quick CSS question regarding margins in tables

[SpockBert]

If have a table cell and I want everything within that to have a margin of 20.

Now I thought in my definition for that table cell, I put something like:

td.mytablecell{
height:600
width:440;
background-image:url('images/curvesMiddle440.gif');
background-repeat:repeat-y;
vertical-align:top;
margin:20;
}

then in html itself:

<td class="mytablecell"> <p>my text here blah blah blah</p></td>

but its not working

Only way I can set the margins of that table is to put the margin parameter within the <p> definition.

p {
font:12px arial;
margin:20;
}

That seem right?

[wizard34]

Hmmm, this question doesn't seem to belong here.

Though I doubt this will make a difference, make your margin: 20px;

Another thing you could try would be placing your paragraph within a <div > and adding the margin to that... also, check your padding values, they may be affecting it.

[JGChilds]

If you want only the left margin to be 20, then put

margin-left: 20px;

but if you want all margins 20px

margin: 20px 20px 20px 20px

that is, top margin, then right margin, then bottom margin then left margin.

[catbert303]

I don't think table cells can have margins applied.

You could maybe achieve the effect you want by applying styles to both the td and the child p tag,

td.mytablecell {
  width: 440px; height: 600px;
  vertical-align: top;
}

td.mytablecell p {
  background: url(images/curvesMiddle440.gif) repeat-y;
  margin: 20px;
}

[JGChilds]

They can. Just use

table, td, tr, th {
margin-left: 20px;
}

for left margin only, or

table, td, tr, th (
margin: 20px 20px 20px 20px;
}

for all margins.

No probs, problem fixed

[catbert303]

No, they can't (unless you change their display property so they no longer behave as table cells).

Internal table elements generate rectangular boxes with content and borders. Cells have padding as well. Internal table elements do not have margins.

From section 17.5 Visual layout of table contents - http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/tables.html

[JGChilds]

Okey doke lol. My bad