Components

Table

Use: Best practice

USWDS v3

The table component organizes data into columns and rows.

Examples - v3

Examples - v1

Responsive stacked table (v1 Default)

View va-table v1 along with additional variations in Storybook

Usage

Refer to the U.S. Web Design System for usage guidance

Additional guidance for VA

Using the standard table

Wrap instead of truncate content. This reduces confusion in case headers start with the same word.

Using responsive stacked tables

Arrange data in order of importance Because the leftmost columns are what users see first in a smaller screen, work with a content specialist and determine what order of columns is going to tell the best story with that data. Which columns are most critical to understanding what the meaning of the table is? Ask users what the most important data is to them and have that be the first column.
Left align header and value in list view When using list view, the header and value are stacked vertically with the bolded header on one line and the value on the line below. Make sure both header and value are left aligned.
Limit characters in headings Column headings shouldn’t exceed 60 characters. Follow content guidelines on how to abbreviate dates and time, as well as, other abbreviations and acronyms
Tables should have a maximum of 5 columns Very large tables with lots of columns are difficult to use. This problem only gets exacerbated on smaller screens. Show only what users really need.

Choosing between variations

The v3 default table is a standard table and does not offer the responsive stacked variation. Also, the v3 table does not yet offer a sortable option. Thus if the data in your table requires the responsive stacked table at mobile viewport widths, or if your table currently is sortable, you may stick with the v1 version of this component until we reach feature parity.

Use the responsive list view table when you need to present a list of information in an itemized way. A responsive stacked table collapses at narrow widths for better readability on small screens.
Use the standard table when users have to compare rows and columns as the table layout remains the same on smaller screens.
- For comparison tables, avoid horizontal scrolling and limit the number of columns to 3 or fewer. All column heading labels should total no more than 60 characters.

Code usage

Attributes and Properties

Property	Attribute	Type	Default	Description
`descending`	`descending`	`boolean`	`false`	Whether the initial sort state will be descending or not.
`sortColumn`	`sort-column`	`number`		The zero-based index of the column to sort by (Doesn't work in IE11). Optional.
`tableTitle`	`table-title`	`string`		The title of the table
`tableType`	`table-type`	`"borderless"`	`'borderless'`	If uswds is true, the type of table
`uswds`	`uswds`	`boolean`	`false`	Whether or not the component will use USWDS v3 styling.

Content considerations

The table-title, which the component will place in a <caption> element, should succinctly describe the table in a meaningful way.

Accessibility considerations

Refer to the U.S. Web Design System for accessibility guidance