LaTeX tables cheat sheet

• {lcr} makes three columns: left, centre and right aligned.
• Write & between the cells and \\ at the end of each row.
• LaTeX ignores extra spaces. Line up the & signs to make the code easy to read.
• A tabular alone has no caption and no number. To add them, put it in a table float, as in the next example.

In our editor Type in the cells. Click the alignment buttons on the toolbar to align the text. The code under the table changes as you type.

• A | in the column letters draws a vertical line.
• \hline draws a horizontal line across all columns.
• Put \hline before the first row and after each \\.

In our editor Click the all-borders button on the toolbar, or select Table › Add all borders.

• \cline{2-3} draws a line under columns 2 to 3.
• {l|rr} draws one vertical line, between column 1 and column 2.
• For a line around one cell only, use \multicolumn{1}{|l|}{text} (see Align one cell).

In our editor Click the border editing button on the toolbar. Then click the edges of the cells to add or remove lines. Hold Shift to change a full row or column.

• || in the column letters draws a double vertical line.
• \hline\hline draws a double horizontal line.
• With vertical lines, use \hhline so that the lines cross cleanly: = is a double line under a column, - a single line, | a vertical line, # a double line crossing a double vertical line.

In our editor In border editing, select the double line button next to the border editing button. Then click the edges.

• \toprule goes above the header. \midrule goes under it.
• \bottomrule goes after the last row.
• Do not use | with booktabs. The rules have space around them, so vertical lines have gaps.
• Write @{} before and after the column letters, for example {@{}lrr@{}}, to make the rules end at the text.

In our editor In the options under the code, select Style: Booktabs.

• \uline needs \usepackage[normalem]{ulem}. Without normalem, ulem changes \emph to underline.
• \textcolor needs \usepackage{xcolor}.
• The braces in {\small Small} keep the size change in that cell.
• To make all cells of a column bold, use >{\bfseries}l. It needs \usepackage{array}.

In our editor Select the cells. Click B, I or U, or the text colour button, on the toolbar.

• \multicolumn{1}{c}{Name} makes a cell of one column with its own alignment.
• The cell's letters replace the column's letters, its lines too. Write the lines again: {|c|} for the first column, {c|} for the next ones.

In our editor Select the cells. Click the alignment buttons on the toolbar.

• \multicolumn{2}{c}{2024} makes one centred cell across two columns.
• The merged cell replaces the cells it covers. Write one & less for each column it covers.
• \cmidrule(lr){2-3} draws a booktabs rule under columns 2 to 3. (lr) makes it shorter at the left and the right, so that two rules do not touch.

In our editor Drag the mouse over the cells to select them. Click the merge button on the toolbar. Click the split button next to it to undo it.

• \multirow{2}{*}{Fruit} makes a cell across 2 rows. * makes it as wide as its text.
• In the rows under it, leave the cell empty but keep its &.
• Use \cline{2-3}, not \hline, so that the line does not cross the merged cell.
• To wrap the text in the merged cell, write a width in place of *, for example {2cm}, or {=} in a column with a width.

In our editor Select the cells in a column and click the merge button on the toolbar.

• Put the \multirow in a \multicolumn.
• In the rows under it, write an empty \multicolumn of the same width: \multicolumn{2}{|c|}{}.

In our editor Select the block of cells and click the merge button on the toolbar.

• A plain \\ ends the row. To break a line in a cell, put the cell's text in a small tabular (as our editor does) or in \makecell.
• @{} removes the space around the small tabular, so the text lines up with the other cells.
• \makecell needs \usepackage{makecell}. It centres the lines. Write \makecell[l]{...} to align them left.
• In a column with a width (p{3cm}), use \newline.

In our editor Double-click a cell to edit it. Press Enter to start a new line in the cell.

