Tagging Tables

◇◆

Table, Table Wrapper, and Table Group

In NISO STS there are three similar sounding elements for tagging tables:

<table>	The element containing the rows and columns of tabular table material. The Tag Suite default element is <table>, taken from the NISO JATS XHTML-inspired table model. (The OASIS XML Exchange (CALS) table model is also available to users of the extended models, and the name for the similar rows-and-columns element is typically “<oasis:table>”.)
<table-wrap>	Element that represents the complete table. This includes the row-and-column data, table number, table caption including the table title, and any table footnotes or general notes attached to the table. If the complete table includes a label (such as “Table 3”) and if the table should appear in a List of Tables for the standards document, then it is tagged with the <table-wrap> element.
<table-wrap-group>	A logical or display grouping of more than one complete table (<table-wrap>).

Table Wrapper

Simply put, the <table-wrap> is a container for one (typically) or more tables. Here is a <table-wrap> element that contains nothing but a NISO STS <table> element inside it:

...
<table-wrap>
<table frame="box">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Color</th>
<th>Size</th>
<th>Price</th>
</tr>
</thead>
  
<tbody>
<tr>
<td rowspan="3">Green</td>
<td>small</td>
<td>$3.25</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>medium</td>
<td>$2.25</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>large</td>
<td>$1.15</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td rowspan="3">Red</td>
<td>small</td>
<td>$3.25</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>medium</td>
<td>$5.25</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>large</td>
<td>$9.95</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</table-wrap>
...

The <table-wrap> element also provides a uniform place to put information such as a table number (<label>), a table title, or a table caption. (Note: In NISO STS, both the table title and any paragraphs of legend or caption text are inside the <caption> element.) The element <table-wrap> can also contain a <table-wrap-foot>, as a place to put table footnotes and other information.

<table-wrap id="TN0.170">
<label>Table 17.</label>
<caption>
<title>Patient Care at End of Follow Up</title>
<p>Numbers of patients receiving institutional care at
the end of scheduled follow up and use of hospital beds
among those allocated to day hospital or alternative
services</p>
</caption>
<table frame="box" rules="all" cellpadding="5">...</table>
<table-wrap-foot>
<fn-group>
<fn id="TF1-150"><p>Data not available for 1 trial.</p></fn>
<fn id="TF1-151"><p>P&#x003C;0.05 (random effects model).</p></fn>
</fn-group>
</table-wrap-foot>
</table-wrap>

Nested Tables

The table models in NISO STS do not allow nested tables. That is, a table cell (e.g., <td>) may not contain a table. However, table cells may contain <array>s. This allows a table cell to contain nested row/column structures but does not allow a table cell to contain tables with caption, headers, and such.

Non-tabular Tables

It is possible that a <table-wrap> element will not contain a <table> element at all, since objects that are identified as tables need not contain tabular material. While a <table-wrap> may contain the rows and columns of a table element as just shown (using the XHTML-inspired table <table> model or the OASIS XML Exchange CALS table <oasis:table>) table model), a “table” (and thus a <table-wrap> element) may also contain only:

one or more graphics,
a bulleted or numbered list,
a definition list,
paragraphs of material, or
a mixture of these elements.

Here is a table that has no tabular material in it because the tabular portion is represented as a graphic:

...
<table-wrap id="Table-07">
<caption>
<title>2008 Expenditures</title>
<p>Total research expenditures by disease, 2008</p>
</caption>
<graphic xlink:href="totals.jpeg">
<alt-text>Distribution of research spending for major
diseases.</alt-text>
<object-id>314159</object-id>
</graphic>
<attrib>Reprinted courtesy of TableSource, Inc.</attrib>
</table-wrap>
...

