Excessive spacing in the <td> elements - TABLE

I am encountering some problems with my table layout. The spacing between the field names and text boxes appears to be too large.

Could there be mistakes I'm making that are causing this issue? How can I minimize the gaps? Please refer to the image below for a visual.

https://i.sstatic.net/x92Tb.jpg

Below is the HTML code:

<h5>Free Room of Cleaning & Carpet Audit</h5>

<table border="0" border-collapse:collapse; width:80% colspan="3">
<tbody>

<tr>
<td>Name: <span style="color:red;"><strong>*</strong></span></td>
<td>[text* client-name] </td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Phone: <span style="color:red;"><strong>*</strong></span></td>
<td> [text* phone] </td>
</tr>


<tr>
<td>Email: <span style="color:red;"><strong>*</strong></span></td>
<td>[email* email]</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Best time to call: &nbsp; </td>
<td>[select best-time "Morning" "Afternoon" "After 5pm"] </td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Address:</td>
<td> [text address]</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>City</td>
<td>[text city]</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>State: </td>
<td>[text state]</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Zip:</td>
<td>[text zip]</td>
</tr>

<tr><td colspan="2">Questions/Comments
[textarea questions id:questions] 
</td></tr>

<tr><td colspan="2">[submit "Submit"]</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

To see the problem in action, check out this JSFiddle link: https://jsfiddle.net/sLv3e8f5/

Answer №1

By default, the browser arranges tables in a way where each column adjusts its width to fit the largest child element within it. In this particular scenario, the table cell holding the text "best time to call" is the longest element, causing the column to expand to accommodate its length.

To address this issue, you can assign a fixed width to the first column of your table. This will allow the longest line, "best time to call", to wrap properly.

In the example below, I have included an id attribute to the table and used CSS to target the first column, setting a specific width for it. Additionally, I've also defined a width for the "Questions/Comments" form to ensure alignment.


See the result in the screenshot below:

https://i.sstatic.net/ucC4R.png


Try out the Live Demo here:

#thetable td:first-child {
    width: 70px;
}

#qa {
    width: 240px;
}
<h5>Free Room of Cleaning & Carpet Audit</h5>

<table id="thetable" border="0" border-collapse:collapse; width:80% colspan="3" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" >
<tbody>

<tr>
<td>Name: <span style="color:red;"><strong>*</strong></span></td>
<td> <input type="text"> </td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Phone: <span style="color:red;"><strong>*</strong></span></td>
<td> <input type="text"> </td>
</tr>


<tr>
<td>Email: <span style="color:red;"><strong>*</strong></span></td>
<td><input type="text"></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Best time to call: &nbsp; </td>
<td><select>
  <option value="volvo">Volvo</option>
  <option value="saab">Saab</option>
  <option value="mercedes">Mercedes</option>
  <option value="audi">Audi</option>
</select> </td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Address:</td>
<td> <input type="text"></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>City</td>
<td><input type="text"></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>State: </td>
<td>[text state]</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Zip:</td>
<td><input type="text"></td>
</tr>

<tr><td colspan="2">Questions/Comments
<textarea id="qa" rows="4" cols="50">
</textarea>
</td></tr>

<tr><td colspan="2"><input type="submit"></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Experience the JSFiddle Version here: https://jsfiddle.net/sLv3e8f5/2/

Answer №2

For optimal table formatting, consider including the attributes cellspacing="0" and cellpadding="0".

Answer №3

Insert a

padding-right:4px;

within the

<td>

As shown below,

<td style="padding-right:4px;">[text* username]</td>

Answer №4

To eliminate the extra spaces, try wrapping the "Best time to call" cell to two lines.

Answer №5

the alignment of the table cell is determined by the text "Best time to call:  ". have you considered using <ul><li>

Answer №6

Embracing CSS Styling over tables can unlock a whole new world of design possibilities.

Here's a simple example to illustrate this point:

label {
    /*float:left;*/
    width: 8em;
    display:block;
    clear:both;   
    margin-top: 10px;
}
input, select {
    float:left;
    margin-top: 10px;
    margin-left: 20px;
}
label.required::after {
    content:'*';
    color: #F00;
    padding-left:0.25em;
}

.required+input, .required+select
{
    background-color:#FCC;
}
<fieldset>
    <legend>Free Room of Cleaning & Carpet Audit</legend>
    <label class="required" for="name">Name:</label>
    <input type="text" id="name" name="name" />
    <label class="required" for="phone">Phone:</label>
    <input type="text" id="phone" name="phone" />
    <label class="required" for="email">Email:</label>
    <input type="text" id="email" name="email" />
    <label for="call">Best time to call:</label>
    <select id="call" name="call">
        <option value="volvo">Volvo</option>
        <option value="saab">Saab</option>
        <option value="mercedes">Mercedes</option>
        <option value="audi">Audi</option>
    </select>
    <label  for="Address">Address:</label>
    <input type="text" id="Address" name="Address" />
</fieldset>

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