tables – Automatically Insert Data in a Complex Table

tables

I have a relatively complex table that looks like this:

enter image description here

The same table structure is going to be repeated so many times. I already have the tables in MS Word. My question is if there is an easy method to fill the data in the table code?

Here's the code:

\documentclass[12pt]{report}

\usepackage{color}
\usepackage[usenames,dvipsnames,svgnames,table]{xcolor}
\usepackage{multirow}

%This will change the font for all the tables in the document.
\makeatletter
\g@addto@macro{\table[ht]}{\fontsize{9pt}{10.8pt}\selectfont}
\makeatother

\begin{document}
\begin{table}[ht]
\newcolumntype{Z}{>{\centering\arraybackslash}m{4.11in}}
\newcolumntype{Y}{>{\centering\arraybackslash\columncolor{Gainsboro}}c}
\renewcommand*{\arraystretch}{1.2}
\centering
\caption{Experiences in practical Physics work}
  \begin{tabular}{|c|Y|c|c|c|c|c|c|}
    \hline
               &            & \multicolumn{3}{c}{\emph{\textbf{\%}}} & \multicolumn{3}{|c|}{\emph{\textbf{Comparisons}}}  \\
    \hline  \rowcolor{Gainsboro}  {\textbf{Group}}& {\textbf{N}} & \textbf{positive} & \textbf{neutral} & \textbf{negative} & \textbf{$\chi^2$} & \textbf{df} & \textbf{p} \\
    \hline
    \rowcolor{Gainsboro}{\emph{Q1 (a)}} & \multicolumn{7}{Z|}{I prefer to have written instructions for experiments}  \\
    \hline
    \cellcolor{PowderBlue}\emph{University group} & {150} & 73         & 7          & 20         & \multirow{2}{*}{0.9} & \multirow{2}{*}{4} & \multirow{2}{*}{ns} \\
    \cline{1-5}
    \cellcolor{YellowGreen}\emph{School group} & {150} & 70         & 8          & 22         &            &            &  \\
    \hline
    \rowcolor{Gainsboro}{\emph{Q1 (b)}} & \multicolumn{7}{Z|}{Practical work helps my understanding of Physics topics}                   \\
    \hline
    \cellcolor{PowderBlue}\emph{University group} & {150} & 34         & 11         & 55         & \multirow{2}{*}{3.9} & \multirow{2}{*}{4} & \multirow{2}{*}{ns} \\
    \cline{1-5}
    \cellcolor{YellowGreen}\emph{School group} & {150} & 38         & 7          & 55         &            &            &  \\
    \hline
    \rowcolor{Gainsboro}{\emph{Q1 (c)}} & \multicolumn{7}{Z|}{Discussions in the laboratory enhance my understanding of the subject}                   \\
    \hline
    \cellcolor{PowderBlue}\emph{University group} & {150} & 70         & 8          & 22         & \multirow{2}{*}{2.4} & \multirow{2}{*}{4} & \multirow{2}{*}{ns} \\
    \cline{1-5}
    \cellcolor{YellowGreen}\emph{School group} & {150} & 65         & 10         & 25         &            &            &  \\
    \hline
    \rowcolor{Gainsboro}{\emph{Q1 (d)}} & \multicolumn{7}{Z|}{I felt confident in carrying out the experiments in Physics}                   \\
    \hline
    \cellcolor{PowderBlue}\emph{University group} & {150} & 52         & 12         & 36         & \multirow{2}{*}{13.7} & \multirow{2}{*}{4} & \multirow{2}{*}{< 0.05} \\
    \cline{1-5}
    \cellcolor{YellowGreen}\emph{School group} & {150} & 44         & 15         & 41         &            &            &  \\
    \hline
    \rowcolor{Gainsboro}{\emph{Q1 (e)}} & \multicolumn{7}{Z|}{The experimental procedure was clearly explained in the instructions given}                   \\
    \hline
    \cellcolor{PowderBlue}\emph{University group} & {150} & 31         & 14         & 55         & \multirow{2}{*}{14.8} & \multirow{2}{*}{4} & \multirow{2}{*}{< 0.01} \\
    \cline{1-5}
    \cellcolor{YellowGreen}\emph{School group} & {150} & 46         & 11         & 43         &            &            &  \\
    \hline
    \rowcolor{Gainsboro}{\emph{Q1 (f)}} & \multicolumn{7}{Z|}{I was so confused in the laboratory that I ended up following the instructions without understanding what I was doing}                   \\
    \hline
    \cellcolor{PowderBlue}\emph{University group} & {150} & 63         & 12         & 25         & \multirow{2}{*}{1.1} & \multirow{2}{*}{4} & \multirow{2}{*}{ns} \\
    \cline{1-5}
    \cellcolor{YellowGreen}\emph{School group} & {150} & 65         & 9          & 26         &            &            &  \\
    \hline
    \rowcolor{Gainsboro}{\emph{Q1 (g)}} & \multicolumn{7}{Z|}{There was good linkage between experiments and the relevant theory}                   \\
    \hline
    \cellcolor{PowderBlue}\emph{University group} & {150} & 36         & 15         & 49         & \multirow{2}{*}{94.4} & \multirow{2}{*}{4} & \multirow{2}{*}{<0.001} \\
   \cline{1-5}
    \cellcolor{YellowGreen}\emph{School group} & {150} & 68         & 11         & 21         &            &            &  \\
    \hline
    \end{tabular}
\label{ch7:tab:experiencesinpracticalphysics}
\end{table}