Here is another non-tabular table:

<table-wrap id="Table-05">
<caption>
<title>Show and Tell Program</title>
</caption>
<list list-type="order">
<list-item><label>1.</label><p>Poodle</p></list-item>
<list-item><label>2.</label><p>Persian Cat</p></list-item>
<list-item><label>3.</label><p>Weaver Finches</p></list-item>
<list-item><label>4.</label><p>Gecko</p></list-item>
</list>
<attrib>Reprinted courtesy of YourSchool.edu</attrib>
<permissions>
<copyright-statement>&copy; 2008</copyright-statement>
</permissions>
</table-wrap>

Table Group

Some complex tables may consist of a single table wrapper (<table-wrap>) containing one or more small tables that represent one logical tabular area. For example, one part of the display might be 3 rows of 10 columns, the next part might be 5 rows with only 2 columns, and the last part may return to 10 columns, for 6 more rows. Each tabular area can be tagged with a <table> element (or an OASIS XML Exchange (CALS) <oasis:table> element), and paragraphs of text may be interspersed between the tabular material. In the United States, tax tables are frequently this type of table.

In the example just explained, three <table>s equaled one <table-wrap> and not a <table-wrap-group>. A <table-wrap-group> contains multiple <table-wrap> elements, each of which typically has a table number, caption or title, and tabular material. The entire group may also be given a collective label and caption. Table groups are frequently a print artifact, where several tables are clustered on a page for better display. The <table-wrap-group> element has been provided to capture these as well as semantic or logical groupings. Here is an abbreviated <table-wrap-group>:

...
<table-wrap-group id="Table-grp-06">
<label>Special Section II.</label>
<caption><title>Tables 3 through 5</title></caption>
<table-wrap id="Table-03">
<label>Table 3</label>
<caption><p>...</p></caption>
<graphic xlink:href="..."></graphic>
</table-wrap>
<table-wrap id="Table-04">
<label>Table 4</label>
<caption><p>...</p></caption>
<graphic xlink:href="..."></graphic>
</table-wrap>
<table-wrap id="Table-05">
<label>Table 5</label>
<caption><p>...</p></caption>
<graphic xlink:href="..."></graphic>
</table-wrap>
</table-wrap-group>
...

Table Formatting

By default, NISO STS uses the NISO JATS XHTML-inspired table model (based on and designed to be converted easily to the XHTML 1.1 Table Model). This model matches the needs of web browsers and can support (at least roughly) most table display formatting.

Format is indicated in one of two ways in a NISO JATS default table: using multiple single-purpose attributes for simple formatting, or making more complex formats using the @style attribute.

Simple Formatting with Attributes

Simple format information can be indicated with the following attributes:

@border controls borders around all of the cells in a table,
@cellpadding controls space between the text and any borders in the cells of the table,
@cellspacing controls space between the cells of the table,
@frame controls the “box” around the whole table,
@rules controls rules between groupings in the table (rows, columns, column groups, etc.), and
@width controls the width of the entire table or columns within the table.

To illustrate use of the @rules attribute, here is a table with rules on the rows:

...
<table-wrap>
<table rules="rows">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Color</th>
<th>Size</th>
<th>Price</th>
</tr>
</thead>
  
<tbody>
<tr>
<td rowspan="3">Green</td>
<td>small</td>
<td>$3.25</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>medium</td>
<td>$2.25</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>large</td>
<td>$1.15</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td rowspan="3">Red</td>
<td>small</td>
<td>$3.25</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>medium</td>
<td>$5.25</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>large</td>
<td>$9.95</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</table-wrap>
...

Here is the same table, without the rules, to demonstrate use of the @frame attribute:

...
<table-wrap>
<table frame="box">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Color</th>
<th>Size</th>
<th>Price</th>
</tr>
</thead>
  
<tbody>
<tr>
<td rowspan="3">Green</td>
<td>small</td>
<td>$3.25</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>medium</td>
<td>$2.25</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>large</td>
<td>$1.15</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td rowspan="3">Red</td>
<td>small</td>
<td>$3.25</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>medium</td>
<td>$5.25</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>large</td>
<td>$9.95</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</table-wrap>
...

And here is the @border attribute:

...
<table-wrap>
<table border="1">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Color</th>
<th>Size</th>
<th>Price</th>
</tr>
</thead>
  
<tbody>
<tr>
<td rowspan="3">Green</td>
<td>small</td>
<td>$3.25</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>medium</td>
<td>$2.25</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>large</td>
<td>$1.15</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td rowspan="3">Red</td>
<td>small</td>
<td>$3.25</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>medium</td>
<td>$5.25</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>large</td>
<td>$9.95</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>    
</table-wrap>
...

