How can I draw this simple diagram? I unsuccesfully tried with table

Question

Is there a way to precisely draw this simple diagram? Using tables the outcome is ugly and not as readable as it should be. Or maybe I'm not so good with tables :) Thanks in advance for your help!

diagram

"Or maybe I'm not so good with tables" glad you've said that. — CroCo, Dec 28 '17 at 21:58
Related: https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/79998/is-it-possible-to-draw-an-n-by-n-grid-with-text-in-each-cell-with-a-different-b — Cragfelt, Dec 29 '17 at 09:09

score 7 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 28 '17 at 18:24

Please add a TeX code to your next question.

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\[
\begin{array}{ccccc}
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & \\
\cline{1-4}
\multicolumn{1}{|c|}{a} & \multicolumn{1}{|c|}{b}
& \multicolumn{1}{|c|}{x} &\multicolumn{1}{|c|}{a} & 0\\
\cline{1-4}
& \multicolumn{1}{|c|}{a}
& \multicolumn{1}{|c|}{x} &\multicolumn{1}{|c|}{a} & 1\\
\cline{2-4}
 & & \multicolumn{1}{|c|}{x} &\multicolumn{1}{|c|}{b} & 2\\
\cline{3-4}
& & &\multicolumn{1}{|c|}{x} & 3\\
\cline{4-4}
\end{array}
\]
\end{document}

score 5 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 28 '17 at 20:08

A semantically cleaner solution with blkarray:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{blkarray}

\begin{document}

\[ \setlength{\BAextrarowheight}{2pt}
  \makeatletter\setlength{\BA@colsep}{5pt}\makeatother
  \begin{blockarray}{*{5}{c}}
    1 & 2 & 3 & 4 \\
    \cline{1-4}%
    \begin{block}{*{4}{|c}|c}
      a & b & x & a & 0 \\
      \BAhhline{----|~}
    \end{block}
    \begin{block}{c*{3}{|c}|c}
      & a & x & a & 1\\
      \BAhhline{~|---|~}%
    \end{block}
    \begin{block}{cc*{2}{|c}|c}
      & & x & b & 2 \\
      \BAhhline{~~|--|~}%
    \end{block}
    \begin{block}{*{3}{c}|c|c}
      & & & x & 3 \\
      \BAhhline{~~~|-|~}%
    \end{block}
  \end{blockarray} \]

\end{document}

wipet · Answer 3 · 2017-12-29T05:55:24.207

You can use only \hbox, \vbox, \hrule and \vrule primitives:

\newdimen\bxwidth  \bxwidth=1.2em

\def\p #1 #2 #3 #4 {\par\hbox{\bp{#1}\bp{#2}\bp{#3}\bp{#4}}}
\def\r #1 {\smallskip\hrule width\dimexpr 4\bxwidth+.4pt\relax}
\def\x #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 {\hbox{\bx{#1}\bx{#2}\bx{#3}\bx{#4}\vrule\bp{#5}}\nointerlineskip}
\def\bp#1{\hbox to\bxwidth{\hss#1\hss}}%
\def\bx#1{\ifx.#1\bp{}%
   \else \lower\dimexpr.2\bxwidth+.4pt\vbox{
      \bp{\unskip\vrule height.8\bxwidth depth.2\bxwidth\hfil $#1$}\hrule}%
   \fi
}

\p 1 2 3 4
\r -------
\x a b x a 0 
\x . a x a 1
\x . . x b 2
\x . . . x 3

\bye

Cragfelt · Answer 4 · 2017-12-31T08:13:23.877

UPDATE

This is a version using a matrix of TikZ, with perfect squared boxes.

