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A few Tips on working with columns. This will make it easy for you. |
The design of many web pages on the Internet has multiple columns. For example, on thesitewizard.com, most pages have two columns: the left column holds the site logo and navigation buttons while the right has the main content. It is possible to have more than two columns too.
Creating a Two Column Layout
Create a Reciprocal Links page using a two column layout. A "Reciprocal Links" page is where people place links to sites that link back to them. For a two-column layout of the site, change all the pages on the site to have the same two-column layout. Likewise if you prefer a one-column layout or a three-column layout change them to have the same layout.
Steps to Take to Create a Two-Column Layout
Create an invisible table that has the number of columns needed. The table is configured so that it fills the entire width of the browser window. Insert a table with "Table | Insert | Table". When the dialog box appears, click the tab at the top of the dialog box. In the fields that appear in the dialog box, specify 1 row, 2 columns and a width of 100%. In the "Border" field, enter 0 thus creating a table without any lines that occupy the entire width of the window. Move the cursor into the left column and type the text given in the diagram above. Before moving further, save the page. When prompted for a title, enter "Reciprocal Links". For the filename, enter "links.html". To change the filename or the title of the page at this point, go back and change all the links that are already created. Now move the cursor to the right column. Type the main content of the Reciprocal Links page. Notice the width of the right column as it expands while typing the text. While a column that changes its width dynamically according to its content is acceptable for most data tables, but is not what we want when we use a table as a container for the page content. To fix this, move the cursor to the left column. Select "Table | Properties" from the menu. Click on the "Cells" tab at the top of the dialog box that appears. Type 20 in the Width field. Change the drop down box for "Width" from "Pixels" to "% of table". Click the OK button. The left side of the table should change its width. If the width is still not acceptable for the content, try again and use a different number till the width of the left column fits to the content.
Steps to Create a Three-Column (or More) Layout
To create a three- column layouts simply enter the required number (e.g., "3" for a three-column page) instead of "2" for the "Columns" field while creating the table.
Special Cases
Sometimes you need to create a page that is basically two columns but with a single column either at the top or at the bottom of the page. For example, the designer wants to put a banner at the top of the page that spans both columns. Or the designer might want to put a copyright notice at the bottom of the page that stretches from the left side of the page to the right.
The easiest way to do this is to simply place the banner or text before (or after) the table. Another method is to create a table with more than one row, and join the cells in top row so that there is only one column for that row.
About AuthorDallin Horneby is a design professional for a New York Web Design company. He has has helped to establish many successful online Web Design businesses over the past 10 years.
Source: ArticleTrader.com
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