Responsive Tables

Creating a design for responsive tables is challenging. The approach used by J1 Template is based on pure CSS styles on top of the classic Bootstrap tags for simplicity and portability to be best viewed on all devices and browsers.

Table types

But, for sure, the solutions provided are a compromise. To fit the everyday needs for tables viewed on desktop and mobile devices, two types of responsive tables are implemented by J1 Template:

Table 1. Types of responsive tables
Type	Style	Description
R Table (J1)	`rtable`	J Table are used by J1 Template for default. Those tables are using the responsive text feature (see Typography) with no additional CSS classes to be applied. For smaller viewports, the text scales down and should fit the cells automatically. The default text size for J1 is `r-text-300`.
B Table (Bootstrap)	`table-responsive`	If adding the class `table-responsive`, it creates a responsive table based on Bootstrap CSS styles. The table will then scroll horizontally on small devices. Making any table responsive across all viewports, the additional class `table-responsive` is to applied. For specific (Bootstrap) breakpoints, the classes `table-responsive-{lg \| sm \| md \| lg \| xl}` are available to have better control on what viewport sizes tables are being transformed.

To see the transformation on a table in action, resize for desktop devices the browser window or use a device the viewport is smaller than 768px (mobiles or tablets).

Table 2-column

Tables are widely used for documentation pages. Below, simple 2-column tables are used to explain some of the Jekyll variables for templating your content pages.

Bootstrap table

Bootstrap tables support tables to be scrolled horizontally on smaller viewports. From a specified breakpoint and up, the table will behave normally and do not scroll horizontally.

Bootstrap using fixed text size no-rtext

[cols="4a,8a", options="header", width="100%", role="table-responsive-md no-rtext"]
|===
|Variable |Description
|`page.content`
|The content of the Page, rendered or un-rendered
depending upon what Liquid is being processed and what `page` is.
|`page.title`
|The title of the Page.
...
|===

Table 2. Bootstrap, fixed text size `no-rtext`
Variable	Description
`page.content`	The content of the Page, rendered or un-rendered depending upon what Liquid is being processed and what `page` is.
`page.title`	The title of the Page.
`page.date`	The Date assigned to the Post. This can be overridden in a Post’s front matter by specifying a new date/time in the format `YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS` (assuming UTC), or `YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS +/-TTTT` (to specify a time zone using an offset from UTC. e.g. `2008-12-14 10:30:00 +0900`).

Bootstrap using responsive text size

[cols="4a,8a", options="header", width="100%", role="table-responsive-md"]
|===
|Variable |Description
|`page.content`
|The content of the Page, rendered or un-rendered
depending upon what Liquid is being processed and what `page` is.
...
|===

Table 3. Bootstrap, responsive text size
Variable	Description
`page.content`	The content of the Page, rendered or un-rendered depending upon what Liquid is being processed and what `page` is.
`page.title`	The title of the Page.
`page.date`	The Date assigned to the Post. This can be overridden in a Post’s front matter by specifying a new date/time in the format `YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS` (assuming UTC), or `YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS +/-TTTT` (to specify a time zone using an offset from UTC. e.g. `2008-12-14 10:30:00 +0900`).

Responsive table

Responsive tables rebuild a table. The header is set to invisible, and all columns get vertically stacked as rows.

R Table using responsive text size

[cols="4a,8a", options="header", width="100%", role="rtable"]
|===
|Variable |Description
|`page.content`
|The content of the Page, rendered or un-rendered
depending upon what Liquid is being processed and what `page` is.
...
|===

Table 4. R Table, responsive text size
Variable	Description
`page.content`	The content of the Page, rendered or un-rendered depending upon what Liquid is being processed and what `page` is.
`page.title`	The title of the Page.
`page.date`	The Date assigned to the Post. This can be overridden in a Post’s front matter by specifying a new date/time in the format `YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS` (assuming UTC), or `YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS +/-TTTT` (to specify a time zone using an offset from UTC. e.g. `2008-12-14 10:30:00 +0900`).

R Table using fixed font size

[cols="4a,8a", options="header", width="100%", role="rtable no-rtext"]
|===
|Variable |Description
|`page.content`
|The content of the Page, rendered or un-rendered
depending upon what Liquid is being processed and what `page` is.
...
|===

Table 5. R Table, stacked, fixed text size `no-rtext`
Variable	Description
`page.content`	The content of the Page, rendered or un-rendered depending upon what Liquid is being processed and what `page` is.
`page.title`	The title of the Page.
`page.date`	The Date assigned to the Post. This can be overridden in a Post’s front matter by specifying a new date/time in the format `YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS` (assuming UTC), or `YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS +/-TTTT` (to specify a time zone using an offset from UTC. e.g. `2008-12-14 10:30:00 +0900`).

