What is the difference between using theme_table() and theme('table', array())? I am using following code for theming..

theme('table', array('header' =&gt; $header, 'rows' =&gt; $rows, 'attributes' =&gt; array('class' =&gt; 'view-all-frame')));


is the above format right?
Can 'attributes' be written above inside array?
Can I use theme_table() instead of theme()? 

theme_table(array('header' =&gt; $header, 'rows' =&gt; $rows, 'attributes' =&gt; array('class' =&gt; 'view-all-frame')));


If they are same then does it affect the execution or anything related to it?

Similarly for theme('item_list', array()) and theme_item_list();
It's not the same.

theme() function is some kind of wrapper for specified theme functions.

It's recommended to use theme() function instead of direct calls, so theme('item_list', array()) is the right way.