Working with Tables

Tables in Diagrammix3 allow you to organize information in a structured grid format.

Creating a Table

To add a table, select the Table Tool from the toolbar and click on the canvas.

Table Action Toolbar

Double-clicking a table cell or selecting a table reveals the Table Action Toolbar, which provides quick access to:

  • Edit Cell Text (T): Enter text editing mode for the selected cell.
  • Grid Settings: Open the Grid Settings callout to adjust borders and spacing.
  • Cell Attributes: Open the Cell Attributes callout for font and background styling.
  • Add/Remove Row/Column: Quickly modify the table structure.

Table Action Toolbar

Grid Settings

The Grid Settings Callout allows you to:

  • Toggle borders for rows and columns.
  • Adjust horizontal and vertical spacing between cells.
  • Set the overall table corner radius.

Table Grid Settings

Cell Attributes

The Cell Attributes Callout provides fine-grained control over individual cells or the entire table:

  • Font Settings: Change font family, size, and style (bold/italic).
  • Alignment: Set horizontal and vertical text alignment.
  • Text Angle: Rotate text within cells (0-360 degrees).
  • Padding: Adjust internal cell margins (Top/Bottom, Left/Right).
  • Background Color: Choose from a color palette for the cell fill.

!TIP Use the Apply to all table cells checkbox to quickly style the entire table at once.

Table Cell Attributes

Merging and Splitting Cells

Diagrammix3 supports cell spanning, allowing you to merge multiple cells into a single larger cell or split previously merged cells.

Merging Cells

To merge cells:

  1. Select the table to activate the Table Action Toolbar
  2. Select multiple cells:
    • Cmd+Click individual cells to add them to the selection
    • Shift+Click to select a rectangular range
  3. Click Merge Cells in the toolbar (or right-click and choose Merge)
  4. The selected cells combine into a single cell

Use cases for merged cells:

  • Header rows spanning multiple columns
  • Category labels spanning rows
  • UML class diagrams with attributes/operations sections
  • Complex data tables with grouped headers

Merging Table Cells

Splitting Cells

To split previously merged cells:

  1. Select the merged cell
  2. Click Split Cells in the toolbar (or right-click and choose Split)
  3. The cell returns to its original grid divisions

Note: You can only split cells that were previously merged. You cannot subdivide a single grid cell into smaller cells beyond the table's grid structure.

Multi-Cell Selection

When working with cell spanning:

  1. First selection - Click a cell to select it
  2. Add to selection - Cmd+Click additional cells
  3. Select range - Click first cell, Shift+Click last cell (selects rectangle)
  4. Select row/column - Click the row/column marker when visible

Selected cells show highlighting to indicate they're part of the merge operation.

Text Rotation in Cells

Rotate text within individual cells:

  1. Select a cell
  2. Open Cell Attributes
  3. Set Text Angle to:
    • 0° - Horizontal (default)
    • 90° - Vertical (bottom to top)
    • 180° - Upside down
    • 270° or -90° - Vertical (top to bottom)
    • Any custom angle (0-360)

Rotated text is useful for:

  • Vertical column headers
  • Space-saving table layouts
  • Matrix diagrams with rotated labels

Table Text Rotation

Resizing Tables

You can resize a table using the handles on its corners and sides. Individual row heights and column widths can often be adjusted by dragging the grid lines within the table (if supported).

UML Class Diagrams with Tables

Tables are perfect for creating UML class boxes:

  1. Create a 3-row, 1-column table
  2. First cell: Class name (centered, bold)
  3. Second cell: Attributes (left-aligned, normal weight)
  4. Third cell: Methods (left-aligned, normal weight)
  5. Adjust row heights to fit content
  6. Add borders to separate sections

Example structure:

┌─────────────┐
│   ClassName │  ← Header (merged if multi-column)
├─────────────┤
│ - attribute1│  ← Attributes section
│ - attribute2│
├─────────────┤
│ + method1() │  ← Methods section
│ + method2() │
└─────────────┘

Advanced Table Styling

Grid Visibility

Control which borders are visible:

  1. Open Grid Settings
  2. Toggle Show Row Borders (horizontal lines)
  3. Toggle Show Column Borders (vertical lines)
  4. Toggle Show Frame (outer border)

This allows:

  • Borderless tables (all off)
  • Row-only separators (rows on, columns off)
  • Outer frame only (frame on, internal off)

Cell Background Colors

Create visual hierarchy with background colors:

  1. Select cells to colorize
  2. Open Cell Attributes
  3. Choose Background Color from the palette
  4. Apply to selected cells or entire table

Design patterns:

  • Alternate row colors (zebra striping) for readability
  • Header row in accent color
  • Important cells in highlight color
  • Color-coded categories or statuses

Cell Padding

Adjust spacing between text and cell borders:

  1. Select cells
  2. Open Cell Attributes
  3. Adjust Padding values:
    • Vertical Padding (top/bottom)
    • Horizontal Padding (left/right)

More padding creates airier, more readable tables. Less padding creates dense, compact tables.

Tips for Effective Tables

  1. Consistent styling - Use same fonts and colors for similar content
  2. Clear headers - Make header row/column visually distinct (bold, background color)
  3. Adequate padding - Don't let text touch cell borders
  4. Align numbers right - Align numerical data to the right for easy comparison
  5. Merge sparingly - Only merge cells when it improves clarity
  6. Test readability - Ensure text is readable at the diagram's final display size