Spectre.Console Documentation

The Table widget displays structured data in rows and columns with configurable borders, alignment, and styling.

When to Use

Use Table when you need to display structured, multi-column data. Common scenarios:

Data display: Show records, configuration settings, or query results
Comparison: Side-by-side feature comparisons or specifications
Reports: Formatted output with headers, totals, and alignment

For simple key-value pairs, consider using a table with hidden headers or a Grid. For proportional data visualization, use BarChart or BreakdownChart.

Basic Usage

Add columns first, then rows. Each row must have the same number of cells as columns.

public static void BasicTableExample()
{
    var table = new Table();
  
    // Add columns
    table.AddColumn("Name");
    table.AddColumn("Age");
    table.AddColumn("City");
  
    // Add rows
    table.AddRow("Alice", "28", "New York");
    table.AddRow("Bob", "35", "London");
    table.AddRow("Charlie", "42", "Tokyo");
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(table);
}

Styling

Border Styles

Choose from 18 built-in border styles. Use RoundedBorder() for a modern look or AsciiBorder() for maximum compatibility.

public static void TableBordersExample()
{
    ShowBorder("Square", t => t.SquareBorder());
    ShowBorder("Rounded", t => t.RoundedBorder());
    ShowBorder("Minimal", t => t.MinimalBorder());
    ShowBorder("Heavy", t => t.HeavyBorder());
    ShowBorder("Double", t => t.DoubleBorder());
    ShowBorder("ASCII", t => t.AsciiBorder());
  
    static void ShowBorder(string name, Func<Table, Table> setBorder)
    {
        var table = new Table();
        setBorder(table);
  
        table.AddColumn("Border");
        table.AddColumn("Style");
        table.AddRow(name, "Example");
  
        AnsiConsole.Write(table);
        AnsiConsole.WriteLine();
    }
}

Note

See the Table Border Reference for a visual guide to all border styles.

Border Colors

Use BorderColor() to match your application's theme. Combine with markup in headers for emphasis.

public static void TableColorsExample()
{
    var table = new Table()
        .RoundedBorder()
        .BorderColor(Color.Blue);
  
    table.AddColumn("[yellow]Product[/]");
    table.AddColumn("[yellow]Price[/]");
  
    table.AddRow("Widget", "[green]$9.99[/]");
    table.AddRow("Gadget", "[green]$19.99[/]");
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(table);
}

Column Configuration

Alignment

Align column content with LeftAligned(), Centered(), or RightAligned(). Right-align numeric data for easier comparison.

public static void TableAlignmentExample()
{
    var table = new Table();
  
    table.AddColumn("Left", col => col.LeftAligned());
    table.AddColumn("Center", col => col.Centered());
    table.AddColumn("Right", col => col.RightAligned());
  
    table.AddRow("Text", "Text", "Text");
    table.AddRow("Aligned", "Aligned", "Aligned");
    table.AddRow("Left", "Center", "Right");
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(table);
}

Width and Padding

Fix column widths with Width(), adjust spacing with PadLeft() and PadRight(), or prevent wrapping with NoWrap().

public static void ColumnConfigurationExample()
{
    var table = new Table();
  
    // Fixed width column
    table.AddColumn("ID", col => col.Width(5).Centered());
  
    // Column with custom padding
    table.AddColumn("Description", col => col.Width(30).PadLeft(2).PadRight(2));
  
    // NoWrap column for long text
    table.AddColumn("Status", col => col.NoWrap().RightAligned());
  
    table.AddRow("001", "This is a longer description that will wrap within the column width", "Active");
    table.AddRow("002", "Short text", "Pending");
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(table);
}

Headers and Footers

Headers display by default. Add footers for totals or summaries. Use HideHeaders() for key-value style layouts.

public static void HeadersAndFootersExample()
{
    var table = new Table();
  
    // Add columns with footers
    table.AddColumn("Item");
    table.AddColumn("Quantity", col => col.RightAligned());
    table.AddColumn("Price", col => col.RightAligned());
  
    table.AddRow("Apples", "10", "$5.00");
    table.AddRow("Oranges", "5", "$3.50");
    table.AddRow("Bananas", "8", "$4.00");
  
    // Add footers
    table.Columns[0].Footer = new Text("Total", new Style(foreground: Color.Yellow));
    table.Columns[1].Footer = new Text("23", new Style(foreground: Color.Yellow));
    table.Columns[2].Footer = new Text("$12.50", new Style(foreground: Color.Green, decoration: Decoration.Bold));
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(table);
}

Hidden Headers

Tables without headers work well for configuration or property displays.

public static void HiddenHeadersExample()
{
    var table = new Table()
        .HideHeaders()
        .Border(TableBorder.None);
  
    table.AddColumn("Key");
    table.AddColumn("Value");
  
    table.AddRow("[blue]Name:[/]", "Application");
    table.AddRow("[blue]Version:[/]", "1.0.0");
    table.AddRow("[blue]Status:[/]", "[green]Running[/]");
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(table);
}