Tables multi-column

Responsive Bootstrap tables support tables to be scrolled horizontally on smaller viewports. Making any table responsive across all viewports, the additional class table-responsive is used. For specific (Bootstrap) breakpoints, the classes table-responsive-{ sm | md | lg |xl} are available to better control over what viewport sizes table are transformed. From a specified breakpoint and up, the table will behave normally and do not scroll horizontally.

Bootstrap table

Bootstrap responsive tables make use of the CSS overflow-x: auto, which clips off any content that goes beyond the bottom or top edges of the table. In particular, this can clip off dropdown menus and other third-party widgets.

Bootstrap using fixed text size no-rtext

[cols=",,,,", options="header", width="100%", role="table-responsive-lg no-rtext" mt-4"]
|===
|Parameter |Type |Default |Description |Example
...
|===

Table 6. Bootstrap, fixed text size `no-rtext`
Parameter	Type	Default	Description	Example
`color`	Hash	`md_white`	The background_color hash contains a pair of colors to control the header background as a gradient.	The background_color hash contains a pair of colors to control the header background as a gradient.
`background_color_1`	Symbolic color \| RGB valuess	`md_indigo`	Start value (color) for the gradient used for the header box background. Alternatively, the color can be configured as (hexadecimal) RGB valuess of the form `#RRGGBB`	Start value (color) for the gradient used for the header box background. Alternatively, the color can be configured as (hexadecimal) RGB valuess of the form `#RRGGBB`

Bootstrap using responsive text size

[cols=",,,,", options="header", width="100%", role="table-responsive"]
|===
|Parameter |Type |Default |Description |Example
...
|===

Table 7. Bootstrap, responsive text size
Parameter	Type	Default	Description	Example
`color`	Hash	`md_white`	The background_color hash contains a pair of colors to control the header background as a gradient.	The background_color hash contains a pair of colors to control the header background as a gradient.
`background_color_1`	Symbolic color \| RGB valuess	`md_indigo`	Start value (color) for the gradient used for the header box background. Alternatively, the color can be configured as (hexadecimal) RGB valuess of the form `#RRGGBB`	Start value (color) for the gradient used for the header box background. Alternatively, the color can be configured as (hexadecimal) RGB valuess of the form `#RRGGBB`

Responsive table

R Table using fixed text size no-rtext

[cols="2a,2a,2a,3a,3a", options="header", width="100%", role="rtable no-rtext mt-4"]
|===
|Parameter |Type |Default |Description |Example
...
|===

Table 8. R Table using fixed text size `no-rtext`
Parameter	Type	Default	Description	Example
`color`	Hash	`md_white`	The background_color hash contains a pair of colors to control the header background as a gradient.	The background_color hash contains a pair of colors to control the header background as a gradient.
`background_color_1`	Symbolic color \| RGB valuess	`md_indigo`	Start value (color) for the gradient used for the header box background. Alternatively, the color can be configured as (hexadecimal) RGB valuess of the form `#RRGGBB`	Start value (color) for the gradient used for the header box background. Alternatively, the color can be configured as (hexadecimal) RGB valuess of the form `#RRGGBB`

R Table using responsive text size

[cols="2a,2a,2a,3a,3a", options="header", width="100%", role="rtable mt-4"]
|===
|Parameter |Type |Default |Description |Example
...
|===

Table 9. R Table, responsive text size
Parameter	Type	Default	Description	Example
`color`	Hash	`md_white`	The background_color hash contains a pair of colors to control the header background as a gradient.	The background_color hash contains a pair of colors to control the header background as a gradient.
`background_color_1`	Symbolic color \| RGB valuess	`md_indigo`	Start value (color) for the gradient used for the header box background. Alternatively, the color can be configured as (hexadecimal) RGB valuess of the form `#RRGGBB`	Start value (color) for the gradient used for the header box background. Alternatively, the color can be configured as (hexadecimal) RGB valuess of the form `#RRGGBB`

What next

Expectedly you’ve enjoyed exploring all the possibilities J1 offers so far. An exciting feature may be the use of themes. But much, much more can the J1 do for your Web Site.

Check out what themes can do. Have a look at the Bootstrap Themes feature!