Difference between revisions of "UniWiki:Manual of Style/Tables"

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===Appearance===
 
===Appearance===
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In general, styles for tables and other block-level elements should be set using CSS classes, not with inline style attributes.  This is because the site-wide CSS is more carefully tested to ensure compatibility with a wide range of browsers; it also creates a greater degree of professionalism by ensuring a consistent appearance between articles.  Deviations from standard conventions are acceptable where they create a semantic distinction (for instance, the infoboxes and [[Template:The Simpsons|navigational templates]] relating to ''[[The Simpsons]]'' use a yellow color-scheme instead of the customary mauve, to tie in with the dominant color in the series) but should not be used gratuitously.
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In general, styles for tables and other block-level elements should be set using CSS classes, not with inline style attributes.  This is because it creates a greater degree of professionalism by ensuring a consistent appearance between articles.  Deviations from standard conventions are acceptable where they create a semantic distinction (for instance, the infoboxes and [[Wikipedia:Template:The Simpsons|navigational templates]] relating to ''[[Wikipedia:The Simpsons|The Simpsons]]'' use a yellow color-scheme instead of the customary mauve, to tie in with the dominant color in the series) but should not be used gratuitously.
  
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See [[WP:Deviations]] and [[Wikipedia talk:Consensus/RfC]] for guidance on use of coloring or non-standard formatting, and for when MoS and WikiProjects guidance is at variance.  
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See {{section link|UniWiki:Manual of Style/Accessibility|Styles and markup options}} for guidance on use of coloring or non-standard formatting.
  
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Consideration may be given to [[Help:Collapsing|collapsing]] tables which [[MOS:COLLAPSE|consolidate information covered in the prose]].
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Consideration may be given to [[Wikipedia:Help:Collapsing|collapsing]] tables which [[UniWiki:Manual of Style#Scrolling lists and collapsible content|consolidate information covered in the prose]].
  
 
===Accessibility===
 
===Accessibility===

Revision as of 23:33, 8 January 2017

This page is a part of the UniWiki's Manual of Style. It is a general guideline intended to harmonize article style across the UniWiki, though it is best treated with common sense, and exceptions may apply. Any substantive edit to this page should be approved by the Wiki Manager. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page.
This page discusses when and how tables should be used on the UniWiki. For specific considerations of table style and accessibility, see UniWiki:Manual of Style/Accessibility/Data tables tutorial. For technical guidance on how to create and edit tables, see Wikipedia:Help:Table.

Tables are a way of presenting information in rows and columns. They can be useful for a variety of content presentations on Wikipedia, but should be used only when appropriate; sometimes the information in a table may be better presented as prose paragraphs or as an embedded list.

Avoid referring to tables as being located on the left or right of a display page. Placement can be different for mobile viewers, and is meaningless to people having pages read to them by assistive software. Instead, use captions to identify tables.

Formatting

See also: Wikipedia:Help:Table

It is recommended that wikitables be used in place of HTML tables, as they are easier to customize and maintain. A standard "wikitable style" is available, by adding class="wikitable" to the top row of the table. The powerful and useful sorting feature can be enabled by adding class="sortable" to the top row. Extreme caution should be applied if rowspan or colspan is used. It is also possible to combine classes, as in class="wikitable sortable".

Captions and headers

Table captions and column and row headers should be succinct and self explanatory. In most cases, individual words or sentence fragments should be used, and thus articles (a, an, the) and sentence-ending punctuation are unnecessary. Only the first word in the caption or header should be capitalized (except for proper nouns), in keeping with the UniWiki's conventions for capital letters. In some rare cases, judicious use of soft hyphens may be helpful.

Much of UniWiki:Manual of Style § Article titles, headings, and sections also pertains to table headers: Use sentence case when appropriate; avoid redundantly including the subject's name in a header; do not put images in the header (including flag icons), unless this is the best way to present tabular information in a particular case; and do not use questions as headers. Title headers are often suitable places for reference citations (e.g., to source a specific row or column of data). Unlike section headings, they often begin with or consist entirely of numbers (such as model numbers, dates, version numbers, etc.). Table headers do not automatically generate link anchors the way section headings do.

Appearance

In general, styles for tables and other block-level elements should be set using CSS classes, not with inline style attributes. This is because it creates a greater degree of professionalism by ensuring a consistent appearance between articles. Deviations from standard conventions are acceptable where they create a semantic distinction (for instance, the infoboxes and navigational templates relating to The Simpsons use a yellow color-scheme instead of the customary mauve, to tie in with the dominant color in the series) but should not be used gratuitously.

See UniWiki:Manual of Style/Accessibility § Styles and markup options for guidance on use of coloring or non-standard formatting.

Consideration may be given to collapsing tables which consolidate information covered in the prose.

Accessibility

Main article: Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility#Tables

Screen readers and other web browsing tools make use of specific table tags to help users navigate the data contained within tables. Use the correct wikitable pipe syntax to take advantage of all the features available.

