Principle Analysis and Practical Application of Table Row and Column Border Style Processing

abhay · September 8, 2025, 1:33pm

Principle Analysis and Practical Application of Table Row and Column Border Style Processing

Introduction

When working with tables, a common issue arises from the conflicting border styles between adjacent cells. This article delves into the principles of border rendering in tables, providing a comprehensive analysis of the rules governing border style processing. We will explore the priorities of border styles, the influence of direction attributes, and the compatibility issues that may arise.

Principle Analysis of Table Row and Column Border Style Processing

Border-Style: None

The lowest priority border style is none. If two adjacent cells have a border style of none, the conflicting borders will not be displayed.

Border-Style: Hidden

When two adjacent cells have a border style of hidden, the border with the higher priority will be displayed. In this case, the hidden border has a higher priority than the solid border.

Border-Style Priorities

The order of priority for border styles is as follows: hidden > double > solid > dashed > dotted > none (default).

Overflow of Borders

When borders overlap, the edge with the higher priority will be displayed. The overflow of borders will not occur in the vertical direction.

Larger Border-Width

When two cells have different border widths, the cell with the larger border width will be displayed. This is because the cell with the larger border width is considered the “eye-catching” border style.

Table Border Priority

The priorities of table border styles are as follows: ‘table-cell’, ‘table-row’, ‘table-row-group’, ‘table-col’, ‘table-col-group’, ‘table’.

Top-Left Priority Rendering Principle

When two cells have inconsistent colors, the conflicting cell will be rendered with the style of the top cell.

Border-Style: Double

When two cells have a border style of double, the width needs to be greater than 3px to reflect the correct style. Otherwise, the style will be the same as solid.

Border-Style: Ridge and Border-Style: Groove

When two cells have a border style of ridge and groove, the ridge border will be displayed. However, when the conflict occurs in the non-first row of the table, the upper left corner and upper right corner of the two conflicting cells will have problems.

Border-Style: Outset and Border-Style: Inset

When two cells have a border style of outset and inset, the outset border will be displayed. However, when the conflict occurs in the first row of the table, the two conflicting sides will render with the style of the top cell.

Influence of Direction Attribute on Table Border

The direction attribute of the table border can influence the rendering of the border style. When the direction attribute is set to rtl, the cell will not be replaced, but the frame will be pushed back.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the principle analysis of table row and column border style processing has provided a comprehensive understanding of the rules governing border style processing in tables. The priorities of border styles, the influence of direction attributes, and the compatibility issues that may arise have been discussed. By applying these principles, developers can ensure that their tables are rendered correctly and consistently across different browsers.

Key Takeaways

Border-style: none has the lowest priority.
Border-style: hidden has a higher priority than solid.
The order of priority for border styles is hidden > double > solid > dashed > dotted > none.
Larger border-width will be displayed when two cells have different border widths.
The priorities of table border styles are ‘table-cell’, ‘table-row’, ‘table-row-group’, ‘table-col’, ‘table-col-group’, ‘table’.
The direction attribute of the table border can influence the rendering of the border style.
Border-style: double requires a width greater than 3px to reflect the correct style.
Border-style: ridge and groove will display the ridge border, but with problems in the upper left and upper right corners when the conflict occurs in the non-first row of the table.
Border-style: outset and inset will display the outset border, but with problems in the upper left and upper right corners when the conflict occurs in the first row of the table.

Border Style Processing in Table Layout

When it comes to creating table layouts, one of the common issues developers face is the rendering of borders. In this article, we will delve into the complexities of border style processing in table layouts and explore some practical solutions to common problems.

Understanding Border Rendering

When it comes to border rendering, there are two main scenarios to consider: adjacent cell rendering and non-adjacent cell rendering. Adjacent cell rendering occurs when two cells are adjacent in the vertical direction, while non-adjacent cell rendering occurs when cells are not adjacent.

