Skip to main content

Grid tables are not supported

markdown
Pandoc grid-table syntax is not supported in Quarto markdown; use a list-table instead.

Q-2-39 — Grid tables are not supported

Pandoc grid-table syntax is not supported in Quarto markdown; use a list-table instead.

What this means

Pandoc supports a table form drawn with ASCII grid characters:

+----+----+
| a  | b  |
+----+----+
| 1  | 2  |
+----+----+

Quarto markdown does not parse that form. The recommended alternative is a list-table fenced div: each row is a top-level list item, each cell a nested list item.

Why this happens

Most often the table was authored in (or copied from) Pandoc, or generated by a tool that emits Pandoc-flavored markdown.

How to fix

Convert the grid table to a list-table:

::: {.list-table}
- - a
  - b
- - 1
  - 2
:::

Pipe tables (| a | b |) are also supported and are often easier to read for small tables.