What is the proper way to include 'rowspan' specific CSS within an HTML table?

Question

What is the proper way to include 'rowspan' specific CSS within an HTML table?

I have an HTML table with rowspans in it:

table tr,
td {
  border: 1px solid black;
}
tr:nth-child(1) {
  background-color: red;
}
tr:nth-child(2) {
  background-color: blue;
}

<table>
  <tr>
    <td rowspan=2>Section 1</td>
    <td>Data 1a</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Data 1b</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td rowspan=3>Section 2</td>
    <td>Data 2a</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Data 2b</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Data 2C</td>
  </tr>

I am trying to find a simple CSS solution using nth-child to apply styling, such as background colors, to a group of rows within a "Section" that is defined by row spans.

The current CSS only styles individual table rows based on their position, but I want to target and style multiple rows based on the number of rows spanned by a cell.

In this example, I would like to:

Make Section 1, Data 1a, and Data 1b appear in red
Style Section 2, Data 2a, Data 2b, and Data 2c with a blue color

If you have any suggestions for achieving this using simple HTML/CSS without relying on JavaScript, please let me know!

javascript html css

Answer 1

Answer №1

Another way to make this function

table tr,
td {
  border: 1px solid black;
}
tr:nth-child(1), tr:nth-child(2){
  background-color: red;
}
tr:nth-child(3),tr:nth-child(4),tr:nth-child(5) {
  background-color: blue;
}*/

<table>
  <tr>
    <td rowspan=2>Section 1</td>
    <td>Data 1a</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Data 1b</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td rowspan=3>Section 2</td>
    <td>Data 2a</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Data 2b</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Data 2C</td>
  </tr>

Answer 2

Another way to make this function

table tr,
td {
  border: 1px solid black;
}
tr:nth-child(1), tr:nth-child(2){
  background-color: red;
}
tr:nth-child(3),tr:nth-child(4),tr:nth-child(5) {
  background-color: blue;
}*/

<table>
  <tr>
    <td rowspan=2>Section 1</td>
    <td>Data 1a</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Data 1b</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td rowspan=3>Section 2</td>
    <td>Data 2a</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Data 2b</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Data 2C</td>
  </tr>

Answer 3

Answer №2

The solution that I found to be effective (thanks to @RobG's suggestion) is organizing the group rows into segments using <tbody>. This way, I can easily target each tbody element.

Below is the updated example that demonstrates this concept:

table tr,
td {
  border: 1px solid black;
}
tbody:nth-child(1) {
  background-color: red;
}
tbody:nth-child(2) {
  background-color: blue;
}

<table>
  <tbody>
  <tr>
    <td rowspan=2>Section 1</td>
    <td>Data 1a</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Data 1b</td>
  </tr>
  </tbody>
  <tbody>
  <tr>
    <td rowspan=3>Section 2</td>
    <td>Data 2a</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Data 2b</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Data 2C</td>
  </tr>
  </tbody>

Answer 4

The solution that I found to be effective (thanks to @RobG's suggestion) is organizing the group rows into segments using <tbody>. This way, I can easily target each tbody element.

Below is the updated example that demonstrates this concept:

table tr,
td {
  border: 1px solid black;
}
tbody:nth-child(1) {
  background-color: red;
}
tbody:nth-child(2) {
  background-color: blue;
}

<table>
  <tbody>
  <tr>
    <td rowspan=2>Section 1</td>
    <td>Data 1a</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Data 1b</td>
  </tr>
  </tbody>
  <tbody>
  <tr>
    <td rowspan=3>Section 2</td>
    <td>Data 2a</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Data 2b</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Data 2C</td>
  </tr>
  </tbody>

Answer 5

Answer №3

If you opt for simple classes or IDs for your table rows and cells, managing them becomes a breeze. I included the header cells in this example, but even if you switch them back to regular cells, the outcome remains consistent. By assigning appropriate class names to each row, it becomes easier to target them, allowing for seamless addition of <td> tags to red or blue rows which will automatically inherit the correct color, eliminating the need to determine their position.

table tr,
td, th {
  border: 1px solid black;
}
tr.red > td, tr.red > th {
  background-color: red;
}
tr.blue > td, tr.blue > th {
  background-color: blue;
}

<table>
  <tr class="red">
    <th rowspan=2>Section 1</th>
    <td>Data 1a</td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr class="red">
    <td>Data 1b</td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr class="blue">
    <th rowspan=3>Section 2</th>
    <td>Data 2a</td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr class="blue">
    <td>Data 2b</td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr class="blue">
    <td>Data 2C</td>
  </tr>
  
</table>

https://jsfiddle.net/wm0nx4cg/1/

Answer 6

If you opt for simple classes or IDs for your table rows and cells, managing them becomes a breeze. I included the header cells in this example, but even if you switch them back to regular cells, the outcome remains consistent. By assigning appropriate class names to each row, it becomes easier to target them, allowing for seamless addition of <td> tags to red or blue rows which will automatically inherit the correct color, eliminating the need to determine their position.

