Tables vs. Frames

Frames are used to build Web pages that have more than one "window frame" open in your Web browsing software. These frames can work independently of one another. You can keep navigation menus static while other areas of the page change.

Frames have several big disadvantages, however. Although frames have been adopted as an HTML 4.0 standard, many studies and polls indicate Web visitors dislike frames, usually by something in the area of a 2-to-1 margin. Frames often pose navigation problems. Sometimes clicking something in one frame and then using the "back" button on a browser will yield unintended results.

Frames often cause problems in bookmarking a specific page. Since a master "frameset" document is controlling the navigation within other frames, bookmarking a page often will only return you to the master frameset and not the specific page you intended to bookmark.

Frames often cause problems in printing a page. A specific document within a frameset must have the "focus" of the browser in order to be printed. Many users become confused when trying to print a page in a frameset because they will often print the content of another frame on the page.

At BU WebCentral, we have determined that the disadvantages of frames outweigh the advantages. We recognize there are some highly appropriate ways to use frames. On the other hand, most uses of frames can be adequately recreated using tables. Please be aware of these issues when making a decision to use frames on your Web site.

A number of newer Web initiatives, including Dynamic HTML, may incorporate the advantages of both approaches, but we are still months (if not years) away from wide adoption of browsers that support DHTML.