DIV's vs. Tables or CSS vs. Being Stupid

Question

I know that tables are for tabular data, but it\'s so tempting to use them for layout. I can handle DIV\'s to get a three column layout, but when you got 4 nested DIV\'s, it

Answer 1

In the UK and in US there is a legal requirement for favouring CSS layouts over Tables. Both Section 508 (US) and the Disability Discrimination Act (UK) cover accessibility standards for users with limited vision.

In the UK the legislation extends so far as to actually make it illegal to commercially produce a site that impedes the ability of a partially sighted user in the same way that it is now illegal to have a shop with a step to enter it and no way for a wheelchair user to get in - admittedly there have been no prosecutions over website accessibility yet. However I would always go with CSS as it means that your site design is so much easier to maintain in the longer term.

Investing time in learning CSS (I used W3C schools and .Net Magazine http://www.netmag.co.uk) will pay off.