Tables

An IDML table is not a page item of its own — it is a <Table> element that rides on a paragraph in the text flow.

In short: In IDML, a table is a <Table> element nested inside a <CharacterStyleRange>, inside a <ParagraphStyleRange>, inside a story — the same place a run of text sits. It has no position attribute and names no frame: it draws wherever the host paragraph lands as the story flows down its text frame. Everything that makes a table a table — the grid dimensions, the rows, columns, and cells, the borders — lives on that one <Table> element and its children. This page introduces how the format models a table and how the rest of the chapter is laid out.

A table in IDML is not a page item of its own. It is a <Table> element that rides on a paragraph, the same way an inline graphic does — it sits inside a <CharacterStyleRange>, inside a <ParagraphStyleRange>, inside a story. The story flows down its text frame; when the flow reaches the paragraph that hosts the table, the table draws there. Everything that makes a table a table — the grid, the cells, the borders — lives on that one <Table> element and its children.

This is worth pausing on, because it is the key to everything else on these pages. A table has no position attribute. It does not name a frame. It inherits its horizontal placement from the paragraph it rides on and its vertical placement from where that paragraph lands in the flow. If you understand stories and paragraphs, you already understand where a table goes; these pages are about what a table is.

The model in one breath

A <Table> declares its shape with counts: how many header rows, how many body rows, how many footer rows, and how many columns. It then carries three kinds of children:

• <Row> elements — one per row, giving each row its height.
• <Column> elements — one per column, giving each column its width.
• <Cell> elements — one per occupied grid position, each addressed by a Name="col:row" and each holding its own paragraphs of text.

The counts and the children are redundant on purpose: the counts tell the renderer the grid's dimensions, and the rows / columns / cells fill it in. A cell can span more than one row or column, so the number of <Cell> elements is usually fewer than rows × columns.

How to read this chapter

The pages build up in the order the renderer meets the pieces:

• The table model — the <Table> element itself: the row and column counts, the outer border, and the row / column divider rules.
• Rows, columns, and cells — the <Row>, <Column>, and <Cell> children: track sizes, the col:row addressing, merged cells via spans, per-cell insets and strokes, and the text inside a cell.
• Tables in the text flow — what it means for a table to be anchored in a paragraph: how it breaks across threaded frames, and how header and footer rows repeat.

A table's formatting — the styles it can apply — is a separate concern, covered in table and cell styles. A <Table> names a table style with AppliedTableStyle, and a <Cell> names a cell style with AppliedCellStyle; both resolve through the cascade the same way text styles do. These pages describe the structure those styles dress.

Frequently asked questions

How is a table represented in IDML? A table is a <Table> element nested inside a <CharacterStyleRange>, inside a <ParagraphStyleRange>, inside a story — not a top-level page item. The <Table> declares the grid's dimensions as counts and carries <Row>, <Column>, and <Cell> children that fill the grid in.

Where does an IDML table appear on the page? A table has no position attribute and names no frame. It inherits its horizontal placement from the paragraph it rides on and its vertical placement from where that paragraph lands as the story flows down its text frame. Move the host paragraph and the table moves with it.

Why are there fewer <Cell> elements than rows times columns? A cell can span more than one row or column. The grid positions covered by a spanning cell have no <Cell> element of their own, so every merge removes the cells it absorbs — which is why the count of <Cell> elements is usually fewer than rows × columns.