Can't Nest Tables in Excel

[Adrienne]

Here is my answer to people who use nested tables to position elements:

You can't nest tables in Excel, so why would you nest tables anywhere else?

 

[Els]

Here is my answer to people who use nested tables to
position elements:

You can't nest tables in Excel, so why would you nest
tables anywhere else?

Not trying to advocate the use of layout tables, but:

I can't get piccalilly on my burger at MacDonalds, so why would
I put piccalilly on my burger in my own kitchen?

 

[Richard]

Here is my answer to people who use nested tables to position elements:

You can't nest tables in Excel, so why would you nest tables anywhere
else?

<table>
<table>
</table></table>

Is invalid.
<table>
<tbody>
</tbody></table>

is valid.

 

[SpaceGirl]

<table>
<table>
</table></table>

Is invalid.
<table>
<tbody>
</tbody></table>

is valid.

What does that even mean.

 

[Steve Pugh]

Are you sure? I thought you could embed an Office object into a cell
of an Excel spreadsheet, so why can't that Office object be another
Excel spreadsheet? Not much of an Office expert so maybe I'm wrong.

Anyway considering that Excel and HTML have different purposes (though
both are widely used for all sorts of strange and bizarre additional
purposes) the analogy is quite weak.

<table>
<table>
</table></table>

Is invalid.

Correct. You're missing the required sub-element of table.

<table>
<tbody>
</tbody></table>

is valid.

Incorrect. You're missing the required sub-element of tbody.

However, the first one has two tables and the second one has one
table. So you're not even comparing like with like.

<table><tbody><tr><td>
</td></tr></tbody></table>

is valid and (give or take the totally optional <tbody> tags) is what
is being discussed here.

The issue is whether one can think of tabular data that can contain
another table of data as the content of one of the data cells. I can
think of a few examples but most of them would be handled better by
writing the main table differently instead.

The authors of HTML either didn't consider this issue or did consider
it and decided that it was conceivable that a data table could contain
another data table, hence nested tables are allowed in HTML, which
sadly is one of the things that made tables so damn easy to abuse for
layout purposes.

Steve

 

[Steve Pugh]

What does that even mean.

The usual - that Richard hasn't got a clue. Based on past posts, he
thinks that <tbody> is some sort of table-within-a-table construction.
See http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.html/msg/84cd93e3f8cd78d9

Steve

 

[SpaceGirl]

The usual - that Richard hasn't got a clue. Based on past posts, he
thinks that <tbody> is some sort of table-within-a-table construction.
See http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.html/msg/84cd93e3f8cd78d9

Steve

Yeah. He really needs to learn how to write HTML before giving advice.
That last comment of his was either; totally irrelevant or utterly
wrong. Not sure which.

 

[Fat Sam]

Here is my answer to people who use nested tables to position elements:

You can't nest tables in Excel, so why would you nest tables anywhere else?

Your argument fails to mention one important thing....Excel documents
and HTML documents are very different beasts....
By your reasoning, you might also say that you can't run a steam train
on petrol, so why would you use it to fuel any other vehicle?

 

[Steve Pugh]

That last comment of his was either; totally irrelevant or utterly
wrong. Not sure which.

Why rule out both?

Steve

 

[Amy]

Here is my answer to people who use nested tables to position elements:

You can't nest tables in Excel, so why would you nest tables anywhere
else?

I think I know what you mean. Excel is essentially a huge, 65536 by 282
cell table.
With any layout, one could make these cells into any sizes they needed.
The major problem with using a single table is that you would end up with
rowspans and colspans of epic proportions.

I learned positioning throught embedded tables and 1 by 1 px transparent
spacer gifs. But, I am trying
really hard to be the css layout type. Wish me luck.

 

[Uncle Pirate]

Yeah. He really needs to learn how to write HTML before giving advice.
That last comment of his was either; totally irrelevant or utterly
wrong. Not sure which.

Both?

--
Stan McCann "Uncle Pirate" http://stanmccann.us/pirate.html
Webmaster/Computer Center Manager, NMSU at Alamogordo
Coordinator, Tularosa Basin Chapter, ABATE of NM; AMA#758681; COBB
'94 1500 Vulcan (now wrecked) http://motorcyclefun.org/Dcp_2068c.jpg
A zest for living must include a willingness to die. - R.A. Heinlein

 

[Andy Dingley]

Are you sure? I thought you could embed an Office object into a cell
of an Excel spreadsheet, so why can't that Office object be another
Excel spreadsheet? Not much of an Office expert so maybe I'm wrong.

As a general rule, Office is coded in such a way that it won't let you
embed a <foo> in a <foo>, but you can embed a <foo> in a <bar>, then
in-turn embed that in a <foo>.

Excel is a bit lumpy as Office apps go, so it doesn't support the
in-place editing that others do. However it still allows you to embed.

 

[Steve Pugh]

As a general rule, Office is coded in such a way that it won't let you
embed a <foo> in a <foo>, but you can embed a <foo> in a <bar>, then
in-turn embed that in a <foo>.

Does that mean that when used to make HTML pages Office doesn't
support <iframe>? Would be just about the only thing it did right. ;-)

Steve