Tables

Some data just belongs in rows and columns, a comparison, a schedule, a list of fields and their values. Squeezing that into a paragraph or a bulleted list makes a reader work to line things up in their head. Zelares supports Markdown tables with optional outer pipes, and the editor builds on the plain-text syntax with tools for editing tables directly, without hand-aligning pipes and dashes.

Basic table syntax

Use pipes (|) to separate columns and hyphens (-) to create the header separator row. Outer pipes are optional, and every row must have a consistent column count.

| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|----------|----------|----------|
| Row 1    | Data     | More     |
| Row 2    | Info     | Extra    |

Column alignment and source behavior

Use :---, :---:, or ---: in the separator row for left, center, or right alignment. In an editable table, the column header also provides left, center, and right alignment buttons. Choosing one changes only that column's separator marker in the Markdown source and updates the visible column alignment; focusing or moving between the buttons does not modify the document. The controls are regular keyboard-operable buttons and are not shown in Reading View.

Alignment actions preserve the surrounding table text, supported blockquote prefix, optional outer-pipe style, and escaped cell content. Pipes inside cells use odd/even backslash parity, so a literal pipe must still be escaped deliberately.

Editor support

The editor provides enhanced table support built into Zelares. You can navigate between cells, align columns from the editable column header, insert and delete rows and columns, and format table content using the toolbar or the context menu.

Tips

Column widths in the source do not need to match; the editor formats the current table widget for display while preserving alignment.
Use the alignment buttons in a column header when you want to change alignment without editing the separator row by hand.
Cell preview supports a limited set of inline formatting, including bold, italic, hashtags, and inline code. Full Markdown links and embeds inside cells are not current guarantees.
For complex data, consider using a Mermaid diagram instead.

Current limitations

Optional outer pipes, alignment markers, and odd/even escaped-pipe parity are supported in the bounded editor grammar.
Cell preview supports a limited inline Markdown subset; full shared inline ownership inside cells remains outside the current guarantee.
Table actions remain source edits and should be used only when the document is editable; Reading View remains read-only.