Can CSS Control Table Cell Widths Regardless of Content Size?

Controlling Table Cell Widths with CSS

In the realm of HTML tables, ensuring the uniform width of table cells can be a challenge when dealing with content of varying sizes. Can we achieve this desired outcome purely through CSS, regardless of the number of cells involved?

The HTML structure is straightforward: a parent

serves as the table container, while child

elements represent the table cells.

<code class="html"><div style="display: table;">
  <div style="display: table-cell;"></div>
  <div style="display: table-cell;"></div>
</div></code>

CSS can be leveraged to address this issue. To ensure equal cell widths, regardless of content size, we need to:

1. Trigger the Fixed Table Layout Mechanism: Set table-layout: fixed; on the parent
   . This instructs the browser to enforce the specified cell widths rather than auto-adjusting them to content.
2. Assign a Width to Table Cells: While not mandatory, assigning a small width (e.g., 2%) to each
   representing a table cell acts as a trigger for the fixed table layout.

   The final CSS code appears as follows:

   <code class="css">div {
     display: table;
     width: 250px;
     table-layout: fixed;
   }
   
   div > div {
     display: table-cell;
     width: 2%;
   }</code>

   With this approach, the table cells will maintain equal widths, ensuring a consistent appearance regardless of their content.