So I have a question regarding the markup and CSS of a project. How would you code this screenshot? I think a table is the way to go but the Problem is the horizontal background image (with the shadows). As you might know you cant give a <tr /> a background image. So I have two options:

A) slice the horizontal background of each <tr> into small images for each <td>

or

B) forget about the table and use <dl> but that would increase the markup and I don’t really like the idea :D

What do you suggest?

Here is the screenshot: http://storage.maximilianschoening.com/screeny_at2323.jpg

maximilianschoening - 30 August 2008 10:51 AM

A) slice the horizontal background of each <tr> into small images for each <td>

It’s the same bg-image for each cell isn’t? Or is it supposed to have rounded corners - it’s a bit hard to tell? Either way, it’ll still be the same repeating bg-image for the three middle cells.

And yes, looks like tabular data to me (although it’s hard to tell cos you’ve blurred some of it out).

Looks very much like a table to me. Though it is very hard to say from the blurry image you might even get away with some clever css and no bg-image.
Anyway have a look here for some CSS table ideas (#10 deals with bg-images in tables).

Here is a table equivalent to the CSS-Zen site and another list of table styling techniques.

Have a nice weekend!

You don’t have to use tables.  With a combination of Paragraphs, Span Classes and CSS you can achieve the same effect.  You can get the rounded corners by using spiffy corners.

grantmx - 03 September 2008 01:12 PM

You don’t have to use tables.  With a combination of Paragraphs, Span Classes and CSS you can achieve the same effect.

Why would you do that if the data is in fact tabular in nature?

#1. I hate tables.

#2. Its not necessarily solely tabular.

#3. I hate tables.

Numbers 1 & 2 are completely irrational and actually detrimental to producing good work when faced with data that actually is tabular. Representing tabular data with any other sort of element is as bad as doing a layout structure with table elements.

As the original image is partly blurred out, it’s difficult to say what the data is but I’d say it’s highly likely that it is tabular in nature and therefore table elements would be the correct ones to use. But as the original poster hasn’t returned to clarify the issue, it’s impossible to say for certain.

Numbers 1 & 2 are completely irrational and actually detrimental to producing good work when faced with data that actually is tabular. Representing tabular data with any other sort of element is as bad as doing a layout structure with table elements.

You certainly have a right to your opinion, no matter how rude the tone may be, Sir.

And you certainly have a right to your opinion that you think I’m being rude. I didn’t think I was.