# `MD060` - Table column style

Tags: `table`

Aliases: `table-column-style`

Parameters:

- `aligned_delimiter`: Aligned delimiter columns (`boolean`, default `false`)
- `style`: Table column style (`string`, default `any`, values `aligned` /
  `any` / `compact` / `tight`)

Fixable: Some violations can be fixed by tooling

This rule is triggered when the column separator pipe characters (`|`) of a
[GitHub Flavored Markdown table][gfm-table-060] are used inconsistently.

This rule recognizes three table column styles based on popular use.

Style `aligned` ensures pipe characters are vertically aligned:

```markdown
| Character | Meaning |
| --------- | ------- |
| Y         | Yes     |
| N         | No      |
```

The `aligned` style ignores cell content, so the following is also valid:

```markdown
| Character | Meaning |
|-----------|---------|
|     Y     |     Yes |
|     N     |      No |
```

Style `compact` avoids extra padding with a single space around cell content:

```markdown
| Character | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| Y | Yes |
| N | No |
```

Style `tight` uses no padding at all for cell content:

```markdown
|Character|Meaning|
|---|---|
|Y|Yes|
|N|No|
```

When this rule's `style` parameter is set to `aligned`, `compact`, or `tight`,
every table must match the corresponding pattern and any violations will be
reported. By default, or when the `any` style is used, each table is analyzed to
see if it satisfies any supported style. If so, no violations are reported. If
not, violations are be reported for whichever style would produce the *fewest*
issues (i.e., whichever style is the closest match).

Setting the `aligned_delimiter` parameter to `true` requires pipe characters in
the delimiter row to align with those in the header row. This can be used with
`compact` and `tight` tables to make the header text more obvious. (It's already
required for tables with style `aligned`.)

Style `compact` with `aligned_delimiter`:

```markdown
| Character | Meaning |
| --------- | ------- |
| Y | Yes |
| N | No |
```

Style `tight` with `aligned_delimiter`:

```markdown
|Character|Meaning|
|---------|-------|
|Y|Yes|
|N|No|
```

Violations for styles `compact` and `tight` are simple/independent and can be
fixed automatically. However, fixing even single violations for style `aligned`
may require modifying the entire table, and therefore are not automatic:

```markdown
|Alpha |Delta|
|------|-----|
|Charlie|Beta|
```

**Note**: This rule does not require leading/trailing pipe characters, so this
is also a valid table for style `compact`:

```markdown
Character | Meaning
--- | ---
Y | Yes
N | No
```

**Note**: Pipe alignment for the `aligned` style is based on visual appearance
and not character count. Because editors typically render [emoji][emoji] and
[CJK characters][cjk-characters] at *twice* the width of
[Latin characters][latin-script], this rule takes that into account for tables
using the `aligned` style. The following table is correctly formatted and will
appear aligned in most editors and monospaced fonts:

<!-- markdownlint-capture -->
<!-- markdownlint-disable extended-ascii -->

```markdown
| Response | Emoji |
| -------- | ----- |
| Yes      | ✅    |
| No       | ❎    |
```

<!-- markdownlint-restore -->

Rationale: Consistent formatting makes it easier to understand a document.

[cjk-characters]: https://wikipedia.org/wiki/CJK_characters
[emoji]: https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Emoji
[gfm-table-060]: https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/writing-on-github/working-with-advanced-formatting/organizing-information-with-tables
[latin-script]: https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_script
