Acting like layout tables are in autostretch mode, but they aren't

trying to format a resume page in layout mode; not as easy as layers&tables

[LABachlr]

I am using Dreamweaver MX, and am used to formatting resume pages in a table that is inside a layer, and then converting it back to tables when I am finished so that 3.0 browsers and below can view them (but that is probably not so much an issue nowadays). However, I have a page that has the nav bar on the side, and then I want the resume to the right of it in the center of the page. I also want the whole page centered, no matter what size the user's browser is.

In layout mode, I can have one main layout table which I can set to "center" so it centers the whole page, and then nest layout tables inside the main one. The nested tables are the ones that will contain the nav bar, the resume,etc.

The thing about this mode is that it takes a heck of a lot longer to setup. The way I usually set it up is to insert a table with 3 columns and 50 rows inside a layer, and then input the text into each cell. However, in layout mode in dreamweaver, you can't insert a table like that into a layout table. So, what I have to do is draw each cell by hand, which is pretty time consuming. On top of the fact that if I want to update the resume, I have to draw new cells at the bottom, and then copy and past all of the text above it to move it down. When I used a table inside a layer, I would just insert a new row in the middle of the resume. Very easy.

Anyway, the point is, after I drew all of the cells, and then inputed all of the text, there was a small cell at the bottom of the page that was outside the layout table that had the resume, which I moved around via my arrow keys on my keyboard. For some reason, Dreamweaver MX doesn't like this as the same action screwed up another site last night.

Now, it is autosretching the whole page to the entire width of the browser, even though the main layout table that contains all of the nested tables is set to a fixed width (all of the nested tables are set to fixed as well).

Does anyone have any idea how I would be able to salvage this page, or do I have to reconstruct it? I know HTML somewhat, but I tried last night to find the coding that was screwing things up, but couldn't find it. So, I just redid the page. Do too many cells in a layout table screw things up as well(there are about 35 rows of 3 columns of cells)? But I am sure the moving around of the cell outside the resume layout table is what screwed things up.

Also, does anyone have any advice on the best way to format a resume page so that I would be able to center the whole page, even if things aren't even enough to contruct the page with strictly tables? I would also like it easy to update instead of having to draw the extra cells by hand, and then having to copy and paste the original text down to make room for the additions.

I know that's a lot to digest, but if anyone has any tips, I'd appreciate it.