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!

[Billie]

Hi, Colleen - those colors are really nice - so pretty! I like that greenish gradient background.

Did you ever get your problem with AOL saving graphics only as .art files fixed?

[dutchess]

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!)

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!

[Billie]

Hi, Texagirl! FR's been really frustrating today - so glad you decided to stick it out and post. :) We'll be back tomorrow and hopefully it won't be so slow.

I didn't have the patience to stay around most of the day, but it does seem better now. *My Comments* is still extremely slow to open, but refreshing the thread isn't! Wierd. :)

[Billie]

You can be my teacher anytime. : )

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

[luvie]

LOL! I take it that innocent face hides a heart that likes to tear up the toys!

[Billie]

Louie is Teacher's Pet!

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

[tuliptree76]

LOL!

[Billie]

I have a bit too much on plate today to set my own table, but I've bookmarked this one and will give it a try when time allows.

Thank you - I hope so! Maybe Tomorrow! :)

[tuliptree76]

Thanks, Victoria. :-)

[tuliptree76]

Thanks, Billie. :-)

[tuliptree76]

LOL!

[Billie]

Oh, I love that picture! Look at all those flowers and blooming vines and trees everywhere - a very old-fashioned garden. :)

[Billie]

...With FR running at Warp Speed today (HA!),...

Boy, you can say that again. ;)

I think I did! LOL

[Billie]

Has anyone explained what on earth is going on around here?

If they have, I haven't seen it. It would sure be nice if they'd put a little note at the top of the forum and the mailroom and let us know what's happened. They put all that other stuff at the top. :(

[Billie]

Hi everybody. That's a lovely dinner table, Billie. Thanks for the other tables as well, :-)

Thank you, Victoria. Thanks for the laugh with the joke, too. We might still could use a glass of wine. :)

[Billie]

Oh, that Giz is so cute!

[Billie]

And then there's Rusty - he doesn't "look" like a terminator! Giz actually looks much more mischievous. :)

[tuliptree76]

Since this thread will be running again tomorrow, I'll post tomorrow's holiday. Wednesday is...

French Fries Day

[Billie]

Whoo Hoo! Now that's what I call setting a table......chocolate - yummmmmm! Neat framing around the pics - I know you're having fun! :)

[luvie]

Yes, it would be nice if they let us know something. What would it hurt--at least we would know it's not our computers! I was ready to hurl mine across the room till I read other people's posts that they had the same problem! LOL!