Titles and Captions

Add context with a title above the table and a caption below. Both support markup.

public static void TitlesAndCaptionsExample()
{
    var table = new Table()
        .RoundedBorder()
        .BorderColor(Color.Aqua)
        .Title("[yellow]Monthly Sales Report[/]")
        .Caption("[grey]Data as of October 2025[/]");
  
    table.AddColumn("Month");
    table.AddColumn("Revenue", col => col.RightAligned());
  
    table.AddRow("August", "$45,000");
    table.AddRow("September", "$52,000");
    table.AddRow("October", "$48,500");
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(table);
}

Row Formatting

Row Separators

Use ShowRowSeparators() to add horizontal lines between rows, improving readability for dense data.

public static void RowSeparatorsExample()
{
    var table = new Table()
        .RoundedBorder()
        .ShowRowSeparators();
  
    table.AddColumn("Category");
    table.AddColumn("Item");
    table.AddColumn("Count", col => col.RightAligned());
  
    table.AddRow("Fruits", "Apples", "10");
    table.AddRow("Fruits", "Oranges", "5");
    table.AddRow("Vegetables", "Carrots", "15");
    table.AddRow("Vegetables", "Broccoli", "8");
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(table);
}

Empty Rows

Insert empty rows to group related data visually.

public static void EmptyRowsExample()
{
    var table = new Table()
        .RoundedBorder();
  
    table.AddColumn("Section");
    table.AddColumn("Value");
  
    table.AddRow("[yellow]Header Info[/]", "Data");
    table.AddEmptyRow();
    table.AddRow("[yellow]Body Info[/]", "Data");
    table.AddEmptyRow();
    table.AddRow("[yellow]Footer Info[/]", "Data");
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(table);
}

Layout

By default, tables use minimum width. Use Expand() to fill available console width—useful for reports or dashboards.

public static void ExpandModeExample()
{
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Markup("[yellow]Normal (collapsed) table:[/]\n"));
    var normalTable = new Table();
    normalTable.AddColumn("Name");
    normalTable.AddColumn("Value");
    normalTable.AddRow("Setting", "Value");
    AnsiConsole.Write(normalTable);
  
    AnsiConsole.WriteLine();
    AnsiConsole.Write(new Markup("[yellow]Expanded table:[/]\n"));
    var expandedTable = new Table()
        .Expand();
    expandedTable.AddColumn("Name");
    expandedTable.AddColumn("Value");
    expandedTable.AddRow("Setting", "Value");
    AnsiConsole.Write(expandedTable);
}

Advanced Usage

Nested Tables

Embed tables within cells for hierarchical data or sub-groupings.

public static void NestedTablesExample()
{
    // Create inner table
    var innerTable = new Table()
        .RoundedBorder()
        .BorderColor(Color.Grey);
    innerTable.AddColumn("Detail");
    innerTable.AddColumn("Value");
    innerTable.AddRow("CPU", "95%");
    innerTable.AddRow("Memory", "12GB");
  
    // Create outer table
    var outerTable = new Table()
        .SquareBorder();
    outerTable.AddColumn("Server");
    outerTable.AddColumn("Metrics");
  
    outerTable.AddRow(new Text("server-01"), innerTable);
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(outerTable);
}

Mixed Content

Cells accept any IRenderable—combine Markup, Panels, and other widgets for rich layouts.

public static void MixedContentExample()
{
    var table = new Table()
        .RoundedBorder();
  
    table.AddColumn("Type");
    table.AddColumn("Example");
  
    // Markup in cells
    table.AddRow(new Text("Markup"), new Markup("[bold green]Success[/] :check_mark:"));
  
    // Panel in a cell
    var panel = new Panel("[yellow]Warning[/]")
        .BorderColor(Color.Yellow)
        .Padding(1, 0);
    table.AddRow(new Text("Panel"), panel);
  
    // Styled text
    table.AddRow(new Text("Text"), new Text("Styled Text", new Style(foreground: Color.Aqua, decoration: Decoration.Italic)));
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(table);
}

Dynamic Updates

Modify tables at runtime with UpdateCell(), InsertRow(), and RemoveRow().

public static void DynamicTableExample()
{
    var table = new Table()
        .RoundedBorder();
  
    table.AddColumn("ID");
    table.AddColumn("Status");
    table.AddColumn("Progress");
  
    // Add initial rows
    table.AddRow("Task 1", "[yellow]Pending[/]", "0%");
    table.AddRow("Task 2", "[yellow]Pending[/]", "0%");
    table.AddRow("Task 3", "[yellow]Pending[/]", "0%");
  
    // Update cells dynamically
    table.UpdateCell(0, 1, new Markup("[green]Complete[/]"));
    table.UpdateCell(0, 2, new Markup("[green]100%[/]"));
  
    table.UpdateCell(1, 1, new Markup("[blue]In Progress[/]"));
    table.UpdateCell(1, 2, new Markup("[blue]45%[/]"));
  
    // Insert a new row
    table.InsertRow(3, new Markup("Task 4"), new Markup("[yellow]Pending[/]"), new Markup("0%"));
  
    AnsiConsole.Write(table);
}

API Reference

A renderable table.

