A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....01-10-06....Turning the Tables

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, Dutchess, DollyCali, Mama_Bear, GodBlessUSA ~

Turning the Tables

I'm turning the tables on you today. My opening won't be a pretty one - today that's *your* job!

This is the third 'installment' of how to make pretty posts, using tables and borders and decorative fonts. You will have all the tools you need today to create your own beautiful table posts. But first you need a few decorative fonts and a good source for html color codes to break out of the basic red, blue, green, etc. colors. Once you have the fonts installed on your own hard drive, you can use them in your posts, along with hundreds of pretty color codes, to turn ordinary, default text into pretty script or playful fonts.

Below are a few fonts to begin with. Simply click on the name, and when you are asked "Do you want to open or save this file?", click on the button *Save*, and a list of the programs and folders on your computer will open. Navigate down the tree to "Control Panel", and click on the "Fonts" folder. The new font will download and install in that folder - that's all there is to it! It is now on your hard drive, and you can specify the new font face, as well as color and size, in your html command: <font face="brush flair" size=5 color="b20000"><b>. After you've posted your text, using that font face, size, and color, you only have to turn OFF the font once: </font>

Charming
Chaucer
Invitation
Brush Flair
Vivaldi
Quill

If you would like to locate and download more fonts, this is a great source:

6500 Free Fonts to Download

Now you need a source to find the 'perfect shade' of color for text that will compliment your backgrounds or graphics. Try this one: (use the color *number* rather than a name)

HTML Color Codes

A little further down I am including several background files and some graphics you can use to build your table posts. To help you understand how to post a table, you need to know that there is a whole *set* of commands for each table you post. I always start mine with the <center> command because I like for the tables to be centered in my posts.

<center><table><tr><td>

You must turn OFF as many sets of commands (in the opposite order you turned them on) after you have finished inserting the information or pictures in your last/main table.

</td></tr></table><center>

Our Finest opening posts are a series of *nested* tables, and the outside tables form a 'frame/border' around the last/main table. It is the last table that we put our text and images on, and we give that last table a specific width (most websites use percentages for their table widths, and they will increase/decrease to fit your screen - your text and/or images may also *move around* when you use percentages. We prefer them to stay *put*, which is why our last tables have a specific width in the table command)

The <table>command itself is where we put all the little details that show the widths of the frames/borders, and the background colors or *patterns*. To use a background pattern or image, it is similar to posting a graphic - you must have the image uploaded. To use just a color code, you need only specify bgcolor=#dfcdf3 (or any color code of your choice) inside the table command. You can do both bgcolor AND background image in the same table command - the bgcolor will open first and the background image will be on top of the bgcolor.

Below is a set of tables that uses both background images/patterns and bgcolors. Below the set, I will show the code that created it. (Notice that narrow strip just below this table? It is a ruler/guide I use to keep my table posts from getting too wide for an 800 x 600 screen resolution. I delete it before posting.)   :)

       

Hello, Finest FReepers, and thank you for coming today.

I used 4 sets of tables here - the first three are background images or gradients, and the last one is just a black bgcolor. If you use this *template* to create your own table, just replace ALL of this text with whatever you wish to say. You may also add more table *sets* or use fewer. Just remember to count how many you turn *on*, so you can turn *off* the same number.

One more thing I ask in posting tables at the Finest....we use a screen resolution of 800 x 600 for our regulars who have theirs set at that size. When you are creating a table post, please keep them sized so that no one has to scroll to view the whole thing. I use a little ruler/guide at the top of the tables I build that keeps me within that guideline. See it above, between the two sets of tables? I normally remove it when I'm finished checking the tables, before I post the thread! :)

I will post the text to make the ruler/guide for *you* so you'll know you can't exceed that width. Keep it there until you're ready to post - sometimes pictures are wider than the last table, and it stretches the table to fit the picture. :)

READY? LET'S GO!

COPY & PASTE EVERYTHING IN GREEN BELOW THIS PARAGRAPH, BECAUSE IT IS THE HTML TEXT IT TAKES TO BUILD YOUR TABLES. If the urls, words or numbers inside any of the brackets are in Italics, those urls/words/numbers can be changed to bigger or smaller numbers, or other colors or backgrounds or graphics you want to use instead. Below this table text, there will be several backgrounds and opening* graphics you can use instead of those I used just above. The first line of commands is the ruler/guide that will post above your tables when you start. Don't let your tables get wider than the guide - preferably comment posts should be narrower than the guide, but *definitely* not wider!

<center><table width=775 border=1><tr><td></td></tr></table></center>

<center>
<table background="http://d21c.com/billie/backgrounds/DeepRedtexturedgradient.jpg" cellpadding=10 cellspacing=0 border=4>
<tr><td><center>
<table background="http://d21c.com/billie/backgrounds/Blackgradientbg.jpg" cellpadding=15 cellspacing=0 border=2>
<tr><td><center>
<table background="http://d21c.com/billie/backgrounds/merlotcontemporarybg.jpg" cellpadding=50 cellspacing=0 border=2>
<tr><td><center>
<table bgcolor=#000000 width=550 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=2>
<tr><td>
<br><br>
<center>
<img src="http://tinypic.com/jv0gzo.jpg" width=280 height=415>
</center>
<br><br>
<blockquote><font color=#e5e5e5 face=arial size=3>
Replace all this stuff with your text. The *blockquote* command gives a nice little margin on both sides, rather than having the text go all the way to the edges.
<br><br>
PLEASE include the width and height of your graphics in your commands. You can find those when you right-click on the graphic to get the url. Under *size*, the width is listed first, then the height.
<br><br>
One more thing I ask in posting tables at the Finest....we use a screen resolution of 800 x 600 for our regulars who have theirs set at that size. When you are creating a table post, please keep them sized so that no one has to scroll to view the whole thing. I use a little ruler/guide at the top of the tables I build that keeps me within that guideline. See it above, between the two sets of tables? I normally remove it when I'm finished checking the tables, before I post the thread! :)
</font></blockquote>
<br><br>
</td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>
</td></tr></table></center>


