---
title: "Element <table>"
source: https://dev.pageseeder.com/psml/elements/element-table.html
description: "PSML Element reference for <table>"
last_updated: 2026-08-07T17:09:54+10:00
tokens: ~1533
---

# \<table\>

## Summary

The `<table>` element.

> **Warning:** Some block-level elements are allowed in table cells, but neither a `<heading>` element or a `<table>` element are valid.

Tables structural elements: [\<caption\>](element-caption.md), [\<col\>](element-col.md) , [\<row\>](element-row.md) and [\<cell\>](element-cell.md).

## Usage context

| Element category | block |
| --- | --- |
| PSML level | portable |
| Permitted content | `<caption> <col> <row>` |
| Permitted parent | `<fragment>` |
| HTML equivalent | `<table>` |
| OpenXML equivalent | `<w:table>` |

## Attributes

This element supports the following attributes:

**Current**

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| height | [length](../datatypes/pageseeder_datatypes.md) | no | Height of table in pixels |
| role | [role](../datatypes/pageseeder_datatypes.md) | no | Custom value that can be used for formatting |
| summary | [xs:string](../datatypes/xml_schema_datatypes.md) | no | Summary of tables purpose for non-visual readers |
| width | `length` | no | Width of table in pixels or percent |

The following attributes have been deprecated and might be ignored in future releases:

**Deprecated**

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| border | [fixed-length](../datatypes/pageseeder_datatypes.md) | no | The width (in pixels) of the border around table cells |
| cellpadding | `fixed-length` | no | The number of pixels between the border of the cell and its contents |
| cellspacing | `fixed-length` | no | The number of pixels between the border of the cell and the table frame or other cells |

### `@height`

The height of the table in pixels (might have `px` suffix).

### `@role`

A value to clarify the purpose of a table for formatting or validation. Functionally equivalent to a table style in Word or FrameMaker.

### `@summary`

A summary of the table for non-visual readers.

### `@width`

The width of the table in pixels (`px`) or percent (`%`), if neither is present the value is treated as pixels.

## Examples

Following is a basic table model with a caption and a header row.

This example is from the **Current** table above.

```lang-xml

<table width="100%">
  <caption>Current</caption>
  <col part="header"/>
  <col/>
  <col/>
  <col/>
  <row  part="header">
    <cell width="120px" align="center">Name</cell>
    <cell width="120px" align="center">Type</cell>
    <cell>Required</cell>
    <cell>Description</cell>
  </row>

  <row>
    <hcell>height</hcell>
    <cell>
      <xref id="556331"
            title="length" frag="5"
            reversefrag="attributes"
            reversetitle="Attributes"
            reverselink="true"
            reversetype="none"
            display="manual"
            type="none"
            uriid="193967"
            href="../datatypes/pageseeder_datatypes.psml"
            urititle="PageSeeder datatypes"
            mediatype="application/vnd.pageseeder.psml+xml">length
      </xref>
    </cell>
    <cell>no</cell>
    <cell>Height of table in pixels.</cell>
  </row>

  <row>
    <hcell>role</hcell>
    <cell>
      <xref id="556332"
            title="role" frag="7"
            reversefrag="attributes"
            reversetitle="Attributes"
            reverselink="true"
            reversetype="none"
            display="manual"
            type="none"
            uriid="193967"
            href="../datatypes/pageseeder_datatypes.psml"
            urititle="PageSeeder datatypes"
            mediatype="application/vnd.pageseeder.psml+xml">role
      </xref>
    </cell>
    <cell>no</cell>
    <cell>Custom value that can be used for formatting.
    </cell>
  </row>
  <row>
    <hcell>summary</hcell>
    <cell>
      <xref id="556333"
            title="xs:string" frag="7"
            reversefrag="attributes"
            reversetitle="Attributes"
            reverselink="true"
            reversetype="none"
            display="manual"
            type="none"
            uriid="193962"
            href="../datatypes/xml_schema_datatypes.psml"
            urititle="XML Schema datatypes"
           mediatype="application/vnd.pageseeder.psml+xml">xs:string
      </xref>
    </cell>
    <cell>no</cell>
    <cell>Summary of tables purpose for non-visual readers.</cell>
  </row>
  <row>
    <hcell>width</hcell>
    <cell>
      <monospace>length</monospace>
    </cell>
    <cell>no</cell>
    <cell>Width of table in pixels or percent.</cell>
  </row>
</table>
```

## Schema

### XML Schema

```lang-xml
<xs:element name="table">
  <xs:complexType>
    <xs:sequence>
      <xs:element name="caption"
                  maxOccurs="1"
                  minOccurs="0"
                  type="character-style"/>
      <xs:element ref="col" maxOccurs="unbounded" minOccurs="0"/>
      <xs:element ref="row" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
    </xs:sequence>

    <xs:attribute name="width">
      <xs:simpleType>
        <xs:restriction base="xs:string">
          <xs:pattern value="[0-9\.]+(px|%)?"/>
        </xs:restriction>
      </xs:simpleType>
    </xs:attribute>

    <xs:attribute name="height">
      <xs:simpleType>
        <xs:restriction base="xs:string">
          <xs:pattern value="[0-9]+(px)?"/>
        </xs:restriction>
      </xs:simpleType>
    </xs:attribute>

    <xs:attribute name="cellspacing" type="xs:string"/>
    <xs:attribute name="cellpadding" type="xs:string"/>
    <xs:attribute name="border" type="xs:string"/>
    <xs:attribute name="summary" type="xs:string"/>
    <xs:attribute name="role" type="role"/>
  </xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
```

### Relax Schema

```lang-relax

element table {
   attribute width { text 
       { pattern="[0-9\.]+(px|%)?" } }?,
   attribute height { text 
       { pattern="[0-9]+(px)?" } }?,
   attribute cellspacing { text }?,
   attribute cellpadding { text }?,
   attribute border { text }?,
   attribute summary { text }?,
   attribute role { role }?,
   element caption?,
   element col*,
   element row+
}
```

## Compatibility

This element was introduced in the first draft of PSML and is well-supported from PageSeeder 5.1.