I just started using Coda and it is great!
I’m loving how flexible and powerful tables are.
Having said that, it would be great to have an option of a regular table. One that can be formatted with merged cells, columns, style headings, etc. Kind of like a table in Word.
It would be great also for creating tables with formulas inside. If this could be paired with charts, I think it would be very powerful.
I’m suggesting this because I wanted to create a document with a simple chart with three calculated values. I had to revert to using a bullet list with formulas to show my data.
Hi, I concur this would be very useful. I use the Rich Text field for meetings, and it would be great to have a more full-functioned table where you could color headings, and grow the table quickly. I am interested in simply this table as a Rich Text element in tables in particular, but would be useful in Sections as well.
Bumping this up as well. Sometimes you’re just making a document and you want to use table formatting to illustrate something (or to add in a table as an example for others to copy with dummy data)
I keep looking for this feature feeling sure I’ve missed it. Sometimes I really just need a way to present one-off information in a tabular format. This helps when you need to write a long-form technical document on a specific topic.
Being forced to use “Real” tables means I have a lot of small, narrowly scoped tables polluting the list of all tables and causing name collisions.
I also agree. This would be wonderful feature. Sometimes I just want to display data and it looks better in an excel type table. Where I can merge and format.
Yeah, I wouldn’t get my hopes up for any Excel-type anything.
Coda, as a whole, does not seem interested in simplifying its approach to tables for average users (like me) who care more about displaying data than grinding through data. As a result, I follow Coda’s development over time, but I don’t try to use it anymore because it appears better suited to super-users who want “Real” tables.
Because in the list of messages above, it includes formatting, formulas and related charts. I am uncertain what feature of regular tables should be dropped?
Piet, great point. What I would love to see (and sorry if I’m not aligned w/original poster’s request) is the ability to add Markdown-like tables: /dumbtable => Markdown table rendered in Coda. Guess you could do it inside /code a la Mermaid as well. Basically I’m willing to trade off fancy formatting on the page/canvas for the ability to quickly add a Markdown table.
To up their game Coda could further add the ability to:
Define number of columns and rows (/dumbtable => popup for n-rows and n-cols and YN header row) in a pop-up box
Ability to add/delete rows and cols via GUI
Header rows that are shaded (header cols are a plus but not hi-pri)
Ability to resize column width via GUI
Ability to move cols and rows would be very nice, but folks can make do with the ability to insert new row(s)/col(s) and copy/paste whole rows/col)
What is NOT necessary
Ability to reference the table data elsewhere
Sorting/filtering/etc.
Column/Row math (e.g., sum, ave, etc.); however, if implemented directly on page/canvas (vs rendered) it would be great if the dumbtable syntax didn’t break standard formatting and in-line math
Piet, that is exactly what I do now. However, because I also use Notion, which does allow simple tables, I know that simple tables can be more effective for these reasons:
Interface speed: Too much effort to use /table to add a simple matrix, 2x2 for example
Layout: A table consumes a vast chuck of space (which is also tied to my desire for text wrapping…); and can’t apply text format to headers (right?) or the last row (static totals for example)
Complexity: I don’t want it showing up in the data model (list of tables when you link data), already too busy
Loading speed: I assume /table requires more overhead to load…but maybe not.
@Josh_Glazer provided sound reasons for the table text block and pretty much wrote the spec for how the feature could work. Since markdown already has it, it is a trivial addition.
Let me add another reason:
Because there is too much “chrome” around Database tables, e.g.–too much UI required for manipulating the database view.
To be clear about what is being requested:
This request is for a markdown table that is visually just rows and columns with an optional header at the top. It only serves to organize the text. It is not a queryable object. It is a text block.
The closest way to do this today is to setup a text block as multiple columns. This kind of works for up to 4 columns.
This approach lacks some formatting like grid lines or alternate shaded rows.
Sorry for being a bit rude, but sometimes you seem to need a good whack on the side of the head to get you out of the mode of perpetually defending Coda. You have seen enough documents in your life to know what tables are. You have probably looked at the spec for markdown and/or seen enough markdown documents.
I agree, I have tables that I want to use to format my information so it is easier to parse but I don’t plan on reusing it or need to make it smart. I also don’t want it to clutter my table options when I do use tables to cross-doc.
It would be great if we can have simple tables for formatting purposes.
A step up from this is to have the option of converting simple to smart tables if we changed our minds in the future.
Yes, Second this suggestion.
Sometimes, I just want a table to view my info in a visually appealing manner without adding on to the ever growing list of tables in the document.
It would be great to also have the function to convert to to a “full fledged” table when necessary.
This request is indeed inspired by notion from my end and one of the points that makes me reluctant to move completely to coda from notion.
Yes, I constantly add small tables similar to columns in my table and I don’t want to clutter my list of tables nor do I want to have all the feature bloat that come with actual tables