Creating Tables with FrontPage

There are a few things you should know about tables before beginning to use them.

A table is a rectangular grid made up of rows and columns. The intersection of a row and column creates a cell, which can contain data.
A table is not only used for displaying tabular information. It can also be used to setting up your page's layout. Arranging data in columns using tabs is difficult and may not display properly on some computers. With tables, however, you can rest multiple portions of the page side-by-side without having to worry about misalignment.
The table itself has a default style, but the style and formatting of each individual cell and its contents can be changed independently of the rest of the table. It is possible (though not at all recommended) to have a table with every cell a different color, for example.
The contents of a cell are not limited to text. A cell can also contain images, movie clips, form fields, or any other page content.
Individual cells can be of irregular width and/or height. This is called "spanning," and it can be done using the Merge Cells option in FrontPage, which will be discussed later on in the tutorial.

Create a New Table

Open Microsoft FrontPage, and create a new web page. If you already have created a page and wish to simply add a table to it, open that page.
Move the cursor to the point in the document where you wish to add the new table.
Under the Table menu, choose Insert and then choose Table....

The Insert Table dialog box will appear. Review the available options, and adjust them according to the requirements of the table you wish to build.

Size - sets the number of rows and columns in your table. You can always add or subtract rows and columns later on if this initial value is incorrect.
Alignment - sets the position of the table on the page. Available choices are Left, Right, and Center.
Float - pins the table to a side of the page, letting all other content wrap around it. This option is rarely used, but the available choices are Left and Right.
Specify width - sets the width of the table. By clicking In pixels, you can set a fixed width of the table in pixels. By clicking In percent, the size of the table will adjust according to the size of the browser window.
Border Size - sets the width of the table's border in pixels. Set this value to 0 if you want an invisible border.
Border Color - sets the color of the border. The default border uses a faux 3D effect, and you can change the individual 3D colors by setting the Light border and Dark border options. Additionally, you can remove the 3D effect by checking Collapse table border.
Background Color - sets the default background color of the cells in the table. You can also tile a background image by checking the Use background picture box. Use the Browse button to locate a picture you wish to use as a background.

There are a variety of other options displayed in this window, but most of them are reserved for advanced users and those familiar with HTML and CSS.

After setting all the options according to your needs, click the OK button to insert the table into your web page. For now, the table will appear as a dotted grid, but the appearance on the actual page will be different depending on the options you've selected.

Inserting Text into a Table

Click on the cell to which you wish to add text.
Type or paste the text you wish to add. It can be formatted just like text outside of the table. Use the options in the Format menu to change the font, size, color, or style of the text you are adding.
When you are finished adding text to a cell, click on another cell to continue working. If you are finished adding content to a table, click outside the table to return to the main area of the page.
If you run out of new cells to which to add content, you can add additional rows or columns. Under the Table menu, choose Insert and then Rows or Columns....
The Insert Rows or Columns dialog box will appear. Click either the Rows or Columns radio button to choose which table element you wish to add.

Type the number of rows or columns you are adding in the Number of columns text box. Under the Location heading, choose where you want the new rows or columns to be added.
Once you have set all the options as necessary, click the OK button. You will be taken back to the main window, and your new elements will be added. You can now insert content into them as needed.

Exploring Table and Cell Properties

If you ever need to change the properties of the table with which you are working, right-click anywhere inside the table and choose Table Properties....
You will be presented with the same window that you see when first inserting the table. Change all the necessary options, and click the OK button.
If you wish to change the contents of a single cell, right-click anywhere inside that cell and choose Cell Properties....
The Cell Properties dialog box will appear. Review the available options, and make changes as necessary.

Horizontal alignment - sets the horizontal justification of the contents of the cell. Available choices are Left, Right, Center, and Justify.
Vertical alignment - sets the vertical justification of the contents of the cell. Available choices are Top, Middle, Baseline, and Bottom.
Rows spanned - this value is the number of rows that the height of the cell will span.
Columns spanned - this value is the number of columns that the width of the cell will span.
Header cell - check this box if the cell is being used as a header for the rest of the data in the table.
No wrap - check this box if you do not want the text inside the cell to wrap and automatically start a new line when hitting the cell's boundaries.

The additional options in this window have the same functions as in the Insert Table window.

After setting the options according to your needs, click the OK button to make all the necessary changes.

Inserting Images into a Table

Click inside the cell to which you wish to add an image.
Under the Insert menu, choose Picture and then From File....

In the Browse window that appears, choose the image that you wish to add, and click the OK button.
The image will be added to the cell. You can now manipulate it as you would any other image on the page.
If you wish to add the image as a background instead of an object, right-click on the cell to which you want to add the background, and click Cell Properties....
The Cell Properties dialog box will appear. Under the Background heading, check the Use background picture box.
Click the Browse button, and using the Browse window that appears, choose the image that you wish to add as a cell background.
Click the OK button. Your image will appear as a tiled background inside the cell.

Merging Cells

To make a cell span multiple columns and/or rows, highlight the cells you wish to merge by clicking inside the first cell and dragging the mouse until the additional cells are selected.
Under the Table menu, choose Merge Cells.

The highlighted cells are now be merged into one large cell.

Nesting Tables within Tables

Tables can be nested inside other tables to create complex layouts or simplify the illustration of large amounts of data.

Click inside the cell inside of which you wish to nest a table.
Under the Table menu, click Insert and then Table....
Follow the same instructions as written in the Create a New Table section of this guide.
Click the OK button once you have set all the necessary options, and your new table will appear nested inside the current table.

Instead of creating a new table, it is also possible to produce a similar effect by merging cells into a design that is similar to a nested table. For example, merging all the left-most cells in the table would create an empty, undivided column that could be used for navigation. Merging all the top cells could create a header for identification purposes. Merging the inner-most cells would create an empty area for displaying content.

Tables are versatile and relatively easy to use. Learn to use the options available to create the perfect table for your needs.