FBB::Table(3bobcat)
Construct text tables
(libbobcat-dev_6.04.00)
2005-2023
NAME
FBB::Table - Generates row- or column-wise filled tables from
information inserted into a std::ostream
SYNOPSIS
#include <bobcat/tablebuf>
Linking option: -lbobcat
DESCRIPTION
FBB::Tablebuf objects are std::streambuf objects that can be used
to create tables. The tables are filled either column-wise or row-wise. Many
of the table's characteristics may be fine-tuned by a separate
FBB::TableSupport object, described in a separate man-page
(TableSupport(3bobcat)). When no FBB::TableSupport object is used, a
plain row-wise or column-wise table is constructed which can be inserted into
a std::ostream. Displaying a table (e.g., at the standard output stream)
involves the following steps:
- Optionally, a TableSupport object is created;
- A Tablebuf object is created (maybe passing it a TableSupport
object);
- The Tablebuf object is used to initialize a std::ostream
- The elements of the table are filled by inserting information into
that std::ostream
- The Tablebuf itself contains the formatted table and may itself
be inserted into a std::ostream like std::cout.
Tables defined by TableBuf consist of a (number of element dependent)
number of rows and a fixed number of columns, the latter value is specified at
construction time. Columns and rows are normally addressed using index values
(starting at 0). Before the leftmost column, between the columns and beyond
the last column separators are defined. By default the separators are
empty, but each separator may be given a (fixed) width or content. The
separator before column col is addressed as separator col, the
rightmost separator is addressed as separator nColummns.
Likewise, rows can be separated from each other using separators. These
separating rows are also empty by default. The row-separator before row
row is addressed as row-separator row. The row-separator following the
final row is addressed as row-separator nRows, where nRows is the
value returned by the nRows member function.
Non-default (i.e., non-empty) separators are defined using
FBB::TableSupport objects (cf. tablesupport(3bobcat)).
TableBuf's sister-class Table can be used to insert elements into a
table in a more direct way. With TableBuf field separators are used to
switch to the next table-element, and (with row-wise filled tables) a row
separator can be used to switch to the next row when it's only partially
defined. Instead, with Table objects each new insertion defines another
table element, and no wrapping std::ostream object is required.
NAMESPACE
FBB
All constructors, members, operators and manipulators, mentioned in this
man-page, are defined in the namespace FBB.
INHERITS FROM
std::streambuf - allowing TableBuf objects to be wrapped in
std::ostream objects.
FBB::TableBase - This class implements common elements of the
table implementation (the FBB::TableBuf class is also derived from
TableBase). The TableBase class is not intended to be used otherwise,
and no separate man-page is provided. All facilities provided by Table
inherited from TableBase are described in this man-page.
ENUMERATIONS
The following enumerations are defined in the class FBB::Tablebuf.
enum FillDirection
This enumeration has two values:
- ROWWISE:
When this value is specified at construction time, elements are added
row-wise to the table. I.e., the second element inserted into the Table
will be found in the second column of the first row.
- COLUMNWISE:
When this value is specified at construction time, elements are added
column-wise to the table. I.e., the second element will be found in the second
row of the first column.
enum WidthType
This enumeration holds two values:
- COLUMNWIDTH:
This value may be specified when the columns should be allowed
variable widths. In this case each column will be as wide as its widest
element. This is the default WidthType used by Table objects.
- EQUALWIDTH:
This value may be specified when all the table's columns should have
equal width (i.e., equal to the width of the widest table element),
CONSTRUCTORS
- Tablebuf(size_t nColumns, Table::FillDirection direction,
Table::WidthType widthType = Table::COLUMNWIDTH):
The table's number of columns, the fill directions and the column
width-type must be provided. The number of rows is implied by the combination
of this parameter and the number of elements that is actually inserted into
the Table object. The direction parameter specifies the way new
elements are added to the Table object: row-wise or column-wise. Finally,
the widthType parameter is used to specify the way the width of the
table's columns is determined. Each column either defines its own width or all
columns have equal widths.
- TableBuf(TableSupport &tableSupport, Table::FillDirection direction,
Table::WidthType widthType = Table::COLUMNWIDTH):
This constructor operates identically to the previous constructor, but
expects an additional reference to a TableSupport object. A
TableSupport object offers additional formatting features used by the
table defining elements like horizontal lines between rows, additional
separators, etc, etc. The TableSupport object is passed as a non-const
reference as the Table object must be able to manipulate its data. See
tablesuppport(3bobcat) for more information about TableSupport.
Copy and move constructors (and assignment operators) are not available.
OVERLOADED OPERATORS
- std::ostream &operator<<(std::ostream &out, TableBuf &tablebuf):
This operator inserts a TableBuf into a std::ostream
object. Note that the TableBuf object inserted into out is a non-const
object, as the table may have to be completed by adding empty elements for
missing ones. The out stream should not be equal to the std::ostream
object that is used to wrap in a TableBuf object.
