CALS Table

CNXML uses the industry standard CALS Table Model for including tables into CNXML documents. When you first insert a table using Edit-in-Place, you will see a blue window similar to the one shown in .

Using the Edit-in-Place interface, you can add a name and change how many rows or columns your table needs. Be sure to set the correct dimensions before you start editing the entries of the table, as the Resize table button will reset the entries to their default values.Once your table is correctly sized, you can start editing the entries of your table, as shown in .

Provided below is a brief description of the CALS tags, their attributes, and children (along with a helpful example). For a more complete description of the CALS Table consult the CALS Table Spec.

table The table tag marks the beginning of a table. It has an optional first child of name (as you can see in the Edit-in-Place interface) and must contain one or more tgroup tags. The Edit-in-Place interface, however, only supports the utilization of one tgroup. The table tag also has many attributes, to find out more information consult the CALS Table Spec.

tgroup The tgroup tag marks the beginning of a new portion of a table. It has a required attribute cols which is the number of columns in the tgroup; as mentioned previously, this attribute can be set using the Edit-in-Place interface. Its children tags are zero, one, or more colspec or spanspec, zero or one thead or tfoot, and one tbody tag.

colspec The colspec tag is an empty tag that specificies the column of a table or entrytbl. The names and numbers specified as attributes are used for referencing by other tags.

spanspec The spanspec tag is an empty tag that identifies a horizontal span of columns and associated attributes that can subsequently be referenced by its spanname for repeated use in entry or entrytbl in different rows.

thead The thead tag identifies the heading row of a tgroup or entrytbl. The thead tag can have zero, one, or more colspec tags and one or more row.

tfoot The tfoot tag identifies the rows of footer information that are displayed after the tbody. The tfoot tag can have zero, one, or more colspec tags and one or more row.

tbody The tbody tag identifies the body of a tgroup or entrytbl. The tbody tag must have one or more row tags.

row The row tag identifies the row of information in a thead, tbody, or tfoot. The row tag must have one or more entry or entrytbl.

entrytbl The entrytbl tag takes the place of an entry, but fits into a single row of tbody in a tgroup. The content model is the same as that of a tgroup except that tfoot is ommitted and entrytbl is self-excluding. Its children tags are zero, one, or more colspec or spanspec, zero or one thead or tfoot, and one tbody tag.

entry The entry tag identifies an entry in a row. The entry tag contains ASCII text and zero, one, or many cite, term, cnxn, link, code, emphasis, or media.

Using CALS TablesIt might sound a little confusing but I think that the best way to understand a table is to look at . For more information, consult the CALS Table Spec.

<thead>
<row>
<entry>Month</entry>
<entry>Flower</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
<entry align="center">January</entry>
<entry align="center">Carnation</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry align="center">February</entry>
<entry align="center">Violet</entry>
</row> 
<row>
<entry align="center">March</entry>
<entry align="center">Daffodil</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry align="center">April</entry>
<entry align="center">Sweet Pea</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry align="center">May</entry>
<entry align="center">Sunflower</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>June</entry>
<entry>Honeysuckle</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>July</entry>
<entry>Larkspur</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>August</entry>
<entry>Lily</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>September</entry>
<entry>Forget-Me-Not</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>October</entry>
<entry>Marigold</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>November</entry>
<entry>Chrysanthemum</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>December</entry>
<entry>Narcissus</entry>
</row>
</tbody>

This code will end up looking like this:Birth Flowers Month Flower January Carnation February Violet March Daffodil April Sweet Pea May Sunflower June Honeysuckle July Larkspur August Lily September Forget-Me-Not October Marigold November Chrysanthemum December Narcissus