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How to remove unwanted space between rows and columns in table?

html
responsive-design
best-practices
css
Anton ShumikhinbyAnton Shumikhin·Dec 23, 2024
TLDR

To obliterate unwanted space in HTML tables, apply border-collapse: collapse; to your <table>, nix the padding with padding: 0; on your <td> and <th>, like so:

table { border-collapse: collapse; /* like crushing a can */ } td, th { padding: 0; /* none shall pass! */ }

Wait, images create pesky whitespace? Cast display: block and subdue the extra space with line-height: 0;. For an extra broadsword swing at backward compatibility, add cellspacing="0" to your <table>.

A picture-perfect table layout

Even in the realm of tables, there's room for pixel-perfect precision:

  • Set width and height of your <td> elements to specifically match the content.
  • Apply vertical-align: bottom to remove any unwanted space beneath elements within cells.

The tale of borders and spacing

Internet Explorer's eccentricities

As HTML/CSS translators, browsers have their quirks. In the realm of older Internet Explorers is where cellspacing steps up:

<table cellspacing="0"> <!-- Ancient spell for older explorers --> <!-- your heroic table rows go here --> </table>
  • Internet Explorer 7 and below speak the cellspacing tongue.
  • Advancements in Internet Explorer 8 and beyond were happy to hear CSS's border-spacing: 0; charm.

The art of visual cohesion

Air-tight visuals allow tables to display numerous connected images as if they were a ceramic tile mosaic:

  • Be precise as an arrow strike! Match td dimensions exactly with those of interior images.
  • To fill their td homes, images require the display: block property.
  • Finetune your masterpiece with border-spacing: 0; to achieve perfect alignment.

Conquering specific layout challenges

The puzzles of email compatibility

The nature of email clients is a bag of surprises. Apply styles with care to prevent unnecessary commotion:

  • Deploy border-collapse: collapse; with caution in the email wilderness, as clients may react unexpectedly.
  • Inline styles in email HTML are your best allies in preserving dimensions under all circumstances.

Countering the inline-block spaces invaders

Inline-block elements can become unwanted guests when it comes to spacing. Here's your game plan:

  • On the parent element, declare font-size: 0; to banish whitespace caused by inline-block.
  • Reinstate the original font-size on child elements so that the text maintains readability.