html table control vs web table control

[Geary]

I am porting my first traditional app to a web-based app using VS2005
and ASP.NET 2.0. I have a page that will replace a data entry form. To
have complete control of layout, I want to use a table as a layout
device. Typically I would go with a std html table. With VS2005 I have
a choice of a html table control or the web table control. I understand
the jus of differences between the two, but I am still unsure whether
using the html control is a bad move.

The layout of the page does not have to be accessible via code. I won't
be adding rows the table dynamically or anything like that. The two
biggest questions I have are:

1. If I place web controls (like dropdown boxes) within the cells of the
html table control, will the web controls still be accessible in code?
Or do they lose their extra functionary when placed in a non-web control?

2. Will using html controls lower the processing overhead on the server
than the web controls, even if I don't take advantage of the extra
features of the web controls? I am assuming it would be lower but
that's based on my gut, not knowledge.

Thanks for all help.

 

[Steve C. Orr [MCSD, MVP, CSM, ASP Insider]]

IMHO, HTML tables are easier to deal with at design time, while the Table
web control is easier to interact with at runtime.
So I generally stick with HTML tables unless I need to manipulate a table at
runtime on the server.

 

[=?ISO-8859-1?Q?G=F6ran_Andersson?=]

I am porting my first traditional app to a web-based app using VS2005
and ASP.NET 2.0. I have a page that will replace a data entry form. To
have complete control of layout, I want to use a table as a layout
device.

To have complete control of the layout, I avoid using tables for layout...

Typically I would go with a std html table. With VS2005 I have
a choice of a html table control or the web table control. I understand
the jus of differences between the two, but I am still unsure whether
using the html control is a bad move.

The layout of the page does not have to be accessible via code. I won't
be adding rows the table dynamically or anything like that. The two
biggest questions I have are:

1. If I place web controls (like dropdown boxes) within the cells of the
html table control, will the web controls still be accessible in code?
Or do they lose their extra functionary when placed in a non-web control?

No, they work just fine.

If you think of it, the html tag that surrounds the entire page is not a
server control, but the server controls inside it still works.

2. Will using html controls lower the processing overhead on the server
than the web controls, even if I don't take advantage of the extra
features of the web controls? I am assuming it would be lower but
that's based on my gut, not knowledge.

Yes, it's slightly faster. Some less objects to create, and some less
objects to loop through when the page is rendered.