• p{3.5cm} makes a column 3.5 cm wide. The text wraps and aligns at the top.
• LaTeX justifies the text in a p column. In a narrow column, this makes wide spaces.
• >{\raggedright\arraybackslash} before p aligns the text left. \arraybackslash makes \\ end the row again. This needs \usepackage{array}.
• m{3.5cm} centres the text vertically and b{3.5cm} aligns it at the bottom. Both need array.
• l, c and r columns never wrap their text.

In our editor Drag the right edge of the column header above the table, or right-click the header and select Set column width. Double-click the edge to remove the width.

• tabularx needs \usepackage{tabularx}. Its first argument is the width of the table.
• X columns wrap their text. They share the width that the other columns leave.
• \textwidth is the width of the text on the page. In a two-column document, use \columnwidth.
• To give X columns different shares, write >{\hsize=1.5\hsize}X and >{\hsize=0.5\hsize}X. The shares must add up to the number of X columns.

In our editor In the options under the code, select Width: Wrap to text width. The columns with a width share the space in proportion to their widths.

• \resizebox{\textwidth}{!}{...} scales the table to the text width. ! keeps the proportions. It needs \usepackage{graphicx}.
• The text size changes with the table. Large text or very small text is difficult to read. If possible, wrap the text in place of scaling.
• The % signs at the line ends stop extra spaces.
• You cannot scale a long table.

In our editor In the options under the code, select Width: Scale to text width or Scale to column width.

• \arraystretch multiplies the height of the rows. 1.4 is 40% higher.
• \tabcolsep is the space at each side of a column. The default is 6pt.
• \addlinespace (booktabs) adds space between two rows.
• Put the changes in braces, or in the table float, to change only this table.

• Colours need \usepackage[table]{xcolor}.
• \rowcolor goes at the start of the row. \cellcolor goes in the cell.
• green!25 is 25% green and 75% white.
• To use your own colour, write \definecolor{mygreen}{HTML}{C8F2C8} in the preamble.
• To colour a column, write >{\columncolor{gray!15}}l in the column letters.

In our editor Select the cells. Click the background colour button on the toolbar.

• \rowcolors{2}{gray!15}{white}: from row 2, odd rows are grey and even rows are white.
• It needs \usepackage[table]{xcolor}.
• Put it in the table float. If not, it changes all the tables after it.

In our editor Give the rows alternating background colours. Our editor writes \rowcolors for four or more such rows.

• An S column (needs \usepackage{siunitx}) aligns numbers at the decimal point.
• table-format=3.2 keeps space for 3 digits before the point and 2 after it.
• Put text in braces, {Time (s)}, so that siunitx does not read it as a number.

• Put math between $ signs.
• A plain & ends the cell and a plain % starts a comment: the rest of the line is lost. Write \& and \%.
• See all the characters in Characters to escape.

In our editor In the options under the code, Escape special characters escapes them for you. Clear it to type LaTeX, such as $x^2$, in the cells.

• threeparttable makes the caption and the notes as wide as the table.
• \tnote{a} puts the mark in a cell. \item[a] gives the note's text.
• Do not use \footnote in a tabular: LaTeX does not print its text.

• longtable needs \usepackage{longtable}. Do not put it in a table float: it makes its own caption.
• The rows before \endfirsthead start the table. The rows before \endhead start each next page.
• The rows before \endfoot end each page. The rows before \endlastfoot end the table.
• Compile the document two or three times: longtable finds the column widths over more runs.
• For a long table with X columns, use xltabular.

In our editor In the options under the code, select Long table: Split across pages. You can also repeat the header rows and add a "continued" line.

• landscape needs \usepackage{pdflscape} or \usepackage{lscape}. With pdflscape, PDF viewers show the page turned.
• The landscape page starts on a new page.
• Before you turn the page, try to make the table narrower: wrap long text in columns with a width, make the headers shorter, use \small, or make \tabcolsep smaller.
• In a two-column document, use table* in place of table to put the table across both columns.

In our editor In the options under the code, select Placement: Rotate to a landscape page.