Formatting with Style

All the tables just shown are all relatively simple formats. More complex table formatting is done using the @style attribute, which contains CSS instructions. Key to understanding how the CSS in tables works is that instructions on smaller portions override those on larger portions of the table. For example, if a background color is provided for the whole table and a different background color is specified for a row, everything in the table will be the first background color except that row, which will have the second. Similarly, if borders are specified for a <colgroup>, they will apply to the whole <colgroup> unless a different border is specified for one cell (<th> or <td>), in which case that cell will have the override.

Here is a sample, in code and image, of a relatively complex table, formatted using a variety of techniques including CSS in the @style attribute, controlling alignment with the @align attribute, and a few spans.

...
<table-wrap>
<table rules="groups" >
<colgroup style="border-right: hidden"><col/></colgroup>
<colgroup style="border-right: solid thin"><col/><col/><col/></colgroup>
<colgroup><col/><col/><col/></colgroup>

<tr>
<th></th>
<th colspan="3" style="border-bottom: solid">1974-75</th>
<th colspan="3" style="border-bottom: solid">1983-84</th>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<th></th>
<th style="border-bottom: solid thin">Public</th>
<th style="border-bottom: solid thin">Private</th>
<th style="border-bottom: solid thin">Total</th>
<th style="border-bottom: solid thin">Public</th>
<th style="border-bottom: solid thin">Private</th>
<th style="border-bottom:  solid thin">Total</th>
</tr>

<tr>
<td style="background: lightgrey" colspan="7">Preschool</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>Schools</td>
<td align="right">n.a.</td>
<td align="right">n.a.</td>
<td align="right">n.a.</td>
<td align="right">n.a.</td>
<td align="right">n.a.</td>
<td align="right">n.a.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Teachers</td>
<td align="right">2,986</td>
<td align="right">1,252</td>
<td align="right">4,238</td>
<td align="right">15,440</td>
<td align="right">4,008</td>
<td align="right">19,448</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Enrollment</td>
<td align="right">108,500</td>
<td align="right">43,800</td>
<td align="right">152,300</td>
<td align="right">442,700</td>
<td align="right">80,600</td>
<td align="right">523,300</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td style="background: lightgrey" colspan="7">Primary</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>Schools </td>
<td align="right">9,982</td>
<td align="right">1,116</td>
<td align="right">11,098</td>
<td align="right">11,397</td>
<td align="right">1,285</td>
<td align="right">12,682</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Teachers</td>
<td align="right">54,276</td>
<td align="right">8,922</td>
<td align="right">63,198</td>
<td align="right">71,454</td>
<td align="right">9,176</td>
<td align="right">80,630</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>Enrollment</td>
<td align="right">1,764,100</td>
<td align="right">226,000</td>
<td align="right">1,990,100</td>
<td align="right">2,338,400</td>
<td align="right">303,000</td>
<td align="right">2,641,400</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td style="background: lightgrey" colspan="7">Secondary</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Schools</td>
<td align="right">735</td>
<td align="right">438</td>
<td align="right">1,173</td>
<td align="right">1,486</td>
<td align="right">710</td>
<td align="right">2,196</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>Teachers</td>
<td align="right">24,222</td>
<td align="right">9,133</td>
<td align="right">33,355</td>
<td align="right">41,350</td>
<td align="right">13,964</td>
<td align="right">55,314</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>Enrollment</td>
<td align="right">513,100</td>
<td align="right">118,100</td>
<td align="right">631,200</td>
<td align="right">786,200</td>
<td align="right">177,200</td>
<td align="right">963,400</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td style="background: lightgrey" colspan="7">Higher Education</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>Schools</td>
<td align="right">26</td>
<td align="right">12</td>
<td align="right">38</td>
<td align="right">535</td>
<td align="right">275</td>
<td align="right">805</td>
</tr>
  
<tr>
<td>Teachers</td>
<td align="right">13,228</td>
<td align="right">1,376</td>
<td align="right">14,604</td>
<td align="right">24,633</td>
<td align="right">4,072</td>
<td align="right">28,705</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Enrollment</td>
<td align="right">172,100</td>
<td align="right">21,200</td>
<td align="right">193,300</td>
<td align="right">320,800</td>
<td align="right">63,900</td>
<td align="right">384,700</td>
</tr>
</table>
</table-wrap>
...

