ascii-table-renderer

When to use this skill

CRITICAL TRIGGER RULE

• Use this skill ONLY when the user explicitly mentions the exact skill name: ascii-table-renderer.

Trigger phrases include:

• "ascii-table-renderer"
• "use ascii-table-renderer"
• "Use ascii-table-renderer to print a list as a table"
• "Use ascii-table-renderer to generate ASCII tables (alignment/column width)"

Boundary

• Do not fetch data (DB/API). Only render and format output.
• Default borders are ASCII-only: + - |.
• Out of scope: merged cells, multi-row headers, complex spanning layouts.

How to use this skill

Inputs

• headers (required)
• rows (required)
• maxWidth (default 80)
• maxColWidth (default 20)
• borderStyle (light | minimal, default light)
• overflow (ellipsis | wrap, default ellipsis)
• align (left | right | center, default left)

Outputs (required)

• tableCompact (log-friendly)
• tableReadable (interactive-friendly)
• rules (width/truncation/null/alignment rules)

Steps

1. Compute per-column widths: min(maxColWidth, max(contentWidth))
2. Handle overflow:
   • ellipsis: use ... consistently
   • wrap: wrap within column width while keeping row alignment
3. Output two variants:
   • compact: minimal or fewer separators
   • readable: clearer borders

Script

• scripts/render_table.py: render tables from JSON stdin (compact/readable)

Examples

• examples/basic.md

Quality checklist

1. Columns align consistently; each line does not exceed maxWidth
2. Null values are rendered as -
3. Copy/paste safe (no trailing spaces)

Keywords

English: ascii-table-renderer, ascii table, align, columns, rows, truncate, wrap, terminal, log Chinese: ascii-table-renderer, ASCII table, alignment, column width, truncation, line wrapping, terminal, logging, ticