Simple Tables

Simple tables trade the grid table's +---+ scaffolding for whitespace: runs of = on the top and bottom borders mark out the columns, and text lines up underneath them. They are less capable than grid tables — a cell cannot span rows — but far easier to type and to edit.

Because a simple table's border always has two or more = runs, it can never be confused with a section underline, which is a single unbroken run.

Table with a Header

An interior = rule separates the header rows from the body:

The "Pear" row shows a cell continued onto a second line: a line whose first column is blank belongs to the row above it.

Table Without a Header Row

Leave out the interior rule and every row is a body row:

Cells as Miniature Documents

A cell holds block content, not just a phrase — lists, literal blocks and inline markup all work, and a blank line inside a cell separates blocks the same way it does anywhere else:

Cells Spanning Columns

A line of - underneath a row merges the columns it covers, so the row above the underline becomes a single wide cell:

The Rightmost Column Is Unbounded

Text in the last column may run past the border — only the columns to its left have to stay inside their margins: