A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....07-12,13-05....Ready ~ Set Tables ~ GO!

Billie

[Billie]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Mama_Bear, Dutchess, Aquamarine, DollyCali ~

Well, not that kind of table...but html tables. Continuing our theme of a few weeks ago, today's thread is devoted to having more fun with tables. If you missed it earlier and need the text for the table templates, please go to the Mission: Possible! thread. There are six different ready-to-copy-and-paste templates there from which to choose!

Your challenge today is to use these templates as a guide and create your own combination by replacing my urls with yours in the examples. Google is your friend. (Search Google Web, not Images, for Background sets:) Some of you are already doing this - it's fun, isn't it?)

Now that you have some templates to work with in setting up your multiple background tables, let's dress up the graphics the same way. A photo can be just placed on a page alone, or you can use tables to make a frame for the photo in a number of ways.

Below, I've posted one photo three ways: first without a frame/border, and then a very basic one, and finally multiple table borders.

Plain..No Border..Nada

I can hardly post a plain graphic on a colored background anymore - it just looks nekkid! Don't you think? :)

---

Simple Table Border

This has the most basic of all tables; the command could hardly be more simple, and yet it finishes this little gif quite nicely. This is the text for this plain little border:

<center> <table border=4> <tr><td>
<img src="http://d21c.com/billie/logos/billielittlegirl.gif" width=160 height=180 align=middle>
</td></tr></table></center>

---

Multiple Table Borders

Probably a little too fancy-smancy for this gif, but just wanted to show you more of what you can do with tables and pictures. There are four sets of tables surrounding the picture, and effects can be changed simply by increasing or decreasing the cellpadding and/or border numbers.

When building the tables, start with the outer table first, and work inward. Finish by adding the image.

Text for the above framework:

<center> <table background="http://d21c.com/billie/
backgrounds/goldpatternbg.jpg" cellpadding=4
cellspacing=0 border=14>
<tr><td><center>
<table background="http://d21c.com/billie/
backgrounds/periwinklewatercolorribbon.jpg"
cellpadding=0 border=11>
<tr><td><center>
<table background="http://d21c.com/billie/
backgrounds/periwinklesolidbg.jpg" cellspacing=0
border=3><tr><td><center>
<table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=2>
<tr><td><img src="http://d21c.com/billie/
logos/billielittlegirl.gif" width=160 height=180 align=middle>
</td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>

To create a pleasing set of table backgrounds, you should usually have at least three small background images (they will tile to fill whatever table size you specify):   a pattern of some kind, a coordinated gradient ribbon, and a solid texture for the top/main "palette" to place your text and images on. You can also match your font color to one of those background colors, instead of the standard black, white, red, blue, etc.

Here are a couple of links you might find helpful in making *your* tables pretty and fun!

Gradient Ribbon Colors

HTML Color Codes

*NOTE*:   Another thing you should know is that you can also use the html colors for your backgrounds instead of a background jpeg or gif. Anywhere in the table command where it says <table background="http://rest of the url/filename.jpg" cellpadding=10 border=6>, remove background="http://...../filename.jpg" and replace it with bgcolor=2f4f4f or any of the color codes above, so that it would look like this: <table bgcolor=2f4f4f cellpadding=10 border=6>

The templates and instructions that I've posted are only a small sampling of what can be done using tables, and certainly not the only way. You can find many other ways to make multiple background tables, but hopefully, this will get you started.

* BONUS! *

Here is a very simple example using three backgrounds: a blue gradient, a pink plaid, and a pink rose on pink for the inside. I used the same font color as in the rest of the post. (Font color="2f4f4f")

Below are the html commands (it will be wider than this, and grow longer as you add text and a picture.)

<center>
<table background="http://d21c.com/billie/backgrounds/stormyweatherbg2.jpg" cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 border=2>
<tr><td><center>
<table background="http://d21c.com/billie/backgrounds/Pinkplaidbg.gif" cellpadding=20 cellspacing=0 border=2>
<tr><td><center>
<table background="http://d21c.com/billie/backgrounds/stormyweatherbg2.jpg" cellpadding=2>
<tr><td><center>
<table background="http://www.d21c.com/billie/backgrounds/pinkrosebg.jpg" width=500 cellpadding=30>
<tr><td>
<center>
<img src="http://d21c.com/billie/backgrounds/PinkplaidRosebar.gif" width=288 height=44>
</center> <font color=2f4f4f>
Delete this whole sentence and put your post here instead. </td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>

Now that you are armed and dangerous, FReepers, go get those templates, go get those backgrounds, and

06-28-05 ~ Hall of Fame #12

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 07-11-05 Military Monday

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' Every Thursday at the Finest The guy's good, folks!

[ST.LOUIE1]

LOL!!!

Er.....jealous? : )

[ST.LOUIE1]

Hi, Ms.Mittens!

Yes, thank you, doing pretty good.

Hope you're feeling fine and dandy. : )

[ST.LOUIE1]

how about "showing off" a little her for us??? pretty please?

