[Tables] Different number of rows per column

[Ghitulescu]

Don't jump too easy on conclusions: I searched a lot and all answers were somehow like "use rospan/colspan" with the obvious tables of menus or calender...

What I need is that a table has 4 equal cells in the first column and 3 equal ones in the second column (of course, both columns having the same height).

I tried

 <tr>
  <td rowspan="3">Cell 1:1</td>
  <td rowspan="4">Cell 1:2</td>
 </tr>
<tr/>
<tr>
  <td rowspan="3">Cell 2:1</td>
</tr>
<tr/>
 <tr>
  <td rowspan="3">Cell 3:1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td rowspan="4">Cell 2:2</td>
</tr>
<tr/>
 <tr>
  <td rowspan="4">Cell 4:1</td>
 </tr>
<tr/>
 <tr>
  <td rowspan="3">Cell 3:2</td>
 </tr>
<tr/>

The trouble is that cells 1:1 and the 2:1 correspond in height to cell 1:2, which should not be the case in the case of equal size.
Any ideas of improving it?

[jhowell]

My understanding is that you want a table with two columns. The first column has four rows of equal height and the second column has three rows of equal height, each 4/3 of the height of the rows in the first column. I am also assuming that you want the table to use the minimum height based on the largest cell in either column and that this height could vary with content and font size.

I don't think that this is possible in html without using javascript, but I look forward to others with more html experience proving me wrong.

[Ghitulescu]

That's right... I was also afraid of such a negative outcome...
I also tried this in Word, then import in calibre for conversion - it won't work without some fixed sizes

[DaleDe]

If there is no horizontal connection between the boxes then a table isn't what you want. You want 2 columns with a table in each column.

[Ghitulescu]

There must be a connection - item 1:1 should correspond to item 1:2, item 2:1 should correspond to both items 1:2 and 2:2, item 3:1 must also correspond to items 2:2 and 3:2, whereas item 4:1, like 1:1 should only correspond to item 3:2.

My simple, engineer idea, was to have a 12 rows 2 columns table, join 3 cells in the first column and 4 in the second. I had to insert from place to place "empty" rows (<tr/>) in order to give a proper counting.

[Ghitulescu]

[Toxaris]

Originally Posted by Ghitulescu

This could be made with 2 columns and 12 rows and then different rowspans for each column. So, in the first column 4 cells each spanning 3 rows and the other 3 cells each spanning 4 rows.
A lot of work, but then it should be possible I think.

[Turtle91]

Build the table in some other app...take a screenshot...insert into ebook as an image.

[Tex2002ans]

What's the actual data? Maybe it can be represented in a much more user-friendly/meaningful way.

[Ghitulescu]

Data is text.
But anyway, I tested my solution on several hardware and software eReaders and the results are somehow satisfactory, albeit not perfect.

[Ghitulescu]

Originally Posted by Toxaris

This could be made with 2 columns and 12 rows and then different rowspans for each column. So, in the first column 4 cells each spanning 3 rows and the other 3 cells each spanning 4 rows.
A lot of work, but then it should be possible I think.

This is how I've done, just that, as explained in the beginning, the alignment is not perfect.

[HarryT]

I'd second the recommendation to insert it as an image.

[JSWolf]

Try the following.. build the table in Word and save as DOCX, Then convert via Calibre to ePub and have a look at the code. You might be able to take the code and copy it into your eBook.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Try the following.. build the table in Word and save as DOCX, Then convert via Calibre to ePub and have a look at the code. You might be able to take the code and copy it into your eBook.

Maybe no need to bother buiiding a sample, have a look at the table with merged cells in Kovid's Demo DOCX

BR

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Maybe no need to bother buiiding a sample, have a look at the table with merged cells in Kovid's Demo DOCX

BR

I would bother to get the table the way the OP wants. Then it can be tweaked using CSS in the ePub.