- TableBuf &operator<<(TableBuf &obj, Align const &align):
This operator is used to change the default alignment of either a
column or an element. It is a wrapper around the member setAlign() (see
below for its description). By default, all elements are right-aligned. See
align(3bobcat) for more information about the Align class. Unlike the
insertion operators available for Table type objects, the insertion
operator for TableBuf objects is only used to define column or
cell-alignment.
MEMBER FUNCTIONS
- void clear():
The content of the table are erased. All existing elements are
removed, and the table will be empty.
- size_t nRows():
The currently available number of rows in the table is returned. Its
value is only defined after calling def().
- TableBuf &setAlign(Align const &align):
The alignment type of either a column or an element of the TableBuf
object is defined using setAlign. The standard alignments std::left,
std::right and std::internal may be specified, but in addition the
alignment FBB::center may be used if elements should be centered into
their column. A construction like
tab << Align(2, FBB::center)
requests centering of all elements in the table's column having index
value 2 (i.e., the table's 3rd column), whereas a construction like
tab << Align(2, 3, FBB::center)
requests centering of element [2][3]. It is the responsibility of the
programmer to ensure that such elements exist. By default, all elements are
right-aligned.
- TableBuf &def():
After inserting elements into a TableBuf object its number of
elements may or may not be an integral multiple of the number of columns
specified at construction time. To `complete' a TableBuf object to a
rectangular object, for which all column widths and alignments have been
determined def may be called. It is automatically called by
operator<<(ostream, TableBuf). In other situations it may be called
explicitly to force the insertion of another row in a table using ROWWISE
insertions. With COLUMNWISE insertions its working is complex, since new
elements added to a COLUMNWISE filled table will reshuffle its elements
over the table's columns.
- setFieldSeparator(char fs):
The default field separator is the `backspace' (\b)
character. After inserting a field separator the next table element will be
defined. Inserting two field separators inserts an table empty element and
starts the definition of the next element. This field separator character can
be redefined by this function. Calling setFieldSeparator without argument
disables the use of a field separator character, and only leaves the use of
the fs manipulator to switch to the next field.
- setRowSeparator(char rs):
The default row separator is the newline character (\n). After
inserting a row separator the next element to enter into the table will be the
leftmost element of the next row. Inserting two row separators adds an empty
row to the table. Calling setRowSeparator without argument disables the
use of a row separator character, and only leaves the use of the rs
manipulator to switch to the next field.
MANPULATORS
- Table &def(Table &table):
This manipulator can be inserted into a a TableBuf's wrapping
ostream to call the table's def() member.
- FBB::fs:
This manipulator can be inserted into a TableBuf's wrapping
ostream to switch to the next field of the table. It is an alternative to
using the field separator character.
- FBB::rs:
This manipulator can be inserted into a TableBuf's wrapping
ostream to switch to the next row of the table. It is an alternative to
using the row separator character.
EXAMPLE
#include <iostream>
#include <ostream>
#include <string>
#include <algorithm>
#include <iterator>
#include <bobcat/tablebuf>
#include <bobcat/tablelines>
using namespace std;
using namespace FBB;
int main()
{
TableLines tablelines;
tablelines << 0; // set separator widths
for (size_t sep = 0; sep != 8; ++sep)
tablelines << 3;
TableBuf tab(tablelines, 8, TableBuf::ROWWISE);
ostream out(&tab);
copy(istream_iterator<string>(cin), istream_iterator<string>(),
ostream_iterator<string>(out, "\b"));
cout << tab << '\n'; // complete the table and insert
}
FILES
bobcat/tablebuf - defines the class interface;
SEE ALSO
bobcat(7), align(3bobcat), csvtable(3bobcat),
manipulator(3bobcat), tablelines(3bobcat),
tablesupport(3bobcat), table(3bobcat)
BUGS
Note that def() will reshuffle elements over the table's
columns when new elements are added to the table subsequent to calling
def()
BOBCAT PROJECT FILES
- https://fbb-git.gitlab.io/bobcat/: gitlab project page;
- bobcat_6.04.00-x.dsc: detached signature;
- bobcat_6.04.00-x.tar.gz: source archive;
- bobcat_6.04.00-x_i386.changes: change log;
- libbobcat1_6.04.00-x_*.deb: debian package containing the
libraries;
- libbobcat1-dev_6.04.00-x_*.deb: debian package containing the
libraries, headers and manual pages;
BOBCAT
Bobcat is an acronym of `Brokken's Own Base Classes And Templates'.
COPYRIGHT
This is free software, distributed under the terms of the
GNU General Public License (GPL).
AUTHOR
Frank B. Brokken (f.b.brokken@rug.nl).