asked on

Table display

Im trying to get a table to layout and look good.

My first problem was to get the body scrolling, but not the table header, which after reading an article discovered setting the table to display:block; which works great, the problem is that the columns now get all messed up:-

So if I remove display:block; my columns width are fine, but then my scroll fails.

I thought I could set each columns width using nth-child, but this doesnt seem to work.

So my CSS code stands at:-

#openTickets {
      width: 900px;
      top: 30px;
      left:50px;
      position: absolute;
      border: thin solid #494ECC;
      text-align: left;
}

#openTickets thead {
  text-align: center;
  background-color: #aaa;
}

#openTickets tbody {
    background-color:#ddd;
      text-align: left;
      height:400px;
      overflow-y: auto;
}

#openTickets td {
  padding: 3px 10px;
  border: thin solid #494ECC;
}

#openTickets td:nth-clild(0) { width:500px; }
#openTickets td:nth-clild(1) { width:150px; }
#openTickets td:nth-clild(2) { width:150px; }
#openTickets td:nth-clild(3) { width:150px; }
#openTickets td:nth-clild(4) { width:150px; }
#openTickets td:nth-clild(5) { width:300px; }
#openTickets td:nth-clild(6) { width:150px; }

thead >tr, tbody {
  display: block; 
}

Open in new window

and my HTML code stands at:-

<table id="openTickets">
  <thead>
    <td>Ticket</td>
    <td>User</td>
    <td>Company</td>
    <td>Location</td>
    <td>Subject</td>
    <td>Age</td>
    <td>AssignedTo</td>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
          <tr>
            <td>0</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>1</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>2</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>3</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>4</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>5</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>6</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>7</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>8</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>9</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>10</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>11</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>12</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>13</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>14</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>15</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td><td>t</td>
          </tr>
            </tbody>
</table>

Open in new window

Can someone advise me please on what to do to keep my scroll bars working, and set the widths of the coloums right?

Thank you

COBOLdinosaur

Setting dimensions for table elements is always problem matic because the specifications will be ignore to conform to content rather than layout. The best way to do a table with fixed heading is to not use a table but rather used divs sytled as table elements

Then you get the positive parts of tables without some of the negatives.

If that does no work for you then post a link to the page and I will see if there are other options available.

Cd&

nanharbison

You have the width of the table set to 900px, and then the width of the columns add up to more than that, unless I am not interpreting your CSS correctly. I usually do the lazy thing and set the width of the columns right in the table html, which usually works, unless you have an error in your numbers for cell widths.
<thead>
<td width="150px">Ticket</td>....
But am I reading the CSS incorrectly?

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Chris Stanyon

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COBOLdinosaur

@nanharbison,

Recommending the use of obsolete properties simply creates new or additional problems. Most of the Experts on the site are trying to promote "best practice"; not quick hacks that lead to pages that are doomed to fail at some point.

You will probably get called on it anytime you offer that kind of advice.

Cd&