Posting Tables or spreadsheet data
 

Is there an easy way to post a table filled with numbers so the columns line up? The data is in an Excel spreadsheet now....

I tried to add HTML into a post. I am not sure what the HTML tag button does. I could not get the following to show up as a table:

<table>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>2</td>
</tr>
</table>

It is my educated guess that you cannot post a table on this forum like you've included in the above code. The reason is because VBulletin (BB software used here) provides that administrator the option of what html tags are allowed or not allowed. It seems to me that the only tags that are allowed on this site are those that are probably the default tags you'll find already provided for in the edit window and not any additional ones that would need the HTML "< >" brackets to accomplish.

If I were administrator I would do no differently because some strange and annoying things could be done either intentionally or accidentally if all tags were allowed. The only thing I think you can do with those HTML tags is demonstrate or show HTML code (not their renderings) in a segregated window if you don't want to just have them included in the body of your text. Not functional but could be useful for a user to have that ability.

If my educated guess is incorrect, hopeful Admin will help in clarifying!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ax5ZIdFoW1...ictures-04.jpg:1rotfl:

That is funny
 

Skyguy, thanks for my first good chuckle of the day! Love the table :a20:

aj, if you can save/export your spreadsheet to a file that's one of the acceptable file types which TOTV accepts for attachments (gif jpg pdf png), then I'd imaging you could attach that file to your post.

Bill :)

Thanks Bill. I did see that Excel has the ability to save various formats, but I have not tried them. I figured I would ask if there was some trick to add a table native before I got too far.

You are correct as to why this is the case.

Thanks! After reading your response it came back to me how on another busy forum, someone used code to make their post in bold red with an increased font. (the site didn't have the user edit codes like this site does) What happened because of it, was each subsequent post continued to remain in that improper format with the text scrolling off the right side of the window, and all because the poster didn't properly close the code at the end of their message.

Many complained but no one knew how to fix it. Fortunately, I had code experience and was able to make the correcting code in a post and got it changed back to normal by doing the same as the original poster did. I intentionally didn't properly close using a </...> tag so that it would be back to normal in posts that came thereafter!

A wise man once said "Close your tags, or sombody will suffer!" Unfortunately, someone proved that I wasn't that wise, so I had to cease and desist in saying that! :D

Good thinking Bill, but I think the only way it could be done is by a screen shot, then attaching the resulting pic. I looked at Excel to see if there was another way, but there was no way for a graphic file.

There were only two ways I found that it could be saved as. HTML, which already tried through the raw code. The other was was by saving as a PDF document. However for PDF you can't do that if you only have Adobe Reader. You'd need to have a program that can convert documents to PDF like Adobe Acrobat, which I have.

But, it was good thinking. You'd have made a good webmaster... I think! :wave:

Thanks for the feedback, skyguy. :wave:

I think if you have a fairly recent version of MS-Office/Excel, say 2007 or 2010 for example, you actually can take the Excel file, do a Save As, and select PDF as your output file format/type - no external software of add-ons needed:

- - - - - re: Excel 2010 - Save as PDF - Excel - Office.com

Also found similar info for Excel 2007.

I personally can't get the job done on my machine or test it myself as my release of Office is from the days of the abacus - it's older than dirt! So my version doesn't allow it. But like I found, it seems as though newer versions of the software allow for it.

Bill :)

I have Excel 2007 but you could be correct. I can't tell since I have the Adobe Acrobat that is alreadyintegrated, linked or whatever you wanna call it to Excel and I'm not about to uninstall Acrobat just to find out! :p

Here's my translation of what these brillliant guys are really saying to us average folks:

Take a picture of the table (screen shot or print) and post it as a jpeg.

I am pretty sure the answer to my original question is NO :), but screen capture works just fine.....

Thanks
All.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...3Apr091520.jpg

I downloaded Primo PDF for free off the internet. After you do that go into your document and click File, Print, change the printer to primo pdf and it will become a pdf.

HTML is disabled, to many nasty things can happen.

The [html] tag you see allows for html code to be displayed

EG:
There is bbcode that works for tables, we do not have it installed on TOTV. In our experience from other sites where it has been used in the past the table bbcode was rarely if ever used and it's rather tedious to use.

We suggest saving the spreadsheet as a pdf and attaching that to the post or a screen cap as a jpg, bmp or png and displaying the image.

Thanks

Makes sense. Thanks for following up.