Hour 8. Organizing Text with Tables and Rules

Between text and pictures is a gray area. The objects in this area affect the composition and organization of a Web page, but they aren't exactly text or pictures; they are tables and horizontal lines (sometimes also known as horizontal rules).

Tables are a great way to organize text in a meaningful, attractive way. And horizontal lines divide pages up visually into meaningful sections, making the page both more appealing and easier to read. In this hour—before moving ahead to pictures in Part IV—you'll learn how to apply these “gray area” techniques to make the most of text.

At the end of this hour, you will be able to answer the following questions:

• How do I insert horizontal lines in my page and control their appearance?

• How do I make a table?

• Can I customize table borders, headings, captions, and other things that affect the table's appearance?

• How can I create cool Web page layouts by making a table as big as a page?