See MOS:COLOR for information about restrained use of color in tables, to avoid creating accessibility problems for visually-impaired as well as normal vision readers.

Do not separate items by leaving blank lines between them, even when using unordered or definition lists. The Wikipedia list templates explicitly identify lists for readers, rather than relying on visual formatting to indirectly imply the presence of a list.

Size

Splitting lists and tables per summary style is advised against. Among other problems, arbitrarily splitting a wikitable effectively disables the powerful and useful sorting feature from working across the entire table.

On the other hand, overloading tables with too much detailed statistical data is against policy. Careful thought should be given to how a reader would use a table, and what level of detail is appropriate.

Suitability

Template:Shortcut

Appropriate use

Tables are a way of presenting links, data, or information in rows and columns. They are a complex form of list, formatted into a systematic grid pattern. Tables might be useful for presenting mathematical data such as multiplication tables, comparative figures, or sporting results. They may also be useful for presenting equivalent words in two or more languages; for awards by type and year; complex discographies; etc.

The sortability of multiple columns in a table is a powerful tool that helps the reader to understand relationships and find patterns in large lists. The sortability of tables makes them very useful for "List of..." articles in Wikipedia, which are intended to give an overview of the subject area, and to allow easy comparisons among many similar items. Avoid cramming too much detailed information into individual table entries; if appropriate, the reader should be able to click a Wikilink to read a full, detailed article corresponding to a concise table entry.

Often a list is best left as a list. Before reformatting a list into table form, consider whether the information will be more clearly conveyed by virtue of having rows and columns. If so, then a table is probably a good choice. If there is no obvious benefit to having rows and columns, then a table is probably not the best choice.

Tables should not be misused to resolve visual layout problems. If the information you are editing is not tabular in nature, it probably does not belong in a table: Do not misuse tables for putting a caption under a photograph, arranging a group of links, or other strictly visual features. These practices make the article harder for other Wikipedians to edit, and will likely cause problems when viewed on different display sizes and aspect ratios. Also, when compared with tables, wikimarkup is more flexible, easier to use, and less arcane when used correctly for desktop publishing layout, page elements, and page orientation and positioning.

Examples:

Multi-column sortable standard

Template:Cot

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Ref
Winner 1 1981 World Championship Template:Flagicon Doug Mountjoy 18–12 [1]
Winner 2 1983 World Championship (2) Template:Flagicon Cliff Thorburn 18–6 [1]
Winner 3 1983 International Open Template:Flagicon Cliff Thorburn 9–3 [2]
Winner 4 1984 Classic Template:Flagicon Tony Meo 9–8 [3]
Winner 5 1984 World Championship (3) Template:Flagicon Jimmy White 18–16 [1]
Winner 6 1984 International Open (2) Template:Flagicon Tony Knowles 9–2 [2]
Winner 7 1984 UK Championship Template:Flagicon Alex Higgins 16–8 [4]
Runner-up 1 1985 World Championship Template:Flagicon Dennis Taylor 17–18 [1]
Winner 8 1985 Grand Prix Template:Flagicon Dennis Taylor 10–9 [1]
Winner 9 1985 UK Championship (2) Template:Flagicon Willie Thorne 16–14 [4]

Template:Cob

Multi-column standard with subcolumns

Template:Cot

Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications
CAN
 AUS
 AUT
 GER
 NLD
 NOR
 SWE
 SWI
 UK
 US
 North America
 Europe
1993 So Far So Good
  • Released: November 2, 1993
  • Label: A&M
 2
[5] 		1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 CA: 6× Platinum
US: 5× Platinum 		SW: 4× Platinum
UK: 3× Platinum
1999 The Best of Me
  • Released: November 15, 1999
  • Label: A&M
 14 18 4 7 13 2 20 3 12 — CA: 3× Platinum EU: 2× Platinum[6]
SW: Platinum
UK: Platinum
2005 Anthology
  • Released: October 18, 2005
  • Label: A&M
 4 — 28 30 — — — 39 29 65 CA: 2× Platinum UK: Gold
2010 Icon — — — — — — — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Template:Cob

Multi-column mixed sortable unsortable

Template:Cot

List of acting performances in film and television
Year Title Role Notes
1961 Barabbas Patrician in Arena uncredited
1962 Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man undetermined role uncredited
1963 Template:Sortname Janet Trego TV series, 15 episodes
1963 Mister Ed
  • Telephone Operator
  • Sailor's Girl
  • TV series, episodes:
  • "Love Thy New Neighbor"
  • "Ed Discovers America"
1964 Template:Sortname Beautiful Girl uncredited
1965 Template:Sortname Therapist TV series, episode: "The Girls of Nazarone Affair"
1966 Eye of the Devil Odile de Caray
1967 Template:Sortname Sarah Shagal
1967 Don't Make Waves Malibu
1967 Valley of the Dolls Jennifer North
1968 Rosemary's Baby Girl at Party uncredited
1968 Template:Sortname Freya Carlson
1969 Template:Sortname
(also known as 12+1) 		Pat released posthumously

