Create Tables in Wordpress Posts Easily

If you want to create tables in Wordpress posts, then this handy little free plugin might be just what you're looking for. I have lots of information that I want to put onto my blog quickly - lists mostly for me, but there are many times and reasons when you'd just wish it was easy to create tables in Wordpress.

Trying to write or create tables in posts is just not feasible, or practical - and most people wouldn't be able to do it without learning html and worrying about all manner of settings.

I have one blog where I wanted to create a simple table, for an A-Z listing - and it's caused me no end of trouble even though it was just on a page. Way too much time was spent messing around with that - and now I fear updating it because I know I have to clear my diary :)

wp-table-reloaded

This tables plugin for Wordpress is in English and German (or auf Deutsch) - and has now been translated into more than 20 other languages - and it lets you simply manage tables of data from inside the Wordpress Admin Screen. You can choose whether to create tables in posts or in pages.

wp-table-reloaded is so feature-packed you'll wish you found it last year!

There are so many advanced features that I don't even want to start describing them, for fear of deviating from telling you that wp-table-reloaded is simply brilliant and you need to see it for yourself to judge if that's the sort of table you want.

As an outline, here are the features that most caught my eye as being of use to most people wanting to create tables in Wordpress posts or pages easily:

Selected Features of WP-Table-Reloaded

• Manage tables in the Wordpress Admin Panel
• Show tables in your posts or on your pages
• Show tables anywhere in your theme using a text widget or a template tag
• You can have any content you want in the table (even html)
• Table allows you to span columns (e.g. one heading merged above 2-3 columns). It also does row spanning
• First row will be in table headline style (<th>); last row will be a table footer (again using th style)
• You can have alternating row colors (love this bit!)
• You can have the row highlighted when somebody hovers a mouse over it
• You can get it to print the table's name and/or description above or below the table
• Features such as: Pagination, Sorting, Filtering are available to your table users for ease of use
• Individual css styling if you want to create your own css file
• Sortable tables - once your table exists, you can then sort the entries yourself and/or leave it so the tables are sortable by your users.  A simple tick box in the setup area lets you turn on/off the table sorting option.  Easy to use, easy to turn on/off. Instant, sortable tables in Wordpress.
  

Managing your table data with wp-table-reloaded is easy too. From inside the Wordpress Admin Panel you can simply:

• Add or create tables manually, by typing in your data
• Import a table from csv, xml or even html files. And if your data's already online you can import it from the URL.
• Export, save and backup any of your table to these formats.
• If you ever used the old wp-table plugin, you can import your tables direct from there
• You can edit the table data and the structure (add, delete, insert, move, swap, hide columns, hide rows, sort columns)
• Add links or images to your table - from the Media Library
• Copy, duplicate or delete whole tables
• Insert tables in your Wordpress posts easily using a button that appears on the editor toolbar.
  
• Insert tables in your Wordpress pages easily using a button on the editor toolbar
• You can preview the table before you publish it
• Amend tables at a later date by adding/removing columns or rows
  

The WP-Table-Reloaded plugin is a must for list nuts! If you want to have even one large list on your website for your website visitors, then this will make it easy for you to manage that data.

No more messing about inside posts! I love it.

wp-table-reloaded doesn't store your actual table in your posts or pages, it stores the data in a separate database. When a website visitor visits your post/page the data is pulled out of the database afresh. This means if you update the table data then the latest data appears on your blog, but if you uninstall the plugin, or delete the table in the plugin, then it will affect the table in your post. When you create the tables you are not hard-coding them directly on each page, but simply creating a link to the database where they're held.

There's not a lot more to say about wp-table-reloaded except that this will transform your life! Website visitors love tables of data to be given to them - it's nice and readable - and as a blog owner you want your life to be made easier.... so check it out. I'll be putting it on my blog with the big list later today.

Installing wp-table-reloaded

Once you've downloaded the plugin and uploaded/activated it on your site, from the "Active Plugins" list, find wp-table-reloaded in the list and under the information you'll see a link which takes you to the page where you can manage your tables.  Or, you'll find it listed under the TOOLS section.

From there you'll instantly see you can:

• List Tables
• Add new Table
• Import a Table
• Export a Table

Inserting a Table into Your Wordpress Posts or Pages

To insert the table into a page, post or text-widget, copy the shortcode [table id=1 /] (where the number 1 is your actual table number) and paste it into the corresponding place in the editor. Each table has a unique ID that needs to be adjusted in that shortcode. You can also click the button "Table" in the editor toolbar to select and insert a table.

The only downside I can see is that, for affiliates, the links aren't cloaked... but if I find a cloaker that works well with this plugin I'll update you on that. Overall it's easy, quick and brilliant - and I am prepared to overlook the uncloaked links for now. If you want, you can always use a url shortening service such as bit.ly (which also gives you click stats).

Tip: Don't forget, when you're creating your table, the top item becomes a bold header, so if you forget and just start inputting your list, the first one will be in bold font - no worries, simply pop back into the admin panel and insert a new row at the top! Simples.

The first time I used this I was amazed. First I forgot to make the first row as a title row - that was easily sorted by adding a new row, which became row 20, then clicking update - then simply using the "Move Row .... To Above/Below Row ..." feature to move it above line 1.

Then, when I looked at my page, not only does it have a table on it, but the user can select how many rows to display (10-100) and there's even an automatic search box inserted at the top. These can be turned off in the settings, but it was brilliant that they appeared automatically on my table because I'd have never expected these advanced features. Also, it automatically colored my alternate rows different colors - again, it can be turned off, but I thought I was going to have to find out how to to this.

You can use it for as many columns as you need, or even a 1-column table. Here's an example of where it's used for 1-column: A-Z List of Paid Web Survey Companies

Also, I'm using wp-backup and I noticed no new tables are offered in there to back up the wp-table-reloaded tables, so I wonder if this means it needs a manual backup of the generated tables.... probably, so be aware of that: create your tables and do a quick backup.

So, overall, I am more than impressed by this nifty plugin that creates tables in my Wordpress posts easily.

Cost: FREE

Website: http://tobias.baethge.com/wordpress-plugins/wp-table-reloaded-english/

While the above is a great plugin - I use it myself - I know that some of you will want to really make complex tables in Wordpress and are happy to take on something a little meatier.

Check out the TinyMCE Plugin: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/tinymce-advanced/

This uses about 15 extra plugins that, combined, enable you to do a lot more with tables.  The extra plugins it brings with it include time/date, smilies, search and replace, styling.  It'll even pull in the css of your current theme.

This isn't a suggestion for people who want straight forward tables, but more for power users.