+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | settabs | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Abbreviation: ã|noneã% Parameters: ã|number of columnsã% ã|Description:ã% The body of the table is created with the \settabs n \columns markup, which establishes a number (n) of equal-size tabular columns (\columns). Each new column after the first is indicated with the TEXT1 tab character (&). Each row is started with the \+ markup and ended with the \cr markup (which is an abbreviation for carriage return on typewriters). The ampersand (&) is like the TAB key on many typewriters; it tells TEXT1 to advance to the next tab position, where there is a tab at the right edge of each column. But & is not exactly like a mechanical typewriter TAB, because it first backs up to the beginning of the current column before advancing to the next. In this way you can always tell what column you are tabbing to, by counting the number of &s; that is handy, because variable-width type otherwise makes it difficult to know whether you have passed a tab position. The ampersands are different from tabs in another way, too: TEXT1 ignores spaces after &, hence you can conveniently finish a column by typing & at the end of a line in your input file, without worrying that an extra blank space will be introduced there. Incidentally, TEXT1 also ignores spaces after \+, so that the first column is treated like the others. You can say \cr before you have specified a complete set of columns, if the remaining columns are blank. The last \cr ends the settabs. No other ending is necessary; normal text may follow. ã|Example:ã% can be seen, the pool of common words is prodigious. \par \tabletitle{Etymological Clues} \settabs 3 \columns \+\it Term&\it Geological&\it Social Reference\cr \+boss&small rock&supervisor\cr \+domehead&pushing through&intellectual\cr \+fossil&turned to stone&age\cr \+creep&move slowly&person\cr \+streak&move quickly&naked\cr \+ejecta&very quickly&mating\cr \+sublimate&change to gas&dream\cr \+trench&sediments&mouth\cr +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | can be seen, the pool of common words is prodigious. | | | | Table 1 | | Etymological Clues | | | | Term Geological Social Reference | | boss small rock supervisor | | domehead pushing through intellectual | | fossil turned to stone age | | creep move slowly person | | streak move quickly naked | | ejecta very quickly mating | | sublimate change to gas dream | | trench sediments mouth | | | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ã|Example:ã% You may not want all of the columns to be the same size, so there is another way to set them, by typing "\+sample line\cr" immediately after \settabs. In this case tabs are placed at the positions of the &s in the sample line, but the sample line itself does not appear in the output. Look through the table and determine the biggest entry in each column; the sample line is then constructed by typing the widest entry in the first column, then the widest in each subsequent column, omitting the last column. Be sure to include some extra space (\horizontalspace{}) between columns in the sample line, so that the columns won't touch each other. can be seen, the pool of common words is prodigious. \par \tabletitle{Etymological Clues} \settabs\+\hs{4pt}&domeheads\hs{4pt} &material pushing through \hs{10pt}&Intellectual\cr \+&\it Term&\it Geological&\it Social Reference\cr \+&trench&subducted sediments&mouth\cr \+&dike&material holding back&female\cr \+&domehead&material pushing through&intellectual\cr \+&fossil&life turned to stone&age\cr \+&cleavage&the tendency to split&bosom\cr +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | can be seen, the pool of common words is prodigious. | | | | Table 2 | | Etymological Clues | | | | Term Geological Social Reference | | trench subducted sediments mouth | | dike material holding back female | | domehead material pushing through intellectual | | fossil life turned to stone age | | cleavage the tendency to split bosom | | | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ã|Example:ã% If you want to put something right justified (flush right) in its column, just type \rt{text} where text is the text to be right justified; Be sure to type & after it, so that TEX will be sure to move the information all the way until it touches the next tab. Similarly, if you want to center something in its column, type \ctr{text} where text is the text to be centered. Notice also the use of \phantom in decimal alignment. \centerline{\bd Table 1} \centerline{Etymological Clues} \settabs \+\hs{20pts}&Aluminum\quad&Anthrosphere& \hs{20pt}&Lithosphere\quad\cr \+&\lft{Element}&\rt{Anthrosphere}& &\rt{Lithosphere}&\cr \+&Sodium&\rt{0.001\phantom{0}}&&\rt{0.4\phantom{000}}\cr \+&Silicon&\rt{.0001}&&\rt{20.2\phantom{000}}\cr \+&Aluminum&\rt{0.22\phantom{00}}&& \rt{11.54\phantom{00}}\cr \+&Carbon&\rt{19.1001}&&\rt{0.0202}\cr \+&Nitrogen&\rt{3.2205}&&\rt{.0208}\cr +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | Table 1 | | Etymological Clues | | Element Anthrosphere Lithosphere | | Sodium 0.001 0.4 | | Silicon .0001 20.2 | | Aluminum 0.22 11.54 | | Carbon 19.1001 0.0202 | | Nitrogen 3.2205 .0208 | | | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ã|Notes:ã% Tab positions are remembered, until they are reset with another \settabs, regardless of text and other markup following. The operation of tabs addresses one line at a time; this allows multiple page tables. You cannot use \figure, \drawbox or \paragraphbox around a \settabs. Refer to The TEXbook for more on \phantom.