# Tables in pure Markdown

**URL:** <https://talk.commonmark.org/t/tables-in-pure-markdown/81>\
**Category:** Extensions\
**Created:** [September 3, 2014, 8:48pm UTC](https://talk.commonmark.org/t/tables-in-pure-markdown/81 "2014-09-03T20:48:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 165

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**Author:** ![vas](https://talk.commonmark.org/user_avatar/talk.commonmark.org/vas/32/1267_2.png) [@vas](https://talk.commonmark.org/u/vas)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 12:00pm UTC](https://talk.commonmark.org/t/tables-in-pure-markdown/81/165 "2021-01-02T12:00:51Z")

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> [@jackdw](#):
>
> My main beef with the simple table is how to recognize it as a parser when parsing. Even |----| is better because it clearly indicates that it is a table. How does the Simple Table example definitively declare itself to be a table?

Pandoc doesn’t seem to have any trouble. That example is after all what Pandoc supports. If I remember correctly it’s the line that separates the header from regular rows that is key. But to be sure take a look at the Pandoc docs.

The human eye sees a table because it sees the vertical columns of white space that delineate table columns, much like it sees horizontal lines of white space (i.e. blank lines). I’ve been working on a parser that does the same. Turns out it isn’t that hard, no AI needed: simply treat any vertically aligned white space that is 2 or more characters wide as a column delimiter.

The human eye perceives blank columns much like it perceives blank lines.

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