Why is using tables for website layout such an evi

Question

I am a Winforms and business engine developer who is using asp.net for the first time in over 2 years, and in that time I have noticed a few convention changes.

What is the logic behind the anti-'tables for layout' movement?

Is it to allow css classes to be used to handle layout, and if so, should this really be an issue on pages you are fairly sure will remain static, or is it just considered 'ugly'?

Answer 1

Its worth mentioning that <table> tags are still legitimately used when displaying tabular data. The rule of thumb I use is if I'm displaying something that could easily live in a speadsheet, then a table tag is the way to go.

Answer 2

There are a number of reasons. One reason is accessibility...layout tables do not add semantics to the content so screen readers have trouble with them. So only use tables for tabular data.

Here are a few points that answer the question in more details

• Tables are slow
• Tables can be inflexible
• Accessibility issues are easier with CSS
• Tables don’t degrade
• Tables don’t print as well