\end{document}

I know that I shouldn't be asking two questions but this one is small: How do I make an individual cell transparent?

Edit: I made it MWE and here's another table with the same structure but different data:

enter image description here

Best Answer

The biggest thing to figure out really is exactly how do you want to specify the data. Here I have defined a \Data macro that accepts four mandatory parameters:

the text of the question,
the label for the first group along with it's data,
the label for the second group along with it's data, and
the comparison data

To simplify things I decided to go with & separator as that is what tabular needs (see Further Enhancements below). So, for instance the first set of data is defined as:

\Data{I prefer to have written instructions for experiments}
    {\UGroup & 150 & 73 & 7 & 20}
    {\SGroup & 150 & 70 & 8 & 22}
    {0.9 & 4 & \NS}

and as you can see from this I defined macros for the labels \UGroup and \SGroup. Specifying the data in this manner within the custom MyTabular environment yields:

enter image description here

Notes:

The collcell package is used to automatically place the last three columns within a \multirow{2}{*}{<data>}.
To ensure that the above mentioned \multirow is only applied after the header is completed, I used newtoggle from the etoolbox package as I prefer that syntax versus the \newif syntax. But if you don't want to include an additional package it should be pretty straightforward to adapt this to use \newif or some other conditional methods
Defining macros \UGroup and \SGroup for labels not only makes it more readable but provides additional flexibility in case you decide to tweak it later.
I moved your customizations of \arraystretch and \fontsize to be within the MyTabular environment, so that the adjustments are only have an effect within MyTabular.
Two counters QuestionCount and QuestionSubCount are used to automate the labeling of the tables and each row of that data. You can adjust the formatting of these as desired.
The MyTabular environment accepts an optional (i.e., within square brackets) first parameter to override the label for each row. Defaults to Q<n> where <n> takes on increasing integer values starting at 1.

References:

I did not address your float issues as that is probably better explained elsewhere. See for example How to influence the position of float environments like figure and table in LaTeX?
You should also check out the the booktabs package for more table formatting options.

Further Enhancements:

Perhaps instead of using & as a delimiter, a comma separated list would be preferred. However it should be noted that this is not at all as simple as it seems.

Code:

\documentclass[12pt]{report}

\usepackage{color}
\usepackage[usenames,dvipsnames,svgnames,table]{xcolor}
\usepackage{multirow}
\usepackage{pgffor}
\usepackage{collcell}

\newtoggle{DoneWithHeader}
\newcommand{\MyMultiRow}[1]{%
    \iftoggle{DoneWithHeader}{%
        \multirow{2}{*}{#1}% no longer in header
    }{%
        #1% still in header so do not apply \multirow
    }%
}
\newcolumntype{M}{>{\collectcell\MyMultiRow}{l}<{\endcollectcell}}


\newcolumntype{Z}{>{\centering\arraybackslash}m{4.11in}}
\newcolumntype{Y}{>{\centering\arraybackslash\columncolor{Gainsboro}}c}