Thanks, DoLly, but I'm not very good at doing tables. : )

[ST.LOUIE1]

Hi, (((((Colleen))))))

Good to see you. : )

[ST.LOUIE1]

Good idea, I was thinking perhaps you might continue the thread. : )

[ST.LOUIE1]

He's sooooo cute! Nice table. : )

[ST.LOUIE1]

But what if I had to discipline you - wolfie might show his teeth and snarl. :)

Wolfie will be too mesmerized by your beauty to do that. : )

[Billie]

Hi again sistah. I just love the elegant table that I did giz and rusty's picture in. Got smart and saved it in My Documents. So glad you're continuing the thread tomorrow. I'm going to try to find some new backgrounds (always used to look under images rather that the other...no wonder I came up empty!)

I'm glad you like that 'framework' for the pics. It's just stacking table backgrounds the same way we stack them for our opening posts. :) (Yes, Google WEB will give you lots of websites with backgrounds to choose from. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quick question though. I read you told Dolli she can view her work right out of notebook. How???? I always go to Free Republic which can be time consuming AND risky LOL! And how long have I been doing this so perhaps others besides me could benefit from a "step by step". Thanks!

Instructions: It's actually *notepad*, which is the simplest way to type your html text and save it as an html page.

You would type it just as you do in the FR comment posts or the FR posting form, by opening a "New Text Document" in "My Documents" (Windows XP has different ways of setting up your directories and files, so I'm not certain how everyone finds "Notepad" or even "My Documents".)

But in Notepad, when you open a New Text Document, type everything there, just as you would type in your comment post, and then go up to "File" (again, in Windows XP, I don't know the method), click on "Save as", give it a name that you want to call it, and change the .txt extension to .htm!!!

Don't close the document that you're typing in though. You will have another file with the name you gave it - it will be a 'web page'. Open it to see what you've got so far (same as in previewing at FR). Now you have two files open - one you can edit, and one you can view to see your changes. You just keep "saving" the one you're typing as the .htm extension, and you go to that page, refresh it to see the changes.

When you're finished with it, go back to the one you're typing, and back up to file/save as, and change the .htm extension back to .txt. You still have the .htm file/page, but you also have it - same name - as a text file you can edit.

[ST.LOUIE1]

I dunno....he didn't post a table - YOU did! That means YOU paid attention. LOL

Humph! : (

Well, Dave, you wormed your way into tossin' Louie from being teachers pet. : (

[ST.LOUIE1]

COOOOOOL!

: )

[ST.LOUIE1]

I'm leaving for awhile, might be back after the All Star game. : )

[Billie]

Well, Dave, you wormed your way into tossin' Louie from being teachers pet. : (

No, Louie's back after his post #107~ LOL!

"Wolfie will be too mesmerized by your beauty to do that. : )"

[NicknamedBob]

French Fries!

I used to make the French Fries,
At the restaurant down the street.
They are not made that way today.
Too bad, ‘cause it was neat!

We hauled the spuds up from the dark,
And coolness underground,
And then we peeled them in a wink,
With a machine that spun around.

The next step was to slice them up.
We did it all by hand.
With leverage, and criss-cross blades,
Just like somebody planned.

And then we had to rinse them,
To get the starch to rout!
Then off to heated cookvats,
To drive the moisture out.

We took a break then, Spuds and I,
To wait upon the crowd,
So when the hunger stirred itself,
No waiting was allowed!

We cooked the fries up quick as toast,
And sprinkled them with salt.
Nobody claimed their failing health,
Was someone else’s fault!

They just chowed down on French Fries,
And then came back for more!
Because we gave them quality,
That was worth paying for!

Our French Fries were delicious,
I firmly can attest.
I tasted every batch we made,
(But I made them the best!)

NicknamedBob . . . . July 12, 2005

[Billie]

Have to check out for a while - somebody wants dinner around here. :)

[Billie]

I think we're going to have French Fries for dinner. :)

Hi, Bob! Thanks for the cute poem!

[tuliptree76]

*applauds*

[DollyCali]

what a fun thread this had been today & glad it will continue into tomorrow. I am brain dead to even read you instructions now Billie. but will save & hopefully FIND when I need them.

Thank you everyone for mom's birthday greetings. You have all been very sweet & creative. Wish I had a way to show here these.. Printing is I guess the only way but then she can scrutinize ALL my posts.. guess even at an "advanced" age I still don't want mama checking up on me.

Might try with my lap top when it is repaired..

very tired & very sore back.. will probably retire early (my cat Cali is now assisting me with this post).

Thunderboomers outdoors. (and Oliver is safe under my chair) we again need the rain. I hauled hoses all over yard today but looking at radar it is a crap shoot if we will get anything.

Hope all you dear Finest folks have a good evening & God's rest..

I may be back later but right now need a soak for my back & some sleep..

[tuliptree76]

Holidays that involve food are always good. :-)

[tuliptree76]

I'm getting hungry for french fries too, but I don't have any here. I don't even have potatoes to make them.

[Mrs.Nooseman]

How is this Billie?