Inside this article
What are Tables?
Tables allow you to organize your data - think a blend between spreadsheets and databases.
How to use Tables
Adding a new Table
Add a Table - Use the quick insert command "/" on a new line, then select Table.
Add a Row - Hover over the table and click the large + New Row option at the bottom of the table. Or when hovering to the left of any existing row, click the small + icon that appears at the bottom-left corner of the row to insert a row.
Add a Column - Hover over the Table and click the large + icon that appears in the upper-right corner of the Table. Or, right-click the top of any column and select Insert, then Insert column before/after from the dropdown menu.
Editing your Table
Select a Row - Click the row handle that appears to the left of the row when you hover over it. Or, if you like keyboard shortcuts, click a cell and arrow all the way to the left to highlight the entire row.
Select Multiple Rows - Select the first row, then press Shift or Command to select another row. If you're selecting an adjoining row, you can just arrow down or up while holding down Shift if you prefer.
Delete a Row - Once you've selected a row(s), you can delete them by simply clicking delete on your keyboard. You can also delete one or more rows by using right-click to bring up the row menu and select "Delete row".
Drag and Drop - Simply click the column or row heading, and drag it to where you want it to be. The best part? It will automatically take on the formatting of it's new place in your doc! Visit our Drag-and-drop Data help article for examples.
Configuring your Table
You can change your table type, filter, sort, group, hide columns, and format your table from our configuration panel. To access this, select Options in the top right corner above your table.
Multi-Sorting Tables: From the Options menu you are also able to apply multiple sort rules to your Table. To do so, select Sort from the menu that appears on your righthand side. You can add Sorts for multiple columns from that menu, placing them in the order in which you would like the rules of your sort to apply. Make sure to ungroup your columns, otherwise the sort will be applied to the items within each group rather than rearrange the entire table.
Pro tip: you can also group, sort and filter by more than one column at a time! Just add the additional column the same way you added the initial column.
Watch a video about Tables
Why Tables matter
Tables in Coda
Coda Tables should feel a bit different to you from a spreadsheet. Some things will feel familiar - you’ll see grids where you can enter data, add and remove rows and columns, and sort data, but some things will feel different. For example, there’s no A2, B5 numbering scheme like you're used to in Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel. That's because there's a lot more going on under the hood to give you much more power and flexibility with your data.
Spreadsheets versus databases
Tables in Coda function more like databases than spreadsheets. While Coda tables behave more like databases, users can view and manipulate their data with ease like in a spreadsheet. So, how are spreadsheets and databases different? Well, spreadsheets are typically used to keep track of data and do calculations while databases, on the other hand, are used to store information that can be manipulated at a later time to answer particular questions you have.
When you create a Table, you can organize your data the way you think about and describe it. Rows generally represent “things” (people, tasks, inventory items, places to visit, grocery list items, etc), and the columns are generally “attributes” of those things (their gender, age, address, etc).
You can use meaningful names for columns, and then when you need it, you can ask for things like “give me the age of this person” instead of “give me what’s in B2”.
Table FAQs
Can I import a Table?
If you're starting from data in a spreadsheet, simply select the specific table of data you want to import, copy it, and paste into Coda. If the spreadsheet has more than one table, copy each table one at at time. You can also use one of our Packs to import tables directly from supported platforms. Check out our help article, Import a table into Coda, to find out how!
And, to help you out, Coda understands the structure of your data, and automatically detects column headers and column widths.
What's more, it detects the type of data in each column and picks the right format to make your data shine. For example, dates automatically show a calendar picker, true/false values display as checkboxes, and columns with repeated values offer convenient dropdown menus.
If you're starting from another app, see if it supports exporting to a spreadsheet format, then copy from the spreadsheet export before pasting into Coda.
Can I export a Table?
If you need to export data from Coda, our recommended approach is using copy and paste since it is the most straightforward. When Coda copies, the paste is then in a standard format that most apps understand.
If you need to export an entire table of data from Coda, first make sure that the the full table is visible in Coda by showing any hidden columns and removing any filters.
How do I create new lines in a cell?
To insert a new line in a cell:
Hold down Shift + Enter at the same time on a PC
Hold down Option+ Enter at the same time on a Mac
If you started a bulleted list, you can select Enter to continue the list within the cell.