\newcounter{QuestionCount}
\newcommand*{\QuestionGroup}{}
\newenvironment{MyTabular}[2][Q\arabic{QuestionCount}]{%
    % #1 = Question Group: Defaults to "Q<n>"
    % #2 = usual tabular column specification
    \stepcounter{QuestionCount}% increment for subsequent tables
    \setcounter{QuestionSubCount}{0}% ensure we start at (a) for subsequent tables
    \xdef\QuestionGroup{#1}
    \renewcommand*{\arraystretch}{1.2}
    \fontsize{9pt}{10.8pt}\selectfont
    \global\togglefalse{DoneWithHeader}% not yet done with header
    \begin{tabular}{#2}
        \hline% Print header rows
        & & \multicolumn{3}{c}{\emph{\textbf{\%}}} & 
                \multicolumn{3}{|c|}{\emph{\textbf{Comparisons}}}  \\
        \hline  
        \rowcolor{Gainsboro}  {\textbf{Group}}& {\textbf{N}} & \textbf{positive} & 
               \textbf{neutral} & \textbf{negative} & \textbf{$\chi^2$} & \textbf{df} & 
               \textbf{p} \global\toggletrue{DoneWithHeader}\\
        \hline
}{%
    \end{tabular}%
}


\newcounter{QuestionSubCount}
\newcommand*{\Data}[4]{%
    % #1 = Question Text
    % #2 = Univerity group numbers
    % #3 = School Group Numbers
    % #4 = Comparrisons
    %
    \hline
    \rowcolor{Gainsboro}{%
        \stepcounter{QuestionSubCount}
        \emph{\QuestionGroup~(\alph{QuestionSubCount})}%
    } &
    \multicolumn{7}{Z|}{#1}  \\
    \hline
    #2 & #4\\
    \cline{1-5}
    #3 &&&\\\hline
}%

\newcommand{\UGroup}{{\cellcolor{PowderBlue}\emph{University group}}}%
\newcommand{\SGroup}{{\cellcolor{YellowGreen}\emph{School group}}}%

\newcommand{\NS}{ns}%

\begin{document}
\begin{MyTabular}{|c|Y|c|c|c|M|M|M|}
    \Data{I prefer to have written instructions for experiments}
        {\UGroup & 150 & 73 & 7 & 20}
        {\SGroup & 150 & 70 & 8 & 22}
        {0.9 & 4 & \NS}
    \Data{Practical work helps my understanding of Physics topics}
        {\UGroup&150&34&11&55}
        {\SGroup&150&38&7&55}
        {3.9&4&\NS}
    \Data{Discussions in the laboratory enhance my understanding of the subject}
        {\UGroup&150&70&8&22}
        {\SGroup&150&65&10&25}
        {2.4&4&\NS}
    \Data{I felt confident in carrying out the experiments in Physics}
        {\UGroup&150&52&12&36}
        {\SGroup&150&44&15&41}
        {13.7&4&\NS}
    \Data{The experimental procedure was clearly explained in the instructions given}
        {\UGroup&150&31&14&55}
        {\SGroup&150&46&11&43}
        {14.8&4&\NS}
    \Data{I was so confused in the laboratory that I ended up following the instructions without understanding what I was doing}
        {\UGroup&150&63&12&25}
        {\SGroup&150&65&9&26}
        {1.1&4&\NS}
    \Data{There was good linkage between experiments and the relevant theory}
        {\UGroup&150&36&15&49}
        {\SGroup&150&68&11&21}
        {94.4&4&$<0.001$}
\end{MyTabular}

\bigskip\bigskip

\begin{MyTabular}{|c|Y|c|c|c|M|M|M|}
    \Data{Is practucal work useful}
        {\UGroup&150&41&31&28}
        {\SGroup&150&41&32&27}
        {14.8&4&\NS}
    \Data{Is practucal work helpful}
        {\UGroup&150&45&25&30}
        {\SGroup&150&47&23&30}
        {14.8&4&\NS}
\end{MyTabular}
\end{document}

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] Complex Table Layout

Replicating your image:

\begin{figure}[H]
    \centerline{
    {\small
    \begin{tabular}{|p{1in}|p{.5in}|p{.5in}|p{.5in}|p{.5in}|}
        \hline
        \multirow{3}{*}{\textbf{A}} & 
        \multicolumn{2}{c}{\textbf{B}} &
        \multicolumn{2}{|c|}{\textbf{C}} \\
        & 
        \multicolumn{1}{p{1in}}{Wrap Text 1} & 
        \multicolumn{1}{p{1in}}{Wrap Text 2} &
        \multicolumn{1}{|p{1in}}{Wrap Text 1} &
        \multicolumn{1}{p{1in}|}{Wrap Text 1}  \\
        \hline
        \textbf{Heading 1}  &  1 &  2 &  3 &  4 \\
        \hline
        \textbf{Heading 2}  &  2 &  3 &  4 &  5 \\
        \hline
        \textbf{Heading 3}  &  3 &  4 &  5 &  6 \\
        \hline
        \textbf{Total}      &  6 &  9 & 12 & 15 \\
        \hline
    \end{tabular}
    }
    }
    \caption{Working, but with many rules}
\end{figure}

The clue is to check the |'s in the multicolumn format specifiers carefully, to fix any missing rules.

