User:Badger/sandbox3/tables
Trouble with Tables[edit]
So you want to make a table. First things first, you have to decide what kind of table you need. If you are making a simple table of DCs for a variant skill you wrote, you'll want to use a simple table. If you are making a table to display the name, summary, and pre-reqs for various feats, you'll want to use a DPL table (dynamic page list table). If you're just curious, about tables in general, that's ok too.
Static Tables[edit]
Static tables are tables that don't change. You want to use a static table for things like class progressions, DCs, weapon stats, and other things that once entered, don't have to change often. I'm going to show three examples of tables, the first is single column table for lists. The second is a two column table (great for DCs and the like), and the third is a 2+ column table. While each of these tables is ostensibly the same thing, you can copy the raw code for the table that best fits your need and use it without much work.
Single Column Static Table[edit]
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Raw Code: {| class="{{d20}}" |
Table:
If you need to add more rows to this chart, that's easy as pie. Just add |- class="{{Odd-Even|{{#var:odd}}" and then a new line that begins with a pipe ( "|" ), then the content of the new row. This can be done indefinitely. |
Two Column Static Table[edit]
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Raw Code: {| class="{{d20}}" |
Table:
Just as before, if you want to add a new line, first add this line: |- class="{{Odd-Even|{{#var:odd}}}}" then add this one: |Column 1 new row text || Column 2 new row text . Again, this can be done indefinitely. |
Multi-Column Static Table[edit]
This table can be used for many different applications. However, as is the case with many multi-column tables, you may want to evaluate if you want a static or dynamic table. If you're pretty sure you want a static table, it's easy, just follow the steps below:
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Raw Code:
{| class="{{d20}}" |
Table:
Just as before, if you want to add a new row, first add this line: |- class="{{Odd-Even|{{#var:odd}}}}" then add this one: |Column 1 new row text || Column 2 new row text || Column 3 new row text . Again, this can be done indefinitely. If you want to add a new column, there is another step that also has to happen. if you'll notice up top we added a new line of text: ! rowspan="2" | 3rd Column Name . If you're adding another column you'll need to add another one of those, or your new column won't have a title. |
Dynamic Lists[edit]
A dynamic list can change over time more easily than a static list can. If you are making a table to display every feat that falls into a certain category, (Aerial feats, for instance) you will want to use a dynamic list. The benefit is, whenever anyone adds a new aerial feat to the category, the list will automatically update to reflect the changes, so you don't have to go through and edit all the text by hand. This sort of table is a bit more complicated, but is worth the extra learning. Because of the nature of dynamic lists, adding a new column is as simple as thinking of a name, and you don't have to add new rows, because the list automatically updates.
The key with making a good dynamic list is to narrow down the categories. Because a list is generated by compiling everything in all the categories, you need to be specific. As you can see, in the example below I wanted only homebrew aerial feats. Therefore I included Category:User and Category:Aerial Feats to get only the intersection of those two categories. If I had left out Category:user I would have gotten SRD and OGL feats that were aerial feats. If I had left out Category:Aerial Feats I would have gotten a list of every single homebrew feat, not just the aerial ones. I left out Category:Feats because every aerial feat is also in category:feat, so this wouldn't narrow down my search any.
To include categories to search in, you need to type "category=<Name of category, ie Feats>. Once you've compiled the list of all the feats, you can decide what content you want on your list. In this instance I chose to include items from the template: 3.5e feat. I chose :prereqs and :summary. I could have chosen anything from that template, or any other template that was applied to all those pages. If there is a no information (for instance, no pre-reqs) the default leaves the cell blank. You can edit this list further to input something like "This feat has no pre-requisites", but that is far beyond the scope of this new user guide.Here's how a dynamic list gets things done:
Multi-column dynamic table[edit]
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Raw Code: {| class="d20" style="text-align: left;" {{#vardefine:odd|0}} |
Table:
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Specific Tables[edit]
Some tables are pre-made, and you just have to fill in your ideas. These next few sections are devoted to helping you fill out pre-made tables.