say 12 columns and you want the first 4 to be say 100 pixels and rest
to
be 35. If you select the first 4 and set them too 100 pixels then select
the
rest and set them to 35 what happens is the first 4 <i>shrink</i> and the
very
last column <i>expands<i> but if you clikc in it Dreamweaver lies to you
and
tells you it is the size you wanted <b>even though it is visibly too
large<b
why does this happen?

Is there a way to lock the first 4 then have the table resize to the
b>right<b> as it should do expanding the table width if necessary? I am
doing
a site for a lighting manufacturer and they have a lot of data tables and
it
really is making me quite angry that I cannot get the column sizes to stop
auto
resizing everytime I try to make a fwe columns the same size, why does it
auto
resize <b>all<b> the columns???

MrFrisky330 wrote:

Hello,

This is something that is really driving me up the wall, if you create a table
with say 12 columns and you want the first 4 to be say 100 pixels and rest to
be 35. If you select the first 4 and set them too 100 pixels then select the
rest and set them to 35 what happens is the first 4 <i>shrink</i> and the very
last column <i>expands<i> but if you clikc in it Dreamweaver lies to you and
tells you it is the size you wanted <b>even though it is visibly too large<b
why does this happen?

Is there a way to lock the first 4 then have the table resize to the
b>right<b> as it should do expanding the table width if necessary? I am doing
a site for a lighting manufacturer and they have a lot of data tables and it
really is making me quite angry that I cannot get the column sizes to stop auto
resizing everytime I try to make a fwe columns the same size, why does it auto
resize <b>all<b> the columns???

You can set table widths until you are blue in the face, but they will

expand to accommodate their content, causing others to shrink. So if
your content isn't bigger than 100 (first 4) and 35 (last 8), allowing
for margins, borders, and padding, you should be okay as long as the
over-all page is big enough to accommodate all those pixels.

You could try creating a transparent gif and inserting it into each
column, giving it the width you want for each, to "prop" the columns open.

If you want more expert help, post a link the page you are trying to
format the tables on.

--
Bonnie