docs-md-table-formattinglisted

# Markdown Table Formatting ## Overview Rules for consistently formatted, readable markdown tables. Misaligned tables are hard to scan in source view and may trigger linter warnings. **A `reformat-md-tables` PostToolUse hook auto-realigns tables in every `*.md` file on each Write/Edit**, so tables Claude writes stay aligned with no manual step. To bulk-reformat a tree by hand or in CI, run this skill's `reformat_tables.py -r <dir>` (see Programmatic Reformatting below). ## Rules ### 1. Pad all cells to column width Every cell in a column must be padded with trailing spaces to match the widest content in that column. ```txt # BAD - unpadded | Name | Value | |------|-------| | Type | Settable | | Value | String (colon-separated list) | # GOOD - padded to widest content per column | Name | Value | |-------|-------------------------------| | Type | Settable | | Value | String (colon-separated list) | ``` ### 2. Separator dashes touch the pipes No spaces between pipes and dashes in the separator row. Dash count = column width + 2 (matching the space-padded content cells). ```txt # BAD - spaces around dashes, and columns wider than their content | Name | Value | | ----- | -------- | # GOOD - dashes touch pipes, width follows the widest cell (rule 1) | Name | Value | |------|-------| ``` That GOOD block is exactly what `reformat_tables.py` emits for the BAD input above: it re-sizes each column to its widest cell