Various Table Formats
For Offering MIDI Files

To use one of these tables, view the source of this page, copy the code for the table format which you like, paste it into your own page, then edit it.

Don't use long tables!!!
Additional comments about using tables are at the bottom of the page.

Using Tables to do Columns

A Reason Not to Do This
It is often easier to scroll down the page in one column to find tunes than it is to scroll down, then up, then down again.

Titles & Filesizes

Title Size
Life is Great 45k
Shiver Me Timbers 69k

A Reason Not to Do This
See the bottom of the page for reasons not to use tables.

Titles & Filesizes - Version 2

Title Size
Life is Great 45k
Shiver Me Timbers 69k

Titles & Filesizes - Version 3

Title Size
Life is Great 45k
Shiver Me Timbers 69k

Titles & Filesizes - Invisible Border

Life is Great 45k
Shiver Me Timbers 69k

Filename & Title

Filename Title
awsome.mid Awsome Andy
baby.mid My Baby Loves My Dog
tree.mid The Cat is in the Tree

Filename, Size & Title

Filename Size Title
filename.mid 69K Jumping Joy Things
filename.mid 987K Tripping on Your Feet

Song, Album & Composer

The Four Smiths

Song Album Composer(s)
Drive Me Insane First Album John W. Smith
Living With Myself Gone Fishing Bob J. Smith
Wild Hogs Gone Fishing Bob J. Smith, John W. Smith

Files Sorted by Album or Band

Wonderful Wizards
Blue Spam Green Eggs
Potato Chips and Good Music I'm Hungry for Your Love
Wow, Baby, Wow Sky Diving in the Afternoon
I Have No Honey/A>

Another Wonderful Band
Driver, Stop! Tennis Elbow Blues
Don't Do That Stuff Hair in My Soup
Still Think You're Great Hot Day, No Fan



I personally would avoid using any of the following, but maybe you have a different opinion,

This Type of Layout Just Requires a Lot of Extra Code

If you don't need multiple-columns, then why use a table at all. I know it looks kind of "cool", but you have all the disadvantages of using tables and no adavantages. This example isn't so bad, but if you have over 30 files, then the code starts to add up.

John the Jumper
Frogs Jump Better Than John
Big Truck Driver

Categories Included in a Column

It looks okay if you only have a few files, but with many files, it's not so good.

Category Song Artist
Alternative Big Truck Driver Truck Drivers
Dented Fender Truck Drivers
Blues Awful Blues The Blues Machine
Boogie Till Your Eyes Fall Out John "Silver Teeth" Johnson
Giving Advice Blues Blues Benders

Classical Music Mozart's 40th Beethoven's 5th
Folk Music Sally Ann's Horse
Jimmy's in the Barnyard
On the Mountain Top
Pig's in the Poke
Honey Bee's a Buzzin'
Picnic Turkey
Red Mountain Jam
Let's Go Huntin'
Rock/Pop Love Me Baby
Liver's On Parade
Drive My Tank
Ice Cream Every Morning
Love You Honey
Picnic on Sunday
Animals in the Mountains
Like an Elephant

Being Cute With Excessive HTML Code

Any time you start adding in a lot of color, it requires a lot of extra code, which in turn will cause your page to come in very slowly.

Talking Feet
Money For Something
I Like Public TV
Rifles 'N' Tulips
Welcome to the Flower Garden
Knockin' on the Kitchen Door

Blues Size Classical Music Size
Blues Ain't Bad 12K Beethoven's Flute Something 45K
Blues is Great 28K Mozart's Piano Something 48K

This One Doesn't Work Well If It Requires Scrolling

If you have enough files in a certain catagory that a person has to scroll to see them all, then this isn't a good format. Also, if you tune names are long, this won't work well.
Blues Classical Folk

A Multiple-Column Layout

A Reason Not to Use Tables to Do Multiple Columns: On paper, multiple columns are great, since you can fit more information on each page, thus saving paper. On a computer screen, this is not a consideration. On the contrary, it is often more convenient to scroll down a long (alphabetically-sorted) list. In addition, by not using tables, you keep your file smaller and faster to download. Remember, also, that the whole table must load into your visitor's computer before it starts to layout on the screen. Many visitors may assume that your page has stalled and move onto another page.

Awful Blues
The Blues Machine
Boogie Till Your Eyes Fall Out
John "Silver Teeth" Johnson
Giving Advice Blues
Blues Benders
Zebras Love Me
David Whetstone
Skin Me Alive
Brown Brothers
Love Your Legs
Wathly Mountain Jug Band
Giraffe Rag
Guitar George
Green and Blue
The Blue Clouds

The table above doesn't look so bad with a few files, but don't use it to offer 30 or more files.

Comments About Using Tables