\documentclass[border=4mm,tikz]{standalone}
\usetikzlibrary{matrix}

\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}

\tikzset{square matrix/.style = {
    matrix of math nodes,
    row sep = -\pgflinewidth,
    column sep = -\pgflinewidth,
    nodes = {draw,
        minimum height = 2em,
        text width = 2em,
        anchor = center,
        align = center,
        inner sep = 0pt
    },
  },
  square matrix/.default = 1cm
}
\matrix (m) [square matrix]
{
  &   &   &   &            \\
a & b & x & a & |[white]|. \\
  & a & x & a & |[white]|. \\
  &   & x & b & |[white]|. \\
  &   &   & b & |[white]|. \\
};
\foreach \i in {2,...,5}
  {
    \pgfmathtruncatemacro{\y}{\i - 2}
    \node at (m-\i-5) {$\y$};
    \pgfmathtruncatemacro{\x}{\i - 1}
    \node[above, inner sep = 3mm] at (m-2-\x.north) {$\x$};
  }
\draw (m-2-5.north west)--(m-5-5.south west);

\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

And just for fun... here is an odd solution with skyline puzzle of LogicPuzzle package.

\documentclass[border=4mm]{standalone}    
\usepackage{logicpuzzle}

\begin{document}

\skylinesetup{rows=4, columns=4}
\begin{skyline}
    \skylineT{1,2,3,4}
    \skylineR{3,2,1,0}
    \setrow{4}{$a$,$b$,$x$,$a$}
    \setrow{3}{{},$a$,$x$,$a$}
    \setrow{2}{{},{},$x$,$b$}
    \setrow{1}{{},{},{},$x$}
    \begin{puzzlebackground}
      \fillarea{blue!20}{%
        (4,1)--(5,1)--(5,5)--(1,5)--(1,4)--(2,4)--(2,3)--(3,3)--(3,2)--(4,2)--(4,1)}
      %\fillarea{white}{(1,1)--(4,1)--(4,2)--(3,2)--(3,3)--(2,3)--(2,4)--(1,4)--(1,1)}
    \end{puzzlebackground}
\end{skyline}

\end{document}

Notes

The package only works with rectangular grids, so there is no possibility to make the exact figure as the question requires to in this case.
The commented \fillarea{white}{...} line is for coloring and enframe the other part of the grid. Colors can be changed at will.

I have to say, my perfect squared boxes was corrected and pointed out by CarLaTeX with minimum height = 2em, text width = 2em, inner sep = 0ptinstructions. She deleted the comments. — Cragfelt, Dec 31 '17 at 09:19

score 4 · Answer 5 · answered Dec 30 '17 at 23:07

4

You can use ytableau:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{ytableau}

\begin{document}

\begin{ytableau}
\none[1] & \none[2] & \none[3] & \none[4] \\
a        & b        & x        & a        & \none[0] \\
\none    & a        & x        & a        & \none[1] \\
\none    & \none    & x        & b        & \none[2] \\
\none    & \none    & \none    & x        & \none[3]
\end{ytableau}

\end{document}

answered Dec 30 '17 at 23:07

egreg

1,121,712

(+1) For showing us that there is always a simpler way to do the things (and for Sportmanship). – Cragfelt Dec 31 '17 at 08:33

score 2 · Answer 6 · edited Jun 10 '20 at 12:32

A tabular solution:

\documentclass{article}
\def\multl#1{\multicolumn{1}{|c}{#1}}
\def\multc#1{\multicolumn{1}{|c}{#1}}
\def\multr#1{\multicolumn{1}{c|}{#1}}
\def\multcr#1{\multicolumn{1}{|c|}{#1}}
\begin{document}
\begin{tabular}{*{5}{c}}
  1&2&3&4&\\cline{1-4}
  \multl{a}&\multc{b}&\multc{x}&\multcr{a}&0\\cline{1-4}
  &&\multl{x}&\multcr{b}&1\\cline{3-4}
  &&&\multcr{x}&2\\cline{4-4}
  &&&x&3
\end{tabular}
\end{document}

(PS: The line missing before "a" is fixed in the code )

How can I draw this simple diagram? I unsuccesfully tried with table

6 Answers6

UPDATE

Notes

Linked