Setting table row height

Customizing Row Dimensions

Hiking and Shrinking Line Heights

Need to get your rows cozier or more spread out? line-height is your CSS wand. Alongside, you can use cell padding to add some extra breathing space for your data:

.topics tr {
  /* This line-height value will keep your text in place, it's not a fan of wandering around. */
  line-height: 14px;
  
  /* And extra padding to buffer the textual deluge. Ahh, so comforting! */
  padding: 10px 0;
}


The .topics selector here ensures only tables with this class are styled, avoiding a global tryst.

Collapsing Borders

Set border-collapse: collapse; on your table - no need for social distancing between rows!

table {
  /* Borders, meet your neighbors! */
  border-collapse: collapse;
}


This brings your row borders together, without any awkward empty space between them. Goodbye, unwanted gaps!

The CSS "Diet" - CSS Resets

Applying a CSS reset is like putting your browser on a healthy CSS diet, getting rid of any extra padding and margins.

* {
  /* Who needs an extra gut when you've got a reset? */
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
  
  /* Let's turn every box into a perfect square. Or rectangle. We don't judge. */
  box-sizing: border-box;
}


This will offer a smooth and consistent layout, not to mention the obvious health benefits.

Detailed Styling Tricks

Overflow management

When you shrink row heights, your text might overflow its boundaries. You don't want text spilling over like a sloppily poured pint, do you?

.topics td {
  /* The CSS version of "hold my beer" */
  overflow: hidden; 
  text-overflow: ellipsis;
}


This replaces overflowing text with a suspense-inducing ellipsis (...) - a neat trick to keep your tables tidy!

Responsive Design

In this era of responsive design, vh, vw, or percentages can replace static px for row height:

tr {
/* "Honey, I shrunk the row height!" Now it's only 5% of viewport height.*/
height: 5vh;
}


This tweak allows for better adaptability across different screen sizes to keep scrolling fingers happy.

Pitfalls to Avoid

Element targeting

Sure, you're a CSS sniper, but are you hitting the right targets? Always double-check your element selectors:

#myTable tr.specialRow {
  /* Special rows need special treatment, and so they get 75 pixels!*/
  height: 75px;
}


Targeting specific row classes or IDs ensures your CSS doesn't trigger unintended style changes.

Cross-browser testing

Break out your developer tools and don your detective's cap because it's bug-hunting season across all browsers. Always inspect your table elements on various browsers. The browser might not tell whodunnit, but it'll surely show you whathappened.