Graphics, Figures & Tables ⇒ tabularx issues

[daviddoria]

I have a table that is looking quite silly. If I don't bold the column headings, the table is "complete" (i.e. all of the cell outlines are connected), but it looks odd (the justification/word spacing is bad). If I do bold the titles, I guess it makes it too wide and the table "comes apart".

Here is the code (both ways):

Code: Select all

\documentclass[11pt,a4paper]{article}
\usepackage{tabularx}
\begin{document}

\begin{tabularx}{\textwidth}{|X|X|X|}
\hline
\multicolumn{1}{|c|}{Screencast Title} & \multicolumn{1}{c|}{Matlab Topics Covered} & \multicolumn{1}{c|}{Reinforced Course Concepts} \\ \hline
%Screencast Title & Matlab Topics Covered & Reinforced Course Concepts\\
Representing and Plotting Basic Signals & Creating and Manipulating Arrays, Creating and Labeling plots using Stem and Plot Commands & Representing Discrete-Time and Continuous-Time Signals and Plotting Them\\
\hline  
Adding Signals and Subplot Command & Adding Arrays, Sample Index, Creating and Labeling plots using Plot, Stem and Subplot commands, Labeling Using Data Cursor, Using Help menu resources effectively & Adding Discrete-Time and Continuous-Time Signals and Plotting Them\\
\hline  
Multiplying Signals & Element by element multiplication versus scalar product & Multiplication of Discrete-Time and Continuous-Time Signals\\
\hline  
Convolution of Signals & Manipulating arrays using the Conv command, selecting appropriate time increments, plotting & Finding the output of a Linear Time-Invariant System given input and impulse response, Properties of Convolution (Commutative, Distributive, Associative) \\
\hline
Finding Odd and Even Parts of Signals & Manipulating arrays using the fliplr command, Plotting, Hold Command & Odd and even components of a signal\\ \hline

\end{tabularx}

\begin{tabularx}{\textwidth}{|X|X|X|}
\hline
\multicolumn{1}{|c|}{\textbf{Screencast Title}} & \multicolumn{1}{c|}{\textbf{Matlab Topics Covered}} & \multicolumn{1}{c|}{\textbf{Reinforced Course Concepts}} \\ \hline
Representing and Plotting Basic Signals & Creating and Manipulating Arrays, Creating and Labeling plots using Stem and Plot Commands & Representing Discrete-Time and Continuous-Time Signals and Plotting Them\\
\hline  
Adding Signals and Subplot Command & Adding Arrays, Sample Index, Creating and Labeling plots using Plot, Stem and Subplot commands, Labeling Using Data Cursor, Using Help menu resources effectively & Adding Discrete-Time and Continuous-Time Signals and Plotting Them\\
\hline  
Multiplying Signals & Element by element multiplication versus scalar product & Multiplication of Discrete-Time and Continuous-Time Signals\\
\hline  
Convolution of Signals & Manipulating arrays using the Conv command, selecting appropriate time increments, plotting & Finding the output of a Linear Time-Invariant System given input and impulse response, Properties of Convolution (Commutative, Distributive, Associative) \\
\hline
Finding Odd and Even Parts of Signals & Manipulating arrays using the fliplr command, Plotting, Hold Command & Odd and even components of a signal\\ \hline

\end{tabularx}

\end{document}

Any suggestions on how to clean this up?

Thanks!

Dave

[CrazyHorse]

Any suggestions on how to clean this up?

Code: Select all

\documentclass[11pt,a4paper]{article}
\usepackage{tabularx}
\usepackage{ragged2e}
\begin{document}

\begin{tabularx}{\textwidth}{|X|X|X|}
\hline
\bf\Centering Screencast Title & \bf\Centering Matlab Topics Covered & \bf\Centering Reinforced Course Concepts\\ \hline
%Screencast Title & Matlab Topics Covered & Reinforced Course Concepts\\
Representing and Plotting Basic Signals & Creating and Manipulating Arrays, Creating and Labeling plots using Stem and Plot Commands & Representing Discrete-Time and Continuous-Time Signals and Plotting Them\\
\hline 
Adding Signals and Subplot Command & Adding Arrays, Sample Index, Creating and Labeling plots using Plot, Stem and Subplot commands, Labeling Using Data Cursor, Using Help menu resources effectively & Adding Discrete-Time and Continuous-Time Signals and Plotting Them\\
\hline 
Multiplying Signals & Element by element multiplication versus scalar product & Multiplication of Discrete-Time and Continuous-Time Signals\\
\hline 
Convolution of Signals & Manipulating arrays using the Conv command, selecting appropriate time increments, plotting & Finding the output of a Linear Time-Invariant System given input and impulse response, Properties of Convolution (Commutative, Distributive, Associative) \\
\hline
Finding Odd and Even Parts of Signals & Manipulating arrays using the fliplr command, Plotting, Hold Command & Odd and even components of a signal\\ \hline
\end{tabularx}
\end{document}

Herbert

[daviddoria]

Interesting - that is closer. Is there a way to turn off the hyphen breaks? For example, the middle title is "Matlab Topics Covered". It looks like it would fit as

Matlab Topics
Covered

but instead it appears as

Matlab Top-
ics Covered

Thanks for the help so far.

David