Change table defaults or make a "table WYSIWYG behavior"
under review
K
Kristina Ejstes-Svensson
To make tables render in a controlled way and similar in both web views and in PDF exports I suggest a “WYSIWYG behavior for table sizes and column widths“. This could also be made as a setting such as “use manually set table column widths in all media”. Why? All is related to support ticket #306539 "PDF export show truncated right column"
Experimenting with a tremendous number of tables I now realize that the Doc360 system is automatically adjusting tables to a set standard (?).
Trying to get tables to look similar in both web and PDF exports I attempted to:
1. use the recommended % width instead of px for max width and column width.
2. avoid multiple inline CSS attributes
3. minimize any included images’ sizes.
All above was done to tables which were either created from scratch, copied from other articles with correct looks in PDF or imported from other media.
The unwanted result looking back into the code after publishing were always the same:
• set % sizes are swapped into the not recommended px
• column widths are either disregarded or not interpreted as a number, resulting in string such as colwidth="NaN".
• PDF export remained living its own life, showing the unacceptable truncated right column ...
Attached are sample screenshots showing three views of exactly the same experiment content
1. the readers view
2. the editors view
3. the PDF export causing all this to be investigated.
Code samples exists but I suggest that a Doc360 expert try scenarios above.
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D360 Product Management
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under review
M
Mukesh Sriram
Hi Kristina ,
Thank you for reaching out and sharing detailed information about the table rendering issue you're encountering. I completely understand the frustration of having tables appear differently between the web and PDF views.
We appreciate the steps you’ve already taken to try and resolve this issue.
Here’s a breakdown of the situation:
- Manual Column Width Settings: As you’ve noticed, the table column widths set in percentages seem to be overridden when the content is rendered, particularly in PDF exports. Our system does automatically adjust table sizes to maintain consistency across different screen sizes and formats, but this can sometimes conflict with manually set widths.
- PDF Export Issue (Truncated Right Column): This issue is likely occurring due to the automatic adjustment of column widths and the way the table is being scaled for the PDF export. It’s a known limitation that, while our PDF export tries to maintain the layout as much as possible, complex tables with large content or varying column widths may not always render as expected in the PDF format.
Suggested Next Steps:
WYSIWYG Behavior for Tables: We are exploring the possibility of adding a setting that allows users to “lock” table column widths for both web and PDF exports, ensuring that the widths you set manually remain consistent across all views. This could address the issue you’re experiencing.
Temporary Workaround: In the meantime, we recommend trying a few additional steps:
- Ensure consistent column widths using CSS with fixed px values rather than %, which may be overridden.
- Avoid inline styles where possible and use external CSS (though this might also be subject to the automatic adjustments).
- Test with smaller tables (i.e., less complex with fewer columns) to check if the issue persists in the PDF export.
We are actively working on improving the PDF export functionality, and this feedback will be considered for future releases.
Could you please share any additional specifics about your setup or any code samples you've used so we can dive deeper into this?
We’d be happy to investigate further and assist in resolving this. Thank you for your patience and understanding!
K
Kristina Ejstes-Svensson
Hi Mukesh,
Thank you for you supportive reply.
The advice to use % rather than fixed px values was from a colleague of yours but as we all noticed it did not do much good.
I can really need expert assistance in one particular matter. Can I please have an email address to send you a PDF sample together with code?
It is one of the articles which I can not make any difference to.
- An article with quite a few perfectly rendered tables and three seemingly completely impossible to mend.
- I attempt copying perfect tables within the same article with the exact same amount of columns and inline content to replace the faulty. But the specific three still come out truncated- even after clearing local cashes.
Brgds,
Kristina