Under Firefox (FF) and Internet Explorer (IE), ridge and inset rendering are the same, and groove and outset rendering are the same. However, under Chrome, when outset conflicts with inset and conflict occurs in the first row of the table, outset is rendered as groove, and inset is rendered as ridge. When outset conflicts with inset and conflict occurs in a non-first row of the table, groove is rendered as outset, and ridge is rendered as inset.

Practical Application of Table Row and Column Border Style Processing

To illustrate the practical application of table row and column border style processing, let’s consider a few examples.

Highlighting a Column

When highlighting a column, we may want to add a border to the highlighted column. However, if we add a border directly above the border, it will result in the deletion of the left side of the border. To overcome this issue, we can add a highlighted frame before the right border of the highlighted column.

Solution to the Highlighted Column Problem

To solve the highlighted column problem, we can use the nth-child selector to select the highlighted column. When the solid line border style is used, the nth-child selector has a higher priority than the double border style, resulting in the solid border covering the double border. To achieve the desired effect, we can use the same features and solid on the double border.

Application of ‘table-cell’, ‘table-row’, ‘table-row-group’, ‘table-col’, and ‘table-col-group’

When it comes to the rendering of borders, the relationship between the table-cell, table-row, table-row-group, table-col, and table-col-group elements is crucial. The rendering priority of these elements determines how the borders are rendered.

Solution Using nth-child (n) Selector

To highlight a column or row, we can use the nth-child (n) selector to select the highlighted element. This approach allows us to apply different styles to the highlighted element without affecting the surrounding elements.

Using Dashed Borders

To create a dashed border, we can use the border: 1px dashed #d3d3d3 property. However, to achieve the desired effect, we need to use the nth-child (n) selector to select the highlighted element and apply the dashed border style.

Key Points

Use the nth-child (n) selector to select the highlighted column or row.
When using solid line border style, use the nth-child (n) selector to select the highlighted element and apply the solid border style.
When using dashed border style, use the nth-child (n) selector to select the highlighted element and apply the dashed border style.
Use the border-collapse: collapse property to collapse the borders of adjacent cells.

Code Snippets

Here are some code snippets that demonstrate the application of the concepts discussed above:

style.css

/* Public start */
/* {
  Margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}
table {
  border-collapse: collapse;
  font-size: 14px;
  width: 30%;
  margin-top: 200px;
  margin-left: auto;
  margin-right: auto;
}
table tr td: first-child {
  font-weight: bold;
}
th {
  background-color: #f3f3f3;
}
/* Public end */

comparison-table

.comparison-table {
  width: 30%;
  border: 1px solid;
  border-color: #e6ebf2;
  color: #333;
  text-align: left;
  font-size: 14px;
  border-collapse: collapse;
}
.comparison-table th,
.comparison-table td {
  vertical-align: top;
  line-height: 1.7;
  padding: 0;
  border: 1px solid #d7e7f3;
}
.comparison-table thead th {
  background-color: #f6f8fa;
  line-height: 1;
}
.comparison-table .comparison-table-inner {
  padding: 15px 40px;
  color: inherit;
}
.comparison-table tbody tr td: first-child {
  font-weight: bold;
}
.comparison-table tr td: nth-child(2),
.comparison-table tr th: nth-child(2) {
  border: 1px double #22d1b4;
}
.comparison-table colgroup col: nth-child(2) {
  border: 1px double #22d1b4;
}
.comparison-table tr th: nth-child(2) {
  background-color: #ccf0ec;
  color: #22d1b4;
}