However, I prefer the layout below, it contains no vertical rules, and less horizontal rules. In general, I find it to be preferable to use as few rules as possible in tables. The example uses the booktabs package, for better-looking rules in tables.

\begin{figure}[H]
    \centerline{
    {\small
    \begin{tabular}{p{1in}rrrr}
        \toprule
        & \multicolumn{2}{c}{\bfseries{B}}
        & \multicolumn{2}{c}{\bfseries{C}} \\
        \cmidrule(r){2-3} \cmidrule(l){4-5}
        \bfseries{A}
        & \multicolumn{1}{p{1in}}{Wrap Text 1}
        & \multicolumn{1}{p{1in}}{Wrap Text 2}
        & \multicolumn{1}{p{1in}}{Wrap Text 1}
        & \multicolumn{1}{p{1in}}{Wrap Text 2}  \\ \midrule
        \textbf{Heading 1}  &  1 &  2 &  3 &  4 \\
        \textbf{Heading 2}  &  2 &  3 &  4 &  5 \\
        \textbf{Heading 3}  &  3 &  4 &  5 &  6 \\
        \textbf{Total}      &  6 &  9 & 12 & 15 \\
        \bottomrule
    \end{tabular}
    }
    }
    \caption{Working, with less rules}
\end{figure}

[Tex/LaTex] Complex LaTeX Table

One way would be to fix the width of the columns as in the first example:

enter image description here

It would be even better to eliminate the vertical lines as in the second example:

enter image description here

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}

\begin{document}
\begin{table}[htbp]
\caption{Combination Nomenclature, (Average Fill Factor)}
\resizebox{1.0\textwidth}{!}{
\begin{tabular}{|c||p{1.0em}|p{1.0em}|p{1.0em}|p{1.0em} l|}
\hline
\textbf{Combination} &\multicolumn{5}{l|}{\textbf{Included Optional Steps}}\\
\cline{2-6}
&\textbf{1}&\textbf{2}&\textbf{3}&\textbf{4}&\\
\hline\hline
\textbf{1}& X & & & &\\
\hline
\textbf{13}&  &  & X & X &\\
\hline
\textbf{14}&  &  &  & X &\\
\hline
\hline
\textbf{15}& \multicolumn{4}{l}{Nano Particles Deposited, Not Sintered}&\\
\hline
\textbf{16}& \multicolumn{4}{l}{Only Grinded Wafer 1, No Particles Deposited, Not Sintered}&\\
\hline
\textbf{17}& \multicolumn{4}{l}{Only Grinded Wafer 2, No Particles Deposited, Not Sintered}&\\
\hline
\end{tabular}}
\label{table:AverageFillFactor}
\end{table}
%
\begin{table}[htbp]
\caption{Combination Nomenclature, (Average Fill Factor)}
\resizebox{1.0\textwidth}{!}{
\begin{tabular}{c p{1.0em} p{1.0em} p{1.0em} p{1.0em} l }
\hline
\textbf{Combination} &\multicolumn{5}{l}{\textbf{Included Optional Steps}}\\
\cline{2-6}
&\textbf{1}&\textbf{2}&\textbf{3}&\textbf{4}&\\
\hline\hline
\textbf{1}& X & & & &\\
\hline
\textbf{13}&  &  & X & X &\\
\hline
\textbf{14}&  &  &  & X &\\
\hline
\hline
\textbf{15}& \multicolumn{4}{l}{Nano Particles Deposited, Not Sintered}&\\
\hline
\textbf{16}& \multicolumn{4}{l}{Only Grinded Wafer 1, No Particles Deposited, Not Sintered}&\\
\hline
\textbf{17}& \multicolumn{4}{l}{Only Grinded Wafer 2, No Particles Deposited, Not Sintered}&\\
\hline
\end{tabular}}
\label{table:AverageFillFactor}
\end{table}
\end{document}

Best Answer

Notes:

References:

Further Enhancements:

Code:

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] Complex Table Layout

[Tex/LaTex] Complex LaTeX Table

Related Question