table tr,
td, th {
  border: 1px solid black;
}
tr.red > td, tr.red > th {
  background-color: red;
}
tr.blue > td, tr.blue > th {
  background-color: blue;
}

<table>
  <tr class="red">
    <th rowspan=2>Section 1</th>
    <td>Data 1a</td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr class="red">
    <td>Data 1b</td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr class="blue">
    <th rowspan=3>Section 2</th>
    <td>Data 2a</td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr class="blue">
    <td>Data 2b</td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr class="blue">
    <td>Data 2C</td>
  </tr>
  
</table>

https://jsfiddle.net/wm0nx4cg/1/

Answer 7

Answer №4

If you prefer not to modify your HTML code, here is a straightforward solution:

tr, td {
    border: 1px solid black;
}

tr, tr + tr  {
    background-color: red;
}

tr + tr + tr {
    background-color: blue;
}

<table>
   <tr>
       <td rowspan=2>Section 1</td>
       <td>Data 1a</td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
       <td>Data 1b</td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
       <td rowspan=3>Section 2</td>
       <td>Data 2a</td>
   </tr>
     <tr>
       <td>Data 2b</td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
       <td>Data 2C</td>
   </tr>
  </table>

Also check out this Fiddle.

If you are open to including tbody elements in your markup, then this option might work for you:

tr, td {
border: 1px solid black;
}

tr  {
background-color: red;
}

tbody + tbody tr {
background-color: blue;
}

<table>
   <tbody>
       <tr>
           <td rowspan=2>Section 1</td>
           <td>Data 1a</td>
       </tr>
       <tr>
           <td>Data 1b</td>
       </tr>
   </tbody>
   <tbody>
       <tr>
           <td rowspan=3>Section 2</td>
           <td>Data 2a</td>
       </tr>
       <tr>
           <td>Data 2b</td>
       </tr>
       <tr>
           <td>Data 2C</td>
       </tr>
   </tbody>
  </table>

Also see this Fiddle.

Answer 8

If you prefer not to modify your HTML code, here is a straightforward solution:

tr, td {
    border: 1px solid black;
}

tr, tr + tr  {
    background-color: red;
}

tr + tr + tr {
    background-color: blue;
}

<table>
   <tr>
       <td rowspan=2>Section 1</td>
       <td>Data 1a</td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
       <td>Data 1b</td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
       <td rowspan=3>Section 2</td>
       <td>Data 2a</td>
   </tr>
     <tr>
       <td>Data 2b</td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
       <td>Data 2C</td>
   </tr>
  </table>

Also check out this Fiddle.

If you are open to including tbody elements in your markup, then this option might work for you:

tr, td {
border: 1px solid black;
}

tr  {
background-color: red;
}

tbody + tbody tr {
background-color: blue;
}

<table>
   <tbody>
       <tr>
           <td rowspan=2>Section 1</td>
           <td>Data 1a</td>
       </tr>
       <tr>
           <td>Data 1b</td>
       </tr>
   </tbody>
   <tbody>
       <tr>
           <td rowspan=3>Section 2</td>
           <td>Data 2a</td>
       </tr>
       <tr>
           <td>Data 2b</td>
       </tr>
       <tr>
           <td>Data 2C</td>
       </tr>
   </tbody>
  </table>

Also see this Fiddle.

What is the proper way to include 'rowspan' specific CSS within an HTML table?

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Answer №4

Similar questions

Changing the scroll ball's height using CSS

Showing off HTML tags within react-json-tree

JavaScript tutorial: Removing spaces in column names and creating case-insensitive queries

Error message: `$injector:modulerr - Angular JS` - Indicates an

Conceal the scrollbar track while displaying the scrollbar thumb

`Angular 9 template directives`

Tips for utilizing CSS to position a semi-circle in the middle of an image

Checking the availability of a username by sending an Ajax request every time the user types it may lead to inefficiencies and slower response times. Are there

Clicking on the icon reveals the current date

Implementing dynamic active class changes in a navbar with JavaScript

What is causing the issue with CSS properties and media queries not being effective on specific elements?

The issue with dynamic sizing in React and Tailwind is that it does not consistently work with arbitrary sizes. Some sizes do not appear properly, causing items to

Retrieve the property values of `T` using a string key through the `in

Incorporating JS objects into HTML: A comprehensive guide

The local authentication feature in NodeJS Passport is experiencing issues and not functioning properly

Discovering a way to capture the space bar event in a number input field with JavaScript

Ways to display a US map using d3.js with state names positioned outside each state and pointing towards it

An async function cannot be used as a Constructor

When using JavaScript, I have noticed that my incremental pattern is 1, 3, 6, and 10

Extract particular details from my database