The table consists of rows and columns. Rows are divided into table header and table body. In Markdown, pipes(|) are used to separate each cell, and at least three dashes are used to separate the table header and body. The general structure of a table in Markdown is like this:
Table Header |
---|
Alignment Row |
Rows having data |
| Table | Header | | ------ | ------ | | Cell 1 | Cell 2 | | Cell 3 | Cell 4 |
The rendered output will look like this:
Table | Header |
---|---|
Cell 1 | Cell 2 |
Cell 3 | Cell 4 |
The width of cells may vary, but the rendered output will be the same.
| Table | Header | | ----- | --- | | Cell 1 | Cell 2 | | Cell 3 | Cell 4 |
It is important to note that outer pipes are optional, and you can omit them.
With the help of a colon, you can control the alignment of columns. For example, suppose a colon is placed at the beginning of hyphens. In that case, those columns will be left-aligned, and if a colon is written at the end of hyphens, then the content of those columns will be right-aligned. But when a colon is placed on both sides of the hyphens, that column will be centred-aligned.
| left-aligned | centred-aligned | right-aligned | | :--- | :---: | ---: | | These cells | These cells | These cells | | are | are | are | | left-aligned | centred-aligned | right-aligned |
The rendered output will look like this:
left-aligned | centred-aligned | right-aligned |
---|---|---|
These cells | These cells | These cells |
are | are | are |
left-aligned | centred-aligned | right-aligned |