Example: Let's say you had a table which had 5 columns and you wanted those columns to remain fixed. So width for each column was always an equal size. Create a table with five columns and 4 rows. click in the first top left cell to get focus and use following to open cell properties or double click in the cell - which ever you prefer. 'Format' > 'Table cell properties' 'Table Properties' window opens.

Select 'Cells' Under 'Selection' choose 'Column' and notice how first column is now highlighted. Set first column: Under 'Size' - select 'width' select '20' and select '% of Table'. I chose 20 because there are five columns and 20% is one fifth of 100%. Select checkbox for 'Text Wrap' and select 'Wrap' click on 'Apply' That sets the first column click on 'Next' The next column is auto highlighted. Repeat setting the width for each column and text wrap, so you do it five times.

Finally Click on 'Apply' and then click on 'OK'.

If you then type in a column it will keep to the 20 % width even if you make the window wider.

If you are looking for a fixed width which does not move with the window size then you have to calculate in pixels. This does have it's limits. You always need to understand that whatever you see on your computer, it may look entirely different on another computer. Not everyone uses the same pixel size nor same Operating System.

When typing content in a cell, if you just repeatedly press/click on any key so you get a long line of letters like wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww that have no break then you may discover the width move because the text wrap believes this is a single word so cannot break up the word. Advice is do not type long nonsense words.

If entering an image into a cell: Set focus on cell Insert > Image Choose image Select checkbox 'Attach this image to the mesage' set some alternative text Click on 'Dimensions' tab Select 'Custom size' and 'Constrain' Set width as 100 pixels and notice the height may auto say 56 pixels. So this tells you the ratio of width to height. But you do not want to contrain by pixel as you want the image to fit 100% of the cell width. Now Set width and height as '% of cell' click on OK

In the 'Table Properties' window there is an 'Advanced Edit' button which should only be edited if you feel confident.

How to find out what is currently in the html code. Save as Draft. Select 'Drafts' folder' Select the email saved so it displays in Message Pane In headers area - click on 'More' and select 'View Source' which opens in a new window.

For anyone locating this question and wanting to know a bit more about the Tables in general: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/tables-format-messages-rows-and-columns

Many thanks for your detailed reply @Toad-Hall. I had no problem setting column widths, it was coping with the images in them that defeated me. If you have an image that's, say, 300 pixels wide and you set the column width to 200 and the cell width to the same, the image doesn't get shrunk as I'd expected and the width settings are no longer there if you check. Ditto if you click on Advanced edit for the image. It looks like you can change the image width and height. In fact it allows you to do so but the settings do not stick and the default image size keeps returning.

As you say, you can inspect the HTML by saving a draft and viewing the source but you can't edit it.

I got round the problem by making the images exactly the size I needed the column widths to be. Bit of a pain but it worked.

re :If you have an image that's, say, 300 pixels wide and you set the column width to 200 and the cell width to the same, the image doesn't get shrunk

You would not expect it to shrink because you set specific pixels widths in both the cell and in the image. That is the reason you have a problem. As I explained, you need to set image width as 100% not x number of pixels. OR image must use same width in pixels.

Insert > Image Choose image Select checkbox 'Attach this image to the mesage' set some alternative text Click on 'Dimensions' tab Select 'Custom size' and 'Constrain' So you get to see what the width to height ratio is : Set width as 100 pixels and notice the height will auto change let's say it is 56 pixels. This tells you the ratio of width to height. But you do not want to contrain by pixel as you want the image to fit 100% of the cell width. Now leave the Set width as 100 but change the 'pixels' option to '% of cell' Leave the set height to whatever it is, but change the 'pixels' option to '% of cell' click on OK

Blimey, that's a bit convoluted!

Here's how to set image size by pixel (discovered by trial and error): use the grab handles to set a random image size. Then use Advanced edit to get the size you want. Having messed about with the image size seems to make Thunderbird notice its dimensions and from then on you can change them to whatever you want. If you don't grab the image handles first, it doesn't.

Is this deliberate or an undocumented feature in MS-speak? :)

Buona serata,

Bob

It's not convoluted, but I wrote every step with full explanation. In reality, it is only four clicks - ok one is typing 100 Select contrain Set width to 100 Then change width and height from 'pixel' to '% of cell' It takes about 3 seconds and no fiddling with grab handles.

But both methods work to get desired results.

I just prefer to use % in setting up tables / cells / images contained in cells as it can be expanded by the user when they increasing the window.