3.1 Standard View Versus Layout View

Although Standard tables and Layout tables serve different purposes, both use the same familiar HTML table tags (<table>, <tr>, and <td>). Thankfully, Dreamweaver allows you to create tables visually in either mode, insulating you from the underlying complexity of the HTML. (You can switch between table modes using the View Table View menu options or the View buttons at the bottom of the Objects panel. Don't confuse the table view modes with the unrelated Code and Design views discussed earlier.) If you're not sure whether to use tables, layers, or some other formatting element, see the preface.

In some cases, performing a table operation in one of the two modes is nearly, or even literally, impossible. You can switch between Standard view and Layout view when working with the same table, so use whichever mode you need. Dreamweaver creates or adjusts the HTML table tags for you automatically.

Because tables weren't originally intended for page layout, Standard view is best suited for creating simple data tables (like a spreadsheet of numbers).

Standard view and its row-and-column paradigm is ideal for displaying tabular data. Layout view merely uses tables as a means to align graphic elements on the page.

Although Layout view is better suited for complex layouts, Standard view is useful, and even mandatory, for several reasons:

• It hides some of the visual guides present in Layout view, making it easier to view the page's contents.

• It allows you to use the basic Table object and the Draw Layer tool, which are not available in Layout view.

• You can insert a table in Standard view using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+T (Windows) or Cmd+Opt+T (Macintosh). In Layout view, you must use the mouse to create tables.

• It allows you to set the background image of a cell or table, add color to a row of cells, and sort and format tabular data (none of which can be done in Layout view).

• It allows you to easily manipulate entire rows and columns. In Layout view, you typically manipulate individual cells. There is no way to set properties of a complete row or column using Layout view.

• Cells can be merged and split easily, and rows and columns can be inserted or deleted, in Standard view. In Layout view, cells are manipulated directly and Dreamweaver automatically inserts or deletes rows and columns as needed.

Table 3-1 shows the primary table-related operations and shortcuts. Refer to Table A-8 for more table-related menu commands and shortcuts.

Table 3-1. Table shortcuts

Operation	Windows	Macintosh
Select cell (or select table, if cell is already selected)	Ctrl+A	Cmd+A
Switch to Layout view	Ctrl+F6	Cmd+F6
Switch to Standard view	Ctrl+Shift+F6	Cmd+Shift+F6
Insert Table in Standard view	Ctrl+Alt+T	Cmd+Opt+T
Draw multiple tables or cells without reselecting the tool in Layout view	Hold down Ctrl key while drawing	Hold down Cmd key while drawing
Prevent tables and cells from snapping to nearby elements (within 8 pixels) in Layout view	Hold down Alt key while drawing	Hold down Opt key while drawing
Select a multicell range in Standard view	Shift-click	Shift-click
Open contextual menu	Right-click	Ctrl-click
Nudge selected cell by one pixel in Layout view	Arrow keys	Arrow keys
Nudge cell by ten pixels in Layout view	Shift+arrow keys	Shift+arrow keys
Merge Cells in Standard view	Ctrl+Alt+M	Cmd+Opt+M
Split Cells in Standard view	Ctrl+Alt+S	Cmd+Opt+S
Move insertion point to next cell (adds a new row if in the last cell of the last row)	Tab	Tab
Move insertion point to previous cell	Shift+Tab	Shift+Tab