Table Models

The Interchange versions of NISO STS use the XHTML-inspired table model, as defined in the NISO JATS XHTML-inspired Table Module. The Extended versions of NISO STS can use the OASIS XML Exchange (CALS) table model either instead of or in addition to the XHTML-inspired model. Users of the NISO STS Extended Tag Sets who use the OASIS table model may find it convenient to refer to a separate OASIS XML Exchange (CALS) Table Tag Library (https://jats.nlm.nih.gov/options/OASIS/tag-library/19990315/index.html) that describes the OASIS XML Exchange (CALS) table model elements, attributes, and parameter entities.

To enable two different tagging schemes for the same material (row and column tables), all OASIS elements have been given a namespace and use the namespace prefix “oasis”. Since DTDs do not really work with namespaces, the namespace prefix has been hard-coded into the names of the OASIS table elements. This differentiates the two sets of table elements, allowing both XHTML-inspired and OASIS XML Exchange (CALS) table models to be used together.

Among the NISO STS Tag Sets, the two Interchange Tag Sets use only the XHTML table model. The two Extended Tag Sets also use the OASIS XML Exchange (CALS) table model.

NISO JATS XHTML-inspired Table: The modules that implement the XHTML-inspired Table coding are:

The NISO JATS XHTML-inspired Table Setup Module (JATS-XHTMLtablesetup.ent) — Sets all parameter entities needed by the NISO JATS table model, and then references (invokes) the XHTML-inspired Table Module. (See next item.)
To include the NISO JATS XHTML-inspired table model in a tag set, a DTD must reference this module.
XHTML-inspired Table Module (xhtml-table-1.mod) — The public XML DTD version of the XHTML Table Module. This contains the NISO JATS version of the W3C-developed XHTML table model. This module is invoked from the module JATS-XHTMLtablesetup.ent (See previous item.)
XHTML-inspired Table Style Module (xhtml-inlstyle-1.mod) — Declares the @style attribute, which supports inline style markup for elements such as <td> and <tr> within an XHTML-inspired Table.

OASIS CALS Tables: The XHTML-inspired table model is the NISO STS default, but Extended Tag Sets that also use the OASIS XML Exchange (CALS) table model have been provided. The Extended Tag Sets define both the XHTML-inspired and the OASIS Exchange (CALS) table models, with the OASIS table model namespaced (prefix “oasis”) to prevent name clashes.

The following modules are necessary to use the OASIS Exchange (CALS) table model:

One of the Extended Tag Sets — For example, NISO-STS-extended-1-mathml2.dtd or NISO-STS-extended-1-mathml3.dtd, that can be used to tag standards documents.
Journal Publishing DTD module with OASIS Tables DTD-Specific Modules (JATS-journalpub-oasis-custom-modules.ent) — Names the JATS-Publishing-DTD-specific modules that include OASIS Tables. NISO STS uses these modules.
Journal Publishing DTD with OASIS Tables Customize Classes (JATS-journalpub-oasis-custom-classes.ent) — Provides class overrides for using OASIS CALS tables. These repeat all the class overrides of the regular JATS Journal Publishing DTD, with the table and alternative classes modified to use the OASIS XML Exchange (CALS) table elements as well. There is no equivalent mix override module, because JATS Journal Publishing uses the ordinary JATS mix overrides.
JATS OASIS Table Namespace Module (JATS-oasis-namespace.ent) — This JATS module establishes the prefix for the OASIS Exchange (CALS) table model, by default “oasis” (“<oasis:table>”).
JATS Namespaced OASIS XML Table Setup Module (JATS-oasis-tablesetup.ent) — Sets all parameter entities needed by the OASIS XML Exchange (CALS) table model, and then references (invokes) the OASIS XML Exchange (CALS) Table Model Module which declares all the CALS table elements.
OASIS XML Exchange (CALS) Table Model Module (oasis-exchange.ent) — This is the OASIS XML Exchange (CALS) table model DTD fragment, modified to use the OASIS namespace and the “oasis” prefix. This module is invoked from the JATS OASIS XML Exchange (CALS) setup module.