Template:Cob

Multi-column unsortable

Template:Cot

Year Award Title Result
1932 Outstanding Production Arrowsmith Template:Nom
1935 Outstanding Production The Informer Template:Nom
1935 Best Director The Informer Template:Won
1939 Best Director Stagecoach Template:Nom
1940 Outstanding Production The Long Voyage Home Template:Nom
1940 Best Director The Grapes of Wrath Template:Won
1941 Best Motion Picture How Green Was My Valley Template:Won
1941 Best Director How Green Was My Valley Template:Won
1942 Best Documentary The Battle of Midway Template:Won
1943 Best Documentary, Short Subjects December 7th Template:Won
1952 Best Motion Picture The Quiet Man Template:Nom
1952 Best Director The Quiet Man Template:Won

Template:Cob

Multi-column unsortable all numeric right justified

Template:Cot

Multiplication table
× 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
2 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
3 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30
4 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40
5 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
6 6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60
7 7 14 21 28 35 42 49 56 63 70
8 8 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 72 80
9 9 18 27 36 45 54 63 72 81 90
10 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Template:Cob

Tree (cladogram) left rooted

Template:Cot Template:Clade Template:Cob

Gant (bar graph linear horizontal) with color

Template:Cot <timeline> ImageSize = width:700 height:270 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1965 till:12/05/1996 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

Colors = 

 id:Drums               value:purple     legend:Drums
 id:Guitars             value:green      legend:Guitars
 id:Bass                value:gray(0.40) legend:Bass
 id:Keyboards          value:orange     legend:Keyboards

Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom

ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:01/01/1965

LineData = 

 at:08/04/1967 color:black layer:back
 at:06/28/1968 color:black layer:back
 at:06/13/1969 color:black layer:back
 at:11/07/1969 color:black layer:back
 at:10/02/1970 color:black layer:back
 at:11/05/1971 color:black layer:back
 at:06/02/1972 color:black layer:back
 at:03/23/1973 color:black layer:back
 at:11/12/1975 color:black layer:back
 at:01/21/1977 color:black layer:back
 at:11/30/1979 color:black layer:back
 at:03/21/1983 color:black layer:back
 at:11/07/1987 color:black layer:back
 at:03/28/1994 color:black layer:back

BarData = 

 bar:Mason text:"Nick Mason"
 bar:Barrett text:"Syd Barrett"
 bar:Gilmour text:"David Gilmour"
 bar:Klose  text:"Bob Klose"
 bar:Waters text:"Roger Waters"
 bar:Wright text:"Richard Wright"

PlotData= 

 width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
 bar:Mason from:01/01/1965 till:end color:Drums
 bar:Barrett from:01/01/1965 till:06/04/1968 color:Guitars
 bar:Gilmour from:12/01/1967 till:end color:Guitars
 bar:Klose from:01/01/1965 till: 12/05/1965 color:Guitars
 bar:Waters from:01/01/1965 till:01/20/1985 color:Bass
 bar:Wright from:01/01/1965 till:01/01/1980 color:Keyboards
 bar:Wright from:01/01/1987 till:end color:Keyboards

</timeline>

Template:Cob

Inappropriate use

Simple lists

If a list is simple, it is generally better to use one of the standard Wikipedia list formats instead of a table. Lists are easier to maintain than tables, and are often easier to read.

Here is an example of a simple list using list formatting: 

* 1980: Ultra Wave
* 1988: What's Bootsy Doin'?
* 1994: Blasters of the Universe
* 1994: Fresh Outta 'P' Uni

Which produces:

  • 1980: Ultra Wave
  • 1988: What's Bootsy Doin'?
  • 1994: Blasters of the Universe
  • 1994: Fresh Outta 'P' Uni

versus table formatting: 

{|
|1980
|Ultra Wave
|-
|1988
|What's Bootsy Doin'?
|-
|1994
|Blasters of the Universe
|-
|1994
|Fresh Outta 'P' Uni
|}

Which produces:

1980 Ultra Wave
1988 What's Bootsy Doin'?
1994 Blasters of the Universe
1994 Fresh Outta 'P' Uni

Prose

Prose is preferred in articles as prose allows the presentation of detail and clarification of context, in a way that a table may not. Prose flows, like one person speaking to another, and is best suited to articles, because their purpose is to explain. Tables which are mainly links, which are most useful for browsing subject areas, should usually have their own entries: see Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists for detail. In an article, significant items should normally be mentioned naturally within the text rather than merely tabulated.

Page layout

Page layouts (using multiple columns, positioning elements, adding borders, etc.) should be done via CSS, not tables, whenever possible.

  • Images and other embedded media should be positioned using standard image syntax.
  • There are several templates available that will create preformatted multi-column layouts: see Help:Columns.
  • Other elements can be positioned or given special formatting through the use of the HTML <div> element and CSS styling.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Template:Cite web
  2. ^ a b Template:Cite web
  3. ^ Template:Cite web
  4. ^ a b Template:Cite web
  5. ^ Template:Cite web
  6. ^ Template:Cite web

Template:Style wide

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