Constructors

Table()

Initializes a new instance of the class.

Properties

Alignment : Nullable<Justify>

Border : TableBorder

BorderStyle : Style

Caption : TableTitle

Gets or sets the table footnote.

Columns : IReadOnlyList<TableColumn>

Gets the table columns.

Expand : bool

Gets or sets a value indicating whether or not the table should fit the available space. If false, the table width will be auto calculated. Defaults to false.

Rows : TableRowCollection

Gets the table rows.

ShowFooters : bool

Gets or sets a value indicating whether or not table footers should be shown.

ShowHeaders : bool

Gets or sets a value indicating whether or not table headers should be shown.

ShowRowSeparators : bool

Gets or sets a value indicating whether or not row separators should be shown.

Title : TableTitle

Gets or sets the table title.

UseSafeBorder : bool

Width : Nullable<int>

Gets or sets the width of the table.

Methods

Table AddColumn(TableColumn column)

Adds a column to the table.

Parameters:

column (TableColumn)

The column to add.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Extension Methods

Table AddColumn(string column, Action<TableColumn> configure)

Adds a column to the table.

Parameters:

column (string)

The column to add.

configure (Action<TableColumn>)

Delegate that can be used to configure the added column.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table AddColumns(TableColumn[] columns)

Adds multiple columns to the table.

Parameters:

columns (TableColumn[])

The columns to add.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table AddColumns(String[] columns)

Adds multiple columns to the table.

Parameters:

columns (String[])

The columns to add.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table AddEmptyRow()

Adds an empty row to the table.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table AddRow(IEnumerable<IRenderable> columns)

Adds a row to the table.

Parameters:

columns (IEnumerable<IRenderable>)

The row columns to add.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table AddRow(IRenderable[] columns)

Adds a row to the table.

Parameters:

columns (IRenderable[])

The row columns to add.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table AddRow(String[] columns)

Adds a row to the table.

Parameters:

columns (String[])

The row columns to add.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table Caption(string text, Style style)

Sets the table caption.

Parameters:

text (string)

The caption markup text.

style (Style)

The style.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table Caption(TableTitle caption)

Sets the table caption.

Parameters:

caption (TableTitle)

The caption.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

IEnumerable<Segment> GetSegments(IAnsiConsole console)

Gets the segments for a renderable using the specified console.

Parameters:

console (IAnsiConsole)

The console.

Returns:

An enumerable containing segments representing the specified .

Table HideFooters()

Hides table footers.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table HideHeaders()

Hides table headers.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table HideRowSeparators()

Hides row separators.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table InsertRow(int index, IEnumerable<IRenderable> columns)

Inserts a row in the table at the specified index.

Parameters:

index (int)

The index to insert the row at.

columns (IEnumerable<IRenderable>)

The row columns to add.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table InsertRow(int index, IRenderable[] columns)

Inserts a row in the table at the specified index.

Parameters:

index (int)

The index to insert the row at.

columns (IRenderable[])

The row columns to add.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table InsertRow(int index, String[] columns)

Inserts a row in the table at the specified index.

Parameters:

index (int)

The index to insert the row at.

columns (String[])

The row columns to add.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table RemoveRow(int index)

Removes a row from the table with the specified index.

Parameters:

index (int)

The index to remove the row at.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table ShowFooters()

Shows table footers.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table ShowHeaders()

Shows table headers.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table ShowRowSeparators()

Shows row separators.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table Title(string text, Style style)

Sets the table title.

Parameters:

text (string)

The table title markup text.

style (Style)

The table title style.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table Title(TableTitle title)

Sets the table title.

Parameters:

title (TableTitle)

The table title.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table UpdateCell(int rowIndex, int columnIndex, IRenderable cellData)

Updates a tables cell.

Parameters:

rowIndex (int)

The index of row to update.

columnIndex (int)

The index of column to update.

cellData (IRenderable)

New cell data.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table UpdateCell(int rowIndex, int columnIndex, string cellData)

Updates a tables cell.

Parameters:

rowIndex (int)

The index of row to update.

columnIndex (int)

The index of column to update.

cellData (string)

New cell data.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.

Table Width(Nullable<int> width)

Sets the table width.

Parameters:

width (Nullable<int>)

The width.

Returns:

The same instance so that multiple calls can be chained.