#### 36.3.6 Using span attributes to identify rows and columns

If complex tables contain header cells that span more than one column or row, you can use the following settings to have DITA2Go generate span-numbered id attributes for the dependent cells. These settings work in concert with Span cells: header cells that are assigned [HTMLParaStyles] property Span, described in §35.2.2 Using paragraph formats for table-cell attributes; or that contain PI marker type CellSpan, described in §35.2.4 Assigning table-cell attribute values with PI markers.

    [Tables]
    ; ColSpanIDs = No (to use only per markers or formats), or Yes
    ;  adds id=spanN to each cell in header rows that spans columns,
    ;   or that has a CellSpan marker, or contains any para formats
    ;   with [HTMLParaStyles] Span, increments for each one used.
    ;  adds headers=spanN to all cells below the spanning cell.
    ColSpanIDs=No
    ; ColSpanHead is usually "span".
    ColSpanHead=span
    ; RowSpanIDs = No (to use only per markers or formats), or Yes
    ;  adds id=spanN to first cell in each row if it spans rows, or
    ;   if it has a CellSpan marker, or if it has any para formats
    ;   with [HTMLParaStyles] Span, increments for each one used.
    ;  adds headers=spanN to all cells right of the spanning cell.
    ;  if ColSpan used, first ID numerically follows last ColSpanID.
    RowSpanIDs=No
    ; RowSpanHead is usually also "span"; that's why the ID numbers
    ;  used for ColSpan are skipped for RowSpan
    RowSpanHead=span

DITA2Go implements cell spans so that you can have several span values that all apply to the same cell. If you specify the [HTMLParaStyles] Span property for paragraph formats (or insert CellSpan PI markers) in multiple header columns or rows, and the higher-level headers really do span the columns or rows they affect, their span values appear in each dependent cell’s attributes.

You can override each of the *IDs settings in the [TableAccess] section for selected tables by specifying the same setting, prefixed with No, as a property; see §36.4 Overriding default table-cell settings.

Column-span and row-span identifiers

The values you specify for ColSpanHead and RowSpanHead are the names DITA2Go uses for column-spanning and row-spanning header-cell identifiers. For example, if you specify ColSpanHead=sname, every column-header Span cell gets attribute id="sname N". If you do not specify values for ColSpanHead and RowSpanHead, DITA2Go uses the default, span, for both; and numbers the row-spanning header cells starting where the column-spanning numbers end.

Column spans

When you specify ColSpanIDs=Yes, DITA2Go generates the following identifiers:

id="span N" | for each column-header Span cell (cell containing a paragraph designated [HTMLParaStyles] Span, or a CellSpan PI marker).
headers="span N" | for each cell in each column below (spanned by) the id="span n" cell.

Row spans

When you specify RowSpanIDs=Yes, DITA2Go generates the following identifiers:

id="span N" | for each row-header Span cell (cell containing a paragraph designated [HTMLParaStyles] Span, or a CellSpan PI marker), and that does not have a column ID.
headers="span N" | for each cell in each row to the right of the id="span n" cell.

Previous Topic: 36.3.5 Choosing a different row-group method

Next Topic: 36.3.7 Column-span and row-span extent

Parent Topic: 36.3 Using the id/headers method to identify table cells

Sibling Topics:

36.3.1 Choosing an id/headers level

36.3.2 Specifying id/headers attributes for table cells

36.3.3 Grouping header cells for identification

36.3.4 Column-group and row-group extent

36.3.5 Choosing a different row-group method

36.3.7 Column-span and row-span extent

36.3.8 Identifying individual table cells by row and column

36.3.9 Column and row extent

36.3.10 Using span IDs with row or column IDs