``Is it better to use a table or a div for a two-column layout with equal

Is using a table the best option for creating a layout with two columns that expand to the height of the taller column?

In cases like this, I find it easier to use a simple table structure:

<table class="parent">
    <tr>
        <td class="columnLeft">Column 1</td>
        <td class="columnRight">Column 2</td>
    </tr>
</table>

Using tables ensures that both columns maintain the same variable height without the need for additional CSS hacks.

While there are solutions using divs, they often involve workarounds such as overflow:hidden and more to ensure compatibility across different browsers.

(You can view an example on jsFiddle here: http://jsfiddle.net/rJjJa/1/)

What do you think? Is using a table acceptable in this case, or would you recommend an alternative method?

Answer №1

To make div elements act like tables, you can apply display: table-cell; to each one. This will cause them to behave similarly to a td; both will have equal height. This method is compatible with all modern browsers and IE8 onwards.

Answer №2

Avoid using the <table> tag for layouts as it is outdated!

Instead, there are numerous Cross Browser CSS Compatible 2 Column Layouts available that do not require any hacks. One example is the Equal height columns.

Benefit of Equal height columns

No matter the content in each column, the background colors will always extend to match the height of the tallest column.

For a detailed explanation, read this article: Equal Height Columns with Cross-Browser CSS.

Similar questions

If you have not found the answer to your question or you are interested in this topic, then look at other similar questions below or use the search

Is there a way to boost the scrolling speed of the div element?

I'm currently working on a parallax web design and I need some help. Does anyone know how I can make the red div move faster? I believe it has to do with the formula but I'm not entirely sure. Can someone assist me with this? Check out my code: ...

Iframe displaying a blank white screen following the adjustment of document.location twice

I am in the process of developing a web application that I intend to integrate into my Wix website. The main components of the required web application are a text screen and a button to switch between different screens/pages (html content). However, I am ...

CodeIgniter PHP carousel not populating with database values

My website features carousel sliders to showcase images and their values. There are three carousels on the homepage, all sharing the same code. However, the first carousel is not displaying the name and price like the second and third carousels. You can se ...

Shifting the "active" designation within a dropdown menu to correspond with the user's current page

Recently, I decided to explore the Foundation framework. However, my first stumbling block was figuring out how to use the "active" class in a dropdown menu. I am hoping to have the class applied to the page link that is currently being viewed by the user ...

Generate a hyperlink that launches the correct mapping application on all devices, providing directions to the desired destination

It seems that finding an excellent cross-device article is harder than anticipated. I have been trying to create a link that will either open the mobile device's browser and navigate to Google Maps or directly launch a maps app (Apple Maps or Google M ...

"Get a sneak peek of your page before hitting submit with this HTML

Is it possible to create a pop-up page preview in just one button click on my current HTML page? I would like to only use the Body Elements from the current page and Header Elements from other resources. My inquiry is: Can the header (<head>) eleme ...

Javascript timeout clearing problem

One thing I'm curious about is whether or not clearTimeout() halts the timer and prevents the function within the timer from being executed, or if it simply clears the timeout and runs the function immediately. Take a look at this example: $('i ...

Preventing Unwanted Scroll with jQuery

I'm currently working on a project where I have several description blocks that are meant to fade in when the corresponding image is clicked. The fading effect works fine, but there's an issue with the page scrolling up each time a new image is c ...

The automatic selection process for IE document modes

It may seem simple, but I'm a little perplexed about how IE decides which browser mode to use. In IE9, there are options such as IE9 Compatibility Mode, IE9, IE8, and IE7. These modes are selected automatically depending on the webpage. Can someone e ...

Struggle with dynamically placing Checkboxes in the right spots

When trying to create dynamic CheckBox elements, I encounter issues with positioning them correctly. I aim to place them below the input field instead of below the Image. However, I am unsure of how to achieve this specific placement. Demo HTML: <di ...

Wrapping text in Bootstrap 4 containers for better readability

I am attempting to wrap the title text around a span object. So far, I have been successful in getting everything aligned correctly, but the final step of wrapping the text seems challenging. My suspicion is that the issue lies in the separation of contain ...

Transforming Form Input Fields into a Nested JSON Format with the Power of JQuery

I'm facing a challenge in converting the input fields below into a nested JSON file structure in my HTML page. Despite trying various methods, I haven't been successful yet. These inputs are retrieved through AngularJS ng-repeat. Any assistance o ...

Find the <img> element within a nested <div> class using Selenium

Here is a snippet of HTML code that I am working on: <span id="spanId" class="myThumbnails"> <div class="Thumbnail" style="margin-bottom:12px;text-align:center;"> <img id="thumbl00_cph_Img1" style="border-width:0px;" src="http:/ ...

Image floating next to a table

Trying to achieve something that I assumed would be straightforward, but CSS always has its surprises! The issue I'm facing is with an image floated to the left. Next to the image, I have a title, and below the title, but still alongside the image, I ...

align video element to the right within a container div

I'm attempting to align a video element to the bottom right inside a div. Here is the code I have so far, which successfully aligns the video element to the bottom but not to the right side of the div container: video { } .border.rounded-0.border- ...

Alert-Enabled Random Number Generation Tool

I'm struggling to create a program that randomly generates a number between 1 and 20. If the number is less than 10, it should display "fail," and if it's greater than 10, it should display "success." I can't seem to figure out where I went ...

What causes webkit browsers to reduce the size of certain floating elements on mobile devices?

Struggling to create a responsive layout for a web app, specifically dealing with rendering issues on mobile webkit browsers. The floating elements are shrinking in an unpredictable way, causing problems on Chrome and Safari for Android and iOS devices. ...

What is the best way to display my index.html file while utilizing PHP Slim REST Api?

Recently I began diving into PHP Slim to create a REST API, and now I'm looking to integrate a client interface with it. One issue I've encountered is not being able to serve my index.html (the client's homepage) properly. Despite following ...

Label for the checkbox is covering other content on the screen in 1024 x 768

Here is the JSP code snippet: <h:field path="configuredChannels" required="true" code="admin.menu.channels"> <div class="row-fluid" data-channel-checkboxes="#"> <form:checkboxes element="div class=&apos ...

A unique Javascript feature that switches the text on various buttons

As someone who is relatively new to Javascript and web development, I am currently working on a project that involves creating multiple text areas for users to input and save text. Each text area is accompanied by a button with a unique ID that functions a ...