can insert a series of images to create a row of buttons that runs across the top of the page. Similarly, you can create a table to hold images that run down the right or left side of a page. You can also use text in place of images by simply entering the text you want in each of the table cells. 8. Select the table and make sure that the Border option is set to 0 in the Properties inspector. This step makes your table invisible so that the border doesnt display in a browser. Figure 6-12: Layout mode makes it easy to build a table that you can use to create almost any page design. 176 Part III: Advancing Your Site Using nested tables: Tables within tables Placing tables within tables, called nested tables, can help you create extremely complex designs. You create nested tables by inserting a table within a cell of another table. In the days when you had to write your own code, this task was daunting. Dreamweaver now makes nesting tables easy, enabling you to create complex designs without ever looking at the HTML code. The best Web designs communicate the information to your audience in the most elegant and understandable way and are easy to download. To make sure that your designs dont get too messy, remember these guidelines: _ A table within a table within a table is nested three levels deep. Anything more than that gets hairy. _ Pages that use nested tables take longer to download because browsers have to interpret each table individually before rendering the page. For some designs, the slightly longer download time is worth it, but in most cases youre better off adding or merging cells in one table, as I explain in the section "Merging and splitting table cells," earlier in this chapter. One situation that makes a nested table worth the added download time is when you want to place a table of financial or other data in the midst of a complex page design. To place a table inside another table, follow these steps: 1. Click to place the cursor where you want to create the first table. 2. Choose Insert?Table. The Insert Table dialog box appears. 3. Type the number of columns and rows you need for your design. 4. Set the Width option to whatever is appropriate for your design and click OK. The table is automatically sized to the width you set. 5. Click to place the cursor in the cell in which you want to place the second table. 6. Repeat Steps 2 through 4, specifying the number of columns and rows you want and the width of the table. The new table appears inside the cell of the first table. 7. Type the information that you want in the nested table cells as you would enter content in any other table. Chapter 6: Coming to the HTML Table 177