Table Width

By default, a table will span the width of the content area.

Fixed width

To constrain the width of the table to a fixed value, set the width attribute in the table’s attribute list. The width is an integer percentage value ranging from 1 to 100. The % sign is optional.

Example 1. Table with width set to 75%

[width=75%]
|===
|Column 1, header row |Column 2, header row |Column 3, header row

|Cell in column 1, row 2
|Cell in column 2, row 2
|Cell in column 3, row 2

|Cell in column 1, row 3
|Cell in column 2, row 3
|Cell in column 3, row 3
|===

Result of Example 1
Column 1, header row	Column 2, header row	Column 3, header row
Cell in column 1, row 2	Cell in column 2, row 2	Cell in column 3, row 2
Cell in column 1, row 3	Cell in column 2, row 3	Cell in column 3, row 3

Autowidth

Alternately, you can make the width fit the content by setting the autowidth option. The columns inherit this setting, so individual columns will also be sized according to the content.

Example 2. Table using autowidth

[%autowidth]
|===
|Column 1, header row |Column 2, header row |Column 3, header row

|Cell in column 1, row 2
|Cell in column 2, row 2
|Cell in column 3, row 2

|Cell in column 1, row 3
|Cell in column 2, row 3
|Cell in column 3, row 3
|===

Result of Example 2
Column 1, header row	Column 2, header row	Column 3, header row
Cell in column 1, row 2	Cell in column 2, row 2	Cell in column 3, row 2
Cell in column 1, row 3	Cell in column 2, row 3	Cell in column 3, row 3

If you want each column to have an automatic width, but want the table to span the width of the content area, add the stretch role to the table. (Alternatively, you can set the width attribute to 100%.)

Example 3. Full-width table with autowidth columns

[%autowidth.stretch]
|===
|Column 1, header row |Column 2, header row |Column 3, header row

|Cell in column 1, row 2
|Cell in column 2, row 2
|Cell in column 3, row 2

|Cell in column 1, row 3
|Cell in column 2, row 3
|Cell in column 3, row 3
|===

The table from Example 3 is rendered below. The columns are sized to the content, but the table spans the width of the page.

Result of Example 3
Column 1, header row	Column 2, header row	Column 3, header row
Cell in column 1, row 2	Cell in column 2, row 2	Cell in column 3, row 2
Cell in column 1, row 3	Cell in column 2, row 3	Cell in column 3, row 3

The autowidth option is not recognized by the DocBook converter.

Mix fixed and autowidth columns

If you want to apply autowidth only to certain columns, use the special value ~ as the width of the column. In this case, width values are assumed to be a percentage value (i.e., 100-based).

Example 4. Table with fixed and autowidth columns

[cols="25h,~,~"]
|===
|small |as big as the column needs to be |the rest
|===

Result of Example 4
small	as big as the column needs to be	the rest