Making a column autostretch or fixed-width

Making a column autostretch or fixed-width

A column in a table can be either fixed-width or autostretch. For more information, see Fixed column width and autostretch columns.

Making a column autostretch before your layout is complete might have unexpected effects on table layout. To prevent columns from growing unexpectedly wider or narrower, create your complete layout before making a column autostretch, and use spacer images when making a column autostretch. (However, if each column contains other content that will keep the column at the desired width, you don’t need spacer images.)

To make a column autostretch:

  1. Do one of the following:
    • Click the column header menu, then select Make Column Autostretch.

      This is a picture of the feature being described.

    • Select a cell in the column by clicking an edge of the cell, then click Autostretch in the Property inspector.

    If you have not set a spacer image for this site, the Choose Spacer Image dialog box appears.

  2. If the Choose Spacer Image dialog box appears, select an option, then click OK.

    For more information, see Setting the Choose Spacer Image dialog box options.

A wavy line appears at the top or bottom of the autostretch column. Double bars appear at the tops or bottoms of columns that contain spacer images.

To set a column to a fixed width, do one of the following:

  • Click the column header menu, and then select Make Column Fixed Width.

    Make Column Fixed Width specifies a width for the column (in the code) that matches the current visual width of the column.

  • Select a cell in the column by clicking an edge of the cell, then click Fixed and type a numeric value in the Property inspector.

    If you enter a numeric value that is less than the width of the column’s content, Dreamweaver automatically sets the width to match the width of the content.

The width of the column appears at the top or bottom of the column.

Related topics

  • Using spacer images
  • Making column widths in code consistent with visual widths


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