HTML Guide for td

A <table> contains a <tr> row that has less <td> columns than the column count established by the first row. Check the table to ensure all rows have the same number of columns.

For example, in the following table, the first <tr> row defines that it’s 2 columns wide, but the second <tr> row tries to use only 1 column:

<table>
  <!-- This first row sets the table as 2 columns wide -->
  <tr>
    <td>First</td>
    <td>Second</td>
  </tr>

  <!-- This second row has only 1 column -->
  <tr>
    <td>Wrong</td>
  </tr>
</table>

The W3C HTML Validator issue indicates that your <td> element is missing one or more accessibility attributes: either aria-checked or role. These attributes are normally necessary when the cell content needs to convey a specific role or state, such as a checkbox.

If your td element should not act as a checkbox, you should reconsider the design. Ensure that only semantic roles and attributes appropriate for the content and functionality are used. If the misuse is identified due to incorrect implementation, revisiting and clearing the incorrect attributes might be required.

Ensure each column in your table has at least one <td> or <th> cell starting in it. This error often occurs when using the colspan or rowspan attributes incorrectly.

Example of correct usage:

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Header 1</th>
    <th>Header 2</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Row 1, Cell 1</td>
    <td>Row 1, Cell 2</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Row 2, Cell 1</td>
    <td>Row 2, Cell 2</td>
  </tr>
</table>

Incorrect usage example:

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Header 1</th>
    <th>Header 2</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td colspan="2">Row 1, Cell 1</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Row 2, Cell 1</td>
    <!-- Missing cell in column 2 -->
  </tr>
</table>

The corrected version ensuring each column has a starting cell:

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Header 1</th>
    <th>Header 2</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td colspan="2">Row 1, spanning both columns</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Row 2, Cell 1</td>
    <td>Row 2, Cell 2</td>
  </tr>
</table>

A <table> contains an incoherent number of columns on one of its rows. Check the structure of the table to find the invalid row.

For example, in the following table, the first <tr> row defines that it’s 2 columns wide, but the second <tr> row tries to use 5 columns by means of a colspan attribute:

<table>
  <!-- This first row sets the table as 2 columns wide -->
  <tr>
    <td>First</td>
    <td>Second</td>
  </tr>

  <!-- This second row tries to use 5 columns -->
  <tr>
    <td colspan="5">Wrong</td>
  </tr>
</table>

<td> elements no longer accept an align attribute. This can be achieved using CSS like this:

<td style="text-align:center;">content</td>

<td> elements no longer accept a valign attribute. This can be achieved using CSS like this:

<td style="vertical-align:middle;">content</td>

Both <table> and <td> elements no longer accept a width attribute. Instead, you should use CSS as in this example:

<table style="width:100%;">
  <tr>
    <td style="width:50px;">Name</td>
  </tr>
</table>