Utilities/Addon for Creating Tables

[Amar Kapadia]

hello:

Apologies if I am posting in the wrong forum. If so, please direct me to
the proper forum and I will repost. Here is my question:

I am slowly learning ASP .NET programming and am now doing an exercise to
build a very small and simple Shopping Cart. My problem is that I am having
a devil of a time tyring to create a nice looking table (which is really
what the checkout cart will be) using the Designer tools in Visual Studio
2003. It just seems so very difficult for me to get things just right. For
example, when I slide the column seperators all the cells sort of re-adjust.
But even if I were to get the table just right for my cart page, how the
heck am to then convert this into code? I have learned enough that I know I
will have to creating TableRow objects and TableCell objects and them to the
appropriate container controls But isn't there any utility or addon that
will convert a custom designed table into ASP .NET code automatically? Even
if I knew all the properties that I had to set in order to get the code to
generate a table just like the one I made in the Visual Studio IDE that
would be great!

Does this make any sense? Am I doing something wrong? How are most tables
created by professionals? Do they always first visually design it and then
code it to make it look just like what was visually designed?

Anyway, please help!! Anything will be most welcome!!

Sincerely,
Amar

 

[Ken Cox [Microsoft MVP]]

Hi Amar,

Many of us create tables in DreamWeaver or FrontPage. Once we get them the
way we like, we move them to ASP.NET code.

 

[Amar Kapadia]

Ken:

Many thanks for the reply. If you don't mind a followup question: I do
have Frontpage installed on this system and let's say I "draw" up something
nice in there. Once that is completed what is the best way to get it what I
created in frontpage into code. Is it just a pain staking process of
reviewing the HTML generated by Frontpage and then setting the appropriate
properties of my TableCell object? For example the CellWidth, Borders, etc?
It just seems so very tedious!! Maybe that is the only way, but just want
to make sure. Thanks in advance Ken!

By the way, is CSS used often to make the perfect table?

Amar Kapadia

 

[Ken Cox [Microsoft MVP]]

Hi Amar,

You've got it, it is a pain. However, I find that since basic designs are
generally reused throughout a site, only the first table takes a lot of
work.

I paste the HTML mark-up for the table into VS.NET's code view and then
start configuring an ASP.NET datagrid to make it reflect what the original
designer of the table intended.

I'm not sure that CSS can make a perfect table. You sometimes run into
cross-browser issues if you get too sophisticated with CSS.

See you later!

Ken

 

[clintonG]

Read these articles [1],[2],[3] about using FrontPage with Visual
Studio.NET.

Be advised all versions of Visual Studio.NET through 2003 will mangle and
even delete the HTML source when moving back and forth between its so-called
'designer' and its editor. So far Visual Studio 2005 Beta 2 appears to be
stable in this regard.

<%= Clinton Gallagher
METROmilwaukee (sm) "A Regional Information Service"
NET csgallagher AT metromilwaukee.com
URL http://metromilwaukee.com/
URL http://clintongallagher.metromilwaukee.com/

[1] http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;871217
[2]
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d...en-us/odc_fp2003_bk/html/odc_fp_c43615101.asp
[3]
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d...a/html/odc_FPUsingASPNETWithFrontPage2003.asp

 

[Amar Kapadia]

Ken:

Thanks. I'll suppose I'll just grin and bear it! Thanks for your help!

Amar

 

[Amar Kapadia]

clintonG:

Thank you. I will review the articles listed below!

Amar

Read these articles [1],[2],[3] about using FrontPage with Visual
Studio.NET.

Be advised all versions of Visual Studio.NET through 2003 will mangle and
even delete the HTML source when moving back and forth between its
so-called 'designer' and its editor. So far Visual Studio 2005 Beta 2
appears to be stable in this regard.

<%= Clinton Gallagher
METROmilwaukee (sm) "A Regional Information Service"
NET csgallagher AT metromilwaukee.com
URL http://metromilwaukee.com/
URL http://clintongallagher.metromilwaukee.com/

[1] http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;871217
[2]
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d...en-us/odc_fp2003_bk/html/odc_fp_c43615101.asp
[3]
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d...a/html/odc_FPUsingASPNETWithFrontPage2003.asp

hello:

Apologies if I am posting in the wrong forum. If so, please direct me to
the proper forum and I will repost. Here is my question:

I am slowly learning ASP .NET programming and am now doing an exercise to
build a very small and simple Shopping Cart. My problem is that I am
having a devil of a time tyring to create a nice looking table (which is
really what the checkout cart will be) using the Designer tools in Visual
Studio 2003. It just seems so very difficult for me to get things just
right. For example, when I slide the column seperators all the cells
sort of re-adjust. But even if I were to get the table just right for my
cart page, how the heck am to then convert this into code? I have
learned enough that I know I will have to creating TableRow objects and
TableCell objects and them to the appropriate container controls But
isn't there any utility or addon that will convert a custom designed
table into ASP .NET code automatically? Even if I knew all the
properties that I had to set in order to get the code to generate a table
just like the one I made in the Visual Studio IDE that would be great!

Does this make any sense? Am I doing something wrong? How are most
tables created by professionals? Do they always first visually design it
and then code it to make it look just like what was visually designed?

Anyway, please help!! Anything will be most welcome!!

Sincerely,
Amar