Is having links in table good or bad?

[theuedimaster]

Is it alright to have a table with a link in each respective cell?

[PeOfEo]

If its a data table it would be fine. If its navigation or something though, I suggest you use a list.

[ray326]

With that little bit of description I'd have to say it doesn't sound like it. Tables are for presenting "tabular data", though, and I can certainly invision a situation where a table where one or more columns contained links. Generally where you're creating something like a menu or even a set of links with descriptions, that's better represented as a list.

[davidbrent]

basically, the other guys have explained it. but it does ask the question;
if i had a table with a link, an ID number, and a description, a 3 column table with x amount of rows. Is this considered naivgation or tabular data?

[PeOfEo]

Sound like a data table to me. This situation sounds like it could be a list of products or something wich would be a data table. It just depends on what you are doing if this is a bunch of data then it can go in a table, but if you are using it for your sites navigate or your links section then it should be in a list.

[theuedimaster]

Its basically not my main navigation bar. It is just this small thing at the bottom where you can visit the privacy policy etc.

[Stephen Philbin]

Not data.

[ray326]

Sounds like a list to me.

[PeOfEo]

yeah thats a list alright.

[blindrain]

well the way the site is setup in the layout that is fine just keep the table invisble to the user as you are doing now by hiding the borders or setting border="0"

[Stephen Philbin]

Originally posted by blindrain
well the way the site is setup in the layout that is fine just keep the table invisble to the user as you are doing now by hiding the borders or setting border="0"

Whether the table is "visible" or not is only one of many reasons why we DO NOT USE TABLES FOR LAYOUT!



........ *ahem*

[davidbrent]

Definatley a list. what about a hor/list with no bg color or borders. that way it looks like its in a table, but not.

[PeOfEo]

Originally posted by Mr Herer
Whether the table is "visible" or not is only one of many reasons why we DO NOT USE TABLES FOR LAYOUT!



........ *ahem* it is? I thought it was mostly becuase of the fact that using a table for layout is just inherently bad because they are not intended for layout and will fail to linearize properly for non graphical and audio braille browsers which will jumble the content.

[Stephen Philbin]

Exactly. For those that can't actually see, linearisation is everything. I dunno about you, but I've never met a blind guy yet that gives a sh** what a web page looks like.

[PeOfEo]

I don't know about you but I have only met one blind person... unless old people who do not see well and do not use the computer a lot. :x. That is not to say that we should not make our pages accessible though... after all if we did we would be just loosing that much more money if its an eccomerce site, and we would be going against the americans with disabilities act.

ps: I may not know many blind people, but I know quite a few deaf people.

[Stephen Philbin]

Precisely the point. Why use a table to achieve the same visual effect as something else when the table just makes it much less accessible. It's not just wrong, it's pointless.