How to fix uneven column when using \cline

Question

I am new to LaTeX and I am trying to create a table. I have read all the documentation about tables from Wikibooks. The problem I am having is while using \cline my column spacing is uneven.

I've have the following code:

    %begin table 1
\begin{table*}
\centering      
\caption{Description of datasets of proficiency test results from AAFCO check sample program}
\setlength{\abovecaptionskip}{10pt}
\setlength{\belowcaptionskip}{-12pt}
\setlength\extrarowheight{4pt} % sets row height
\setlength{\tabcolsep}{15pt} % sets column space
%\renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1}
\vspace{6pt}

\scalebox{1.0}{
\begin{tabular}{ | c | c | c | c | c |  }
\hline
\multirow{2}{}{Year} & \multirow{2}{}{Feed Type} & \multicolumn{2}{ c| }{# of laboratories 
submitting the PT results} & \multirow{2}{*}{# of analyses} \ \cline{3-4}
&   & Min &  Max &  \
\hline
test & test & test & test & test \
\hline
\end{tabular}
\label{tab:tab1}
}
\end{table*}
%end table 1

one remedy that I have tried is using \multirow{1}{2.5cm}{Min}, but my text is not aligned. Picture is below

I am trying to recreate this table. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

It is much easier to help if you provide a test document not just a fragment but avoid doing this \scalebox{1.0}{ scaling tables should b a non-aim, although a scale factor of 1 is just slowing things down and forcing a space at the start. I don't see any column spacing related to cline that is uneven. can you clarify what you want to change? — David Carlisle, Mar 23 '22 at 17:30
Related: Table column widths disproportionate due to multicolumn cell being too long You may also be interested in the hspan=even option offered by the tabularray package. — leandriis, Mar 23 '22 at 17:31
oh you mean min and max, that's due to the multicolumn as leandriis just commented — David Carlisle, Mar 23 '22 at 17:31
@leandriis thank you! I will investigate the use hspan and the related post. — jay0987, Mar 23 '22 at 17:48
Does the fact that you're using a table* environment mean that your document uses a two-column layout? Please advise. — Mico, Mar 23 '22 at 18:06

score 3 · Accepted Answer · edited Mar 23 '22 at 19:40

3

A solution with the wc column type. I removed the \scalebox command, which shouldn't be used with tables, as it leads to inconsistent font sizes.

    \documentclass{article}
    \usepackage{graphicx}
    \usepackage{array, multirow}
    \usepackage{makecell}
\begin{document}

\begin{table*}
\centering
\caption{Description of datasets of proficiency test results from AAFCO check sample program}

    \setlength{\abovecaptionskip}{10pt}
    \setlength{\belowcaptionskip}{-12pt}
    \setlength\extrarowheight{4pt} % sets row height
    \setlength{\tabcolsep}{15pt} % sets column space
    \vspace{6pt}
\begin{tabular}{ | c | c | wc{15mm} | wc{15mm} | c | }
\hline
\multirow{2}{*}{Year} &amp; \multirow{2}{*}{Feed Type} &amp; \multicolumn{2}{ c| }{\makecell{\# of laboratories\\
submitting the PT results}} &amp; \multirow{2}{*}{\# of analyses} \\ \cline{3-4}
 &amp; &amp; Min &amp; Max &amp; \\
\hline
test &amp; test &amp; test &amp; test &amp; test \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\label{tab:tab1}
\end{table*}

\end{document}

edited Mar 23 '22 at 19:40

Sebastiano

54,118

answered Mar 23 '22 at 18:16

Bernard

271,350

1

Thanks for the edit, @Sebastiano ! : o) – Bernard Mar 23 '22 at 19:37
Ahahahah :-) you're welcome. It is always a pleasure to help the other users. – Sebastiano Mar 23 '22 at 19:40
so the wc column type sets a determined word limit, and the \makecell command is for putting contents within that cell @Bernard? – jay0987 Mar 24 '22 at 16:21
@jay0987: The wc column type is a recent column type, somewhet like p, but adds that the contents is centred; makecell allows for line breaks in all types of cells, and its contents is centred by default, both vertically and horizontally. – Bernard Mar 24 '22 at 16:29
@Bernard: I did not know that. I haven't seen that yet. I have only seen the column types p, m, and b for alignment. Thank you for your time and speedy reply! – jay0987 Mar 24 '22 at 16:37
@jay0987: This is explained (I mean wc and similar) in the documentation of recent versions of the array package. – Bernard Mar 24 '22 at 16:43

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 23 '22 at 18:05

Here's a solution which (a) uses a tabularx enviroment and allows automatic line-breaking (with hanging indentation) in the second column and (b) uses fixed equal widths for columns 3, 4, and 5. It also does away with all vertical lines and uses few, but well-spaced horizontal lines.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{booktabs} % for well-spaced horizontal rules
\usepackage{array}    % for 'w' and 'm' column types
\usepackage{tabularx,ragged2e}
\newcolumntype{L}{>{\RaggedRight\hangafter=1\hangindent=1em}X}
\usepackage{calc}
\usepackage[skip=0.5\baselineskip]{caption}
\begin{document}
\begin{table*}

\caption{Description of datasets of proficiency test results 
         from AAFCO check sample program}
\label{tab:tab1}
\newlength\mylen
\settowidth\mylen{# of analyses} % measure widths of cols 2 thru 5
\begin{tabularx}{\textwidth}{@{} l L {3}{wc{\mylen}} @{}}
\toprule
Year 
& Feed Type 
& \multicolumn{2}{ >{\centering}m{2\mylen+2\tabcolsep} }{%
  # of laboratories submitting the PT results} 
& # of analyses \ 
\cmidrule(lr){3-4}
& & min & max & \
\midrule
2022 
   & Beet pulp & 5 & 55 & 45 \
   & Calf starter\slash grower, medicated & 6 & 209 & 58 \
   & \dots \
   & Ewe developer &amp; gestation feed, medicated & 10 & 214 & 35 \
   & \dots \
   & Pelleted sheep concentrate, medicated & 7 & 212 & 54 \
   & \dots \
   & Swine grower, medicated & 5 & 155 & 55 \
\bottomrule
\end{tabularx}
\end{table}
\end{document}

thank you for your solution and time. – jay0987 Mar 24 '22 at 16:13 — jay0987, Mar 24 '22 at 16:13

How to fix uneven column when using \cline

2 Answers2