Excel Like Data Tables
- Dmytro Stasyuk
Gherkin data tables can often be awkward to work with especially when you want to add a new column in the middle of an existing table or want to rearrange rows or columns.
To make working with data tables easier the editor supports features described below
Insert new table via a button click
Use the highlighted toolbar button to quickly insert a new empty data table
Show cell borders
Instead of presenting Gherkin tables in a traditional way using only '|' (pipe) character to separate columns like shown below
The editor supports showing tables with cell borders like in the screenshot below
Note that the '|' characters are still there, they are just hidden and a border is shown instead. So if for example you select all text, copy and then paste the content into an external editor the pipe characters will be present as you would expect.
This feature is turned on by default but can be turned off if required via the Editor preferences menu.
Automatic alignment of columns
The columns of data tables are automatically aligned as you type so there is no need to press any keyboard shortcuts or buttons after an edit
Remove column’s trailing white space
To delete unnecessary white space from a table column, simply place the cursor at the end of the cell’s white space and press the Backspace key or double click to select the white space and press the Delete key.
Inline table operations toolbar
Placing the cursor inside a table brings up the inline table operations toolbar which has dedicated buttons to easily add/remove/reorder columns and rows or delete the table entirely
The inline table operations toolbar can be turned off if required (e.g. before taking a screenshot) via Editor preferences toolbar options menu
Intuitive cell range selection
Selecting a range of cells can be done in manner similar to a typical spreadsheet application by either Click & Drag mouse action or via keyboard key combination of Shift+Arrow Keys
Clearing cells
If you press Delete / Backspace key while a range of cells is selected the values will be deleted but the table structure will remain unchanged
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Create new table using Tab
Starting a new table can be done easily by first typing the header value for the first column and then pressing the Tab key
Tab - to add further columns
To add further columns simply continue to type followed by the Tab key again
Add a new row shortcut
To add a new row simply place the cursor inside the table and press Ctrl+Enter keys
Tab key navigation
Press Tab key to navigate to the next cell on the right or the first cell of the next row if no more cells
Press Shift+Tab to navigate to the previous cell on the left or to the last cell of the previous row if no more cells
Copy & Paste a range of cells
Selected range of cells can be copied via traditional keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C
And then can be pasted via Ctrl+V
Tables auto expand
Note that if the destination table is smaller than the copied range of cells than it will have new rows and/or columns automatically added to accommodate the copied data
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Paste into other Jira Issues
Copying also works between different browser windows or page reloads, so you can paste copied cell data into tables of other Jira issues
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Copy to and from Excel & Google Sheets
Copied range of cells can also be pasted into external spreadsheet type applications such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets
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Tables are auto created
When pasting cell data the destination table does not have to exist, simply place the cursor at the start of a blank line and press Ctrl+V
the copied data will be inserted into a new table automatically
This is particularly useful when copying data from external spreadsheet applications
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