demo.html

<Table class="comparison-table">
  <Colgroup>
    <Col style="width: 22%;"></Col>
    <Col style=""></Col>
    <Col style=""></Col>
  </Colgroup>
  <Thead>
    <Tr>
      <Th>
        <Div class="comparison-table-inner">Advantages</Div>
      </Th>
      <Th>
        <Div class="comparison-table-inner">The cloud server</Div>
      </Th>
      <Th>
        <Div class="comparison-table-inner">Conventional server</Div>
      </Th>
    </Tr>
  </Thead>
  <Tbody>
    <Tr>
      <Td>
        <Div class="comparison-table-inner">Resilient</Div>
      </Td>
      <Td>
        <Div class="comparison-table-inner">Resilient extension, flexible configuration</Div>
      </Td>
      <Td>
        <Div class="comparison-table-inner">Operation and maintenance difficulties</Div>
      </Td>
    </Tr>
    <Tr>
      <Td>
        <Div class="comparison-table-inner">Reliably</Div>
      </Td>
      <Td>
        <Div class="comparison-table-inner">Reliable data assured</Div>
      </Td>
      <Td>
        <Div class="comparison-table-inner">System vulnerable to data loss</Div>
      </Td>
    </Tr>
    <Tr>
      <Td>
        <Div class="comparison-table-inner">Use</Div>
      </Td>
      <Td>
        <Div class="comparison-table-inner">Ready to use, rapid deployment</Div>
      </Td>
      <Td>
        <Div class="comparison-table-inner">Bother trouble</Div>
      </Td>
    </Tr>
    <Tr>
      <Td>
        <Div class="comparison-table-inner">Security</Div>
      </Td>
      <Td>
        <Div class="comparison-table-inner">Three-dimensional protection, professional support</Div>
      </Td>
      <Td>
        <Div class="comparison-table-inner">Hacking</Div>
      </Td>
    </Tr>
  </Tbody>
</Table>

dashed.css

/* Public start */
/* {
  Margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}
a {
  color: #2277da;
}
table {
  border-collapse: collapse;
  font-size: 14px;
  width: 30%;
  margin-top: 200px;
  margin-left: auto;
  margin-right: auto;
}
table tr td: first-child {
  font-weight: bold;
}
th {
  background-color: #f3f3f3;
}
/* Public end */

method-4

.method-4 th,
.method-4 td {
  padding: 20px;
  text-align: center;
}
.method-4 tr {
  border-top: 1px dashed #d3d3d3;
  border-bottom: 1px dashed #d3d3d3;
}
.method-4 thead tr {
  border-top-width: 0;
}
.method-4 tr: last-child {
  border-bottom-width: 0;
}
.method-4 colgroup {
  border: 1px dashed #d3d3d3;
}
.method-4 tr td: nth-child(3),
.method-4 tr th: nth-child(3),
.method-4 colgroup: nth-child(3) {
  border: 1px dashed #22d1b4;
}
.method-4 tr td: nth-child(1),
.method-4 tr th: nth-child(1) {
  border-left: 1px dashed #22d1b4;
}
.method-4 colgroup: nth-child(1) {
  border: 1px dashed #22d1b4;
}

dashed.html

<Div class="method-4">
  <Table>
    <Colgroup></Colgroup>
    <Colgroup class="highlight"></Colgroup>
    <Colgroup></Colgroup>
    <Thead>
      <Tr>
        <Th>Advantage</Th>
        <Th>Cloud server</Th>
        <Th>Conventional server</Th>
      </Tr>
    </Thead>
    <Tbody>
      <Tr>
        <Td>Elastomeric</Td>
        <Td>Elastically extended, flexible configuration</Td>
        <Td>Operation and maintenance difficulties</Td>
      </Tr>
      <Tr>
        <Td>Reliably</Td>
        <Td>Reliable data assured</Td>
        <Td>The system is fragile and data is lost.</Td>
      </Tr>
      <Tr>
        <Td>Easy to use</Td>
        <Td>Buy and use, fast deployment</Td>
        <Td>Troublesome.</Td>
      </Tr>
      <Tr>
        <Td>Security</Td>
        <Td>Three-dimensional protection, professional support</Td>
        <Td>Hacking</Td>
      </Tr>
    </Tbody>
  </Table>
</Div>

By applying the concepts and code snippets discussed above, developers can effectively manage the rendering of borders in table layouts and create visually appealing and functional tables.