[Tex/LaTex] Page break with a longtable in multicolumn

longtablemulticolpage-breakingtables

I am trying to reproduce a book which contains many tables printed on two columns to save some vertical space. The text before & after the tables is not concerned by this multi-column style.

I could typeset the tables in a “two small tables side to side in a bigger one” way, but that would not really separate content and design.

This answer solves the first part of the problem, displaying the (long) table on two columns.

The tables are not meant to float like in this case and that seems to bring the same problem of page breaking back: the text after the table does not break, nor the table if it is too long.

Here is an example:

\documentclass[10pt]{article}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}

\usepackage{multicol}
   \setlength{\columnseprule}{.4pt}
\usepackage{longtable}
\usepackage{lipsum}
%\usepackage{showframe}

\begin{document}

\lipsum[1-4]

\begin{multicols}{2}

\newsavebox\ltmcbox
\setbox\ltmcbox\vbox{
\makeatletter\col@number\@ne\makeatother
\begin{longtable}{lll}
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3
\end{longtable}
\unskip
\unpenalty
\unpenalty}
\unvbox\ltmcbox

\end{multicols}

\lipsum[1]

\end{document}

Thank you for your help.

Best Answer

It seems to work better if one set the longtable outside the multicols environment

\documentclass[10pt]{article}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}

\usepackage{multicol}
   \setlength{\columnseprule}{.4pt}
\usepackage{longtable}
\usepackage{lipsum}
%\usepackage{showframe}

\begin{document}

\lipsum[1-4]

\newsavebox\ltmcbox
\setbox\ltmcbox\vbox{\hsize=\dimexpr0.5\textwidth-0.5\columnsep
\makeatletter\col@number\@ne\makeatother
\begin{longtable}{lll}
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3 \\
col 1 & col 2 & col 3
\end{longtable}
\unskip
\unpenalty
\unpenalty}

\begin{multicols}{2}


\unvbox\ltmcbox

\end{multicols}

\lipsum[1]

\end{document}

(David's answer in Balancing long table inside multicol in LaTeX has the same problem if one add enough text before the multicols.)

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] Making a long table continue over two columns

Use the \twocolumn format, then you can use the package supertabular

\documentclass[11pt,a4paper]{article}
\usepackage{supertabular}

\begin{document}
\twocolumn
\tablehead{Header of first column & Header of second column \\}

\begin{supertabular}{ccc}
Table cell 1, 1 & Table cell 1, 2 \\
Table cell 2, 1 & Table cell 2, 2 \\
Table cell 1, 1 & Table cell 1, 2 \\
...
...
\end{supertabular}

\end{document}

together with the package multicols you can only use the tabbing environment.

[Tex/LaTex] Inserting a one-column multi-page table in a two-column document

What you try to achieve, is probably not possible using twocolumn mode. When you change from twocolumn to onecolumn, LaTeX gives will have a new page, and lot of white space.

I suggest using the package multicol instead for twocolumn mode, and place your texts before and after the tables in multicolsenvironments.

multicol has some shortcomings regarding floats inside columns. If you have lots of floats, it may be not the way to go.

Example 1

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{lipsum} %% To generate example text
\usepackage{array, booktabs,longtable}
\usepackage[latin]{babel}
\usepackage{multicol}


\begin{document}
\begin{multicols}{2}
\lipsum[1-6] %% To generate example text
\end{multicols}
%%% Begin table %%%

\begin{longtable}{>{\hangindent=1em}p{13cm}}
\toprule
\lipsum[1]\\ %% To generate example text
\lipsum[1]\\ %% To generate example text
\lipsum[1]\\ %% To generate example text
\lipsum[1]\\ %% To generate example text
\lipsum[1]\\ %% To generate example text
\bottomrule
\end{longtable}
%%% End table %%%
\begin{multicols}{2}

\lipsum[1-6] %% To generate example text
\end{multicols}

\end{document}

Example 2 - switch to onecolumn

You have to adjust the left and right margin of the longtable if the table shall be set flush to the margins. Since this will depend on your documents margin, I leave it to you.

\documentclass[twocolumn]{article}
\usepackage{lipsum} %% To generate example text
\usepackage{array, booktabs,longtable}
\usepackage[latin]{babel}
\usepackage{multicol}


\begin{document}
\onecolumn
\begin{multicols}{2}
\lipsum[1-7] %% To generate example text
\end{multicols}
%%% Begin table %%%

\begin{longtable}[c]{>{\hangindent=1em}p{13cm}}
\toprule
\lipsum[1]\\ %% To generate example text
\lipsum[1]\\ %% To generate example text
\lipsum[1]\\ %% To generate example text
\lipsum[1]\\ %% To generate example text
\lipsum[1]\\ %% To generate example text
\bottomrule
\end{longtable}
%%% End table %%%
\begin{multicols}{2}

\lipsum[1-6] %% To generate example text
\end{multicols}

\end{document}

Best Answer

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] Making a long table continue over two columns

[Tex/LaTex] Inserting a one-column multi-page table in a two-column document

Related Question