How to effectively add css to Table layouts?

I am searching for a tutorial that will help me to find a good way to apply css code to a standard html graphically intensive Table layout system. I want to get the power of a css system going with my current html Table layout code. I have heard that css is better than Table layouts for web design in that it allows your graphics and other media to be delivered faster. But I have to design websites that maintain compatibility with all versions of web browsers. And I have to design websites that I can easily apply database code systems to and design for better website management for future additions of advanced website development coding platforms. I hope to start small and build in more advanced css features as needed.

I have the book HTML Utopia that discusses css. But I’m having a hard time learning how to apply a good working css code model to my current websites designed with graphically intensive html Table structures. If you have a link to a good website that can help me or any tips on this subject it would help me very much. Thanks for your rely.

Try some of these sites.

www.positioniseverything.net
www.csszengarden.com
www.thenoodleincident.com

[EDIT] Oops, ta gary.

Formatting with CSS instead of Tables uses <div> tags and absolute positiong instead of relative positioning.

check out this site for more info ---> http://glish.com/css/

Thanks for your web links! This really helps me out.

Actually, it doesn't speed them so much, as you're not slowed by having to reload and render all the table stuff. The external style sheet is loaded only once, saving bunches of bandwidth, and tables take time to be computed and displayed.
Write well structured, semantically correct html (Obviously table layouts do not meet these standards.). Every reasonable browser can handle that. Modern browsers do now and will continue to properly apply CSS. Obsolete, non-compliant browsers such as IE<=6 have well known hacks to correct for shortcomings.
Your server-side scripts and CMSs need only deliver semantic html. CSS will control the display.

cheers,

gary

ps. PHP-newb missed on /*PIE*/s address, it's http://www.positioniseverything.net not .com

I only feel that my website development will later need CMS's based on the services that will added which are bound to generate a lot of data. Scalability is what I'm talking about. I sound like one of those IBM commercials. I am an artist primarily so I will take a limited approach in this area and hope that my web structure will be friendly to developers who work specifically with CMS's.

For me any html design beyond the purpose of basic presentation is a major task. But the main project that I was working on bottomed out and the other parties did not do their part and whatnot. I still think that the original model is doable and necessary for certain marketing reasons.

I don't want to dig too deep into the more complex stuff. I want to get things going with a good css setup and then start outsourcing with other web professionals. Then I will work on adding more complex website features as needed.

I am glad that I found a place where I can discuss these topics with a knowledgeable group of people. To me the best feature of the web so far is online development communities.

I wish that there was a resource for all kinds of developers of web content to look to and pick a route to a solution for website enhancement. It would be nice if one could learn what is available from their current status as a web developer and pick a method that will take them to the next level of where they want to go. I feel that you have to leapfrog around to different resources just to find the next logical step from A to B. So I have learned to ask other computer users like myself for help from time to time.

Lot’s of the web design and technical issues are presented in books in a way too general way to be useful for real world quick business frameworks. In business you need instant compliance. And most knowledgeable web designers can add new features into their websites that don't require any major programming knowledge. We often only need skilled service help with the big program based coding tasks. Without the web forums I would have to consult a technical expert for every little thing that I could tweak myself if I had a tip or two. I started building my own PC's and I have yet to call tech support for any problems that I have with my systems. I know that if I really need a tip or two all that I have to do is get help on a web forum.

Thanks for your help and I look forward to discussing more topics with you.

Web authors who are steeped in tables to the point that layouts become second nature have reason to stay with tables while folding in a new way of thinking. Anyone who is not an old hand at tag soup coding should start with structured, semantic html for content and css for display. There is no good reason to start one way and move incrementally the other. The two methodologies follow different paradigms.

Table layouts and tag soup coding do not lend themselves to scalability.

Businesses in the US will be required to follow accessibility requirements—bet on it. Table layouts are by their nature difficult to make accessible, and damn near impossible to refactor for accessibility.

The New York Public Library established web authoring guidelines about three years ago. You may study their rules, and their reasoning behind the rules. This is an interesting read.

cheers,

gary