Re: Table layout - Which way is best?

[Robert Lauriston <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com>]

I wouldn't use a table for that since the rows and columns don't
represent relationships among the items. It's just a lot of
time-consuming formattting that conveys no information.

To consolidate the list when the list items are short, you could use
multiple columns.

Consolidating a list by putting multiple list items on each line
instead looks amateurish to me.

If a style guide addressed that, I'd expect it to be covered under
lists, not tables.

On Mon, May 11, 2015 at 3:38 AM, William Sherman
<bsherman77 -at- embarqmail -dot- com> wrote:
> At work, there have been a couple of people who have suddenly changed the
> directions of tables in our books.
>
> Currently, we have a table that goes vertical in the first pair of columns,
> then vertical in the second pair of columns.
>
> 1  Main Body      4 Undercarriage
> 2  Work Access  5 Track System
> 3. Power Plant    6 Operator Cab
>
>
> What they have done is go left right, then down.
>
> 1  Main Body     2 Work Access
> 3 Power Plant     4 Undercarriage
> 5 Track System   6 Operator Cab
>
> Now on something short, probably most don't see an issue but several tables
> that we have like this has 30 or more items called out.
>
> I have been trying to find something that gives a rule for this we can point
> to. I am sure I've heard of studies that down the first set, then down the
> second set (newspaper column style or regular multi-column style text) is
> the recommended and easiest to read, but I just can't find that now. Looking
> through Chicago Manual of Style, I'm apparently missing it if it is in
> there.
>
> Searching tables styles or layouts on the Internet gets me a lot of
> furniture links.
>
> Unfortunately, our style guide doesn't address this and I believe that they
> may decide to actually put this into the style guide, since one is a manger
> in another group.
>
> Anyone have any links or references?
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