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

Here's the fun part. With that template above, and with these graphics and backgrounds below, choose a graphic from the thumbnails (click on the thumbnails for the original - don't post the thumbnail size!)   The bgcolor number listed below the thumbnail graphic is the background bgcolor you should use for your last table because it was made for that particular graphic to *sit on*.

Once you have chosen the graphic, choose from the backgrounds below the thumbnails for the urls to use instead of the ones in the template above. You will notice that a few of the backgrounds were made specifically for the graphics - they might be *too busy* to use as the *wide* frames/borders, but will probably look nice as narrow ones. There should be at least one gradient background that will coordinate with your graphic. Now, have fun and let us all see what you do with it. Get creative and change some of the numbers for wider or narrower frames/borders - make the borders, narrow-wide-narrow instead of narrow-narrow-wide. Use the bgcolor for one of the wider frame/borders, or even add more tables before your last one! (Remember if you do, to do another line of *off* commands for each set of tables you add.)

CLICK ON THUMBNAILS FOR GRAPHIC

bgcolor=#dfcdf3

bgcolor=#e2b3ab

bgcolor=#dca19b

bgcolor=#e5f4f1

bgcolor=#000000

bgcolor=#502d27

bgcolor=#c8994b

bgcolor=#7a5755

bgcolor=#f8f8e0

bgcolor=#e0d6d5

BACKGROUNDS & GRADIENTS
Right-click to get the url

If none of these backgrounds or graphics say "Pick ME!", please Google and find something you like. Would love to see you have some fun putting things together today! Any questions, just ask. Have a Terrific Tuesday!

12-28-05 ~ Hall of Fame #14

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 01-09-06 Military Monday

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

[Diver Dave]

Hi Nan. I've been following that thread. Our nephew's Company is also from Ft. Carson. He's in a different location than mentioned on the thread.
Prayers indeed for those heroes who didn't make it and their families.

[WVNan]

I will Lori. She's been having a pretty rough time of it. I'll see her Thurs. and will give her a hug for you.

[WVNan]

:o) ((((((Mama_Bear)))))

[Mama_Bear]

I'll see her Thurs. and will give her a hug for you.

Thanks. You know, I was just thinking about it and, even though there have been plenty of times that I have been worried about my son over the years, I have never had to deal with knowing that he was in a war zone with people trying to kill him. He was in the Gulf War, but he was on a ship, that's an entirely different thing. I honestly do not know how the parents and wives and husbands of those in Iraq can sleep or even breathe.

[WVNan]

Thanks Dave. I pray that your nephew is okay. We don't know why those three soldiers from 3rd Cav were on the helicopter. I did't want to think that Brian was on it because it would have been so unusual. He does go out on retrieval, but by truck, to haul in broken vehicles.

[MEG33]

Indeed. It is a terrible thing to wait for news like that.

[WVNan]

Me either, MB. I sometimes imagine if my son was over there. I think I would be a basket case. I'm glad he's too old for military. Is that selfish?

[Mama_Bear]

Is that selfish?

No, silly. You are just being a mom. :-)

[WVNan]

Yeah, I guess so. I can't get past the loss of one son. I don't think I could survive another, especially my baby. He's been closer to me than any of my children.

[Mama_Bear]

I can't get past the loss of one son. I don't think I could survive another

Well, we are told that God will not burden us with more than we can bear. I guess we need to trust and have faith in that Promise. Look at me....here I am talking to a Minister about having faith! LOL.

Dinner has arrived. TTYL, dear friend.

[WVNan]

Billie, thank you for such good directions. I'm going to bookmark this thread and try to understand it one day when I'm feeling smart. You go to so much trouble and work to make it easy and I'm still a dunce.

[WVNan]

Night sweetie. Love ya. I'm outa here too. God bless.

[Diver Dave]

Thanks Nan. He's okay. He writes a daily blog and the latest entries have no mention of the incident. They've had a few mortars fired in their direction with no hits within their base/compound. The bad guys haven't figured out that as soon as they launch, they are targeted by good guys artillery.

[El Gato]

I just jon't have the smarts, or maybe the patience to learn it

Yes you do, and no you probably don't. Patience is sometimes harder to come by, especially when one is set in one's ways.

[DollyCali]

Join us for Wednesday's Finest thread with guest contributor Writer33

[Billie]

Oh, the sunset looks so pretty on those backgrounds!

[Billie]

I like this, GeeBee! Didn't look at your code, but it changed size when I saw it in the comment post as I was replying. :) Hmmmmm. :)

[Billie]

But wolfie don't need no animation software to make his tail switch.......

.....it starts switchin' on it's own the minute he sees you two little *beauties*.

AhhhhhhRoooooo!!!!

I rest my case. :) Sorry I missed you this evening. Hugs!!!

[Billie]

REALLY PRETTY!

[Billie]

Ohhhhhh! Love it, love it, love it! The bright purple is so PURTY!!!