# Editing: An insert table option
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/editing-an-insert-table-option/19719
**Category:** Feature
**Created:** [September 6, 2014, 11:45am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/editing-an-insert-table-option/19719 "2014-09-06T11:45:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@andyr](https://meta.discourse.org/u/andyr)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2014, 11:45am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/editing-an-insert-table-option/19719/1 "2014-09-06T11:45:48Z")
The edit box could do with an “insert table” option.
---
### Author:  [@Frank](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Frank)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2014, 12:14pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/editing-an-insert-table-option/19719/2 "2014-09-06T12:14:28Z")
Oldschool…but useful for structured data and tabulation.
Is it possible as a feature?
There is nothing wrong with tables and are still as useful today as they were when invented.
The CSS guys younger than me would disagree…and I expect them to. It could potentially break their layout.
So I would say this would make for an amazingly specific plugin.
There was a discussion about adding CKEDITOR to discourse it was kind of a lighting rod subject and you can read it here.
> [@More advance editor should be here?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/more-advance-editor-should-be-here/14102/13):
>
> I’m agreed. I need a WYSIWYG editor, users want to copy and paste and are too lazy and need many time to format it markdown or BBCODE. I vote [SCEditor][1] Hope anyone will code plugin frowning [1]: [http://www.sceditor.com/](http://www.sceditor.com/)
While it is more that a, ‘can we add tables’ situation you can get a vibe on what html would do to mark up.
Hmm… I think I will let brighter minds chime in at this point.
Great topic for discussion as it is so specific.
---
### Author:  [@probus](https://meta.discourse.org/u/probus)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2014, 1:14pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/editing-an-insert-table-option/19719/3 "2014-09-06T13:14:32Z")
Tables are also often useful for wiki articles and other such posts.
---
### Author:  [@Mittineague](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mittineague)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/editing-an-insert-table-option/19719/4 "2014-09-06T17:47:02Z")
Sometimes tables are good for displaying, ermm, tabular data.
Closest alternative I know is to use pre tags to retain tabs to keep things in their respective column. eg.
```
name date count
guru Fred Aug 12
noob Ted Oct 34
pest Ned Jan 3
```
---
### Author:  [@lidel](https://meta.discourse.org/u/lidel)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2014, 10:32pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/editing-an-insert-table-option/19719/5 "2014-09-06T22:32:14Z")
Alternative workaround:
If you install [MathJax Plugin](https://meta.discourse.org/t/mathjax-plugin-supports-math-notation-using-latex/12826/) it will be possible to “draw” tables in LaTeX 😆
Simple:
```latex
\begin{array}{c|cc}
\hline A & B & C\\
\hline D & E & F\\
\hline
\end{array}
```
gives:
One can even go mad and nest them in weird configurations such as:
```latex
$$\begin{array}{c}
\begin{array}{cc}
\begin{array}{c|cccc}
\text{min} & 0 & 1 & 2 & 3\\
\hline
0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0\\
1 & 0 & 1 & 1 & 1\\
2 & 0 & 1 & 2 & 2\\
3 & 0 & 1 & 2 & 3
\end{array}
&
\begin{array}{c|cccc}
\text{max}&0&1&2&3\\
\hline
0 & 0 & 1 & 2 & 3\\
1 & 1 & 1 & 2 & 3\\
2 & 2 & 2 & 2 & 3\\
3 & 3 & 3 & 3 & 3
\end{array}
\end{array}
\\
\begin{array}{c|cccc}
\Delta&0&1&2&3\\
\hline
0 & 0 & 1 & 2 & 3\\
1 & 1 & 0 & 1 & 2\\
2 & 2 & 1 & 0 & 1\\
3 & 3 & 2 & 1 & 0
\end{array}
\end{array}$$
```
which renders a fancy triad:
---
### Author:  [@elberet](https://meta.discourse.org/u/elberet)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2014, 1:53am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/editing-an-insert-table-option/19719/6 "2014-09-08T01:53:01Z")
And then you try to put floating text into your  table, expecting that it has sensible auto-sizing for rows and columns… and then you cry. You might even re-write your paper in  , until you get to the point where it gets mathy… and then you cry. 😰
---
### Author:  [@Frank](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Frank)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/editing-an-insert-table-option/19719/7 "2014-09-08T04:19:17Z")
Lol…too funny.
I think simple tables are useful for my backend duties. But when I tangle with CSS folks cognitive dissonance on tables creates polarity.
It weird and I don’t understand why they are all consumed with the kill tables with fire mindset…
When it comes to markup then I draw a total blank. I don’t think a markup solution exists…I could be wrong.
Sometimes you just have to get things done.
Tables can get it done simply (not elegantly).
---
### Author:  [@thoka](https://meta.discourse.org/u/thoka)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2015, 12:24pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/editing-an-insert-table-option/19719/8 "2015-02-17T12:24:57Z")
An alternative and more general way to show tables inside a post by including external ressources, like it is allready done in a web-link preview.
[https://meta.discourse.org/t/embed-google-spreadsheet-plugin/21673](https://meta.discourse.org/t/embed-google-spreadsheet-plugin/21673)
---
### Author:  [@Bhuvanesh](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Bhuvanesh)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2017, 5:28pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/editing-an-insert-table-option/19719/9 "2017-03-16T17:28:04Z")
Guys, any idiot friendly way to input tabular data? Like copy pasting from a spreadsheet. Asking because I am a non-tech noob, need a simple solution. Most of the stuff here just flew over my head.
---
### Author:  [@elijah](https://meta.discourse.org/u/elijah)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2017, 10:19pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/editing-an-insert-table-option/19719/10 "2017-03-16T22:19:02Z")
I believe table support was considered too difficult under the current Markdown implementation. There is planned work to replace the Markdown engine and then possibly support Markdown tables.
[https://meta.discourse.org/t/markdown-table-support-in-a-discourse-topic/13546/99?u=elijah](https://meta.discourse.org/t/markdown-table-support-in-a-discourse-topic/13546/99)
> [@Discourse and CommonMark](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-and-commonmark/25410/16):
>
> Curious if there is any notion of when this might happen at this point… I see that this is not on the [1.8 Release](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-version-1-8/49801) plan. And that the the to-do list for [CommonMark v1.0](https://talk.commonmark.org/t/issues-we-must-resolve-before-1-0-release-8-remaining/1287) is not draining too quickly. Is CommonMark 1.0 considered a prerequisite for the transition? Or is it more about the stability of [markdown-it](https://github.com/markdown-it/markdown-it) API? This is not a “where the !&\*# is my CommonMark?” question. I’m just curious to understand what the current thinking is…
---
### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2017, 10:36pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/editing-an-insert-table-option/19719/11 "2017-03-16T22:36:27Z")
This may be pertinent and it is based on CommonMark specs and has Table support I believe.
> **[A formal spec for GitHub Flavored Markdown](https://github.blog/news-insights/product-news/a-formal-spec-for-github-flavored-markdown/)**
>
> Starting today, all Markdown user content hosted in our website, including user comments, wikis, and .md files in repositories will be parsed and rendered following a formal specification for GitHub Flavored Markdown.
---
### Author:  [@chapoi](https://meta.discourse.org/u/chapoi)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2025, 11:32am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/editing-an-insert-table-option/19719/12 "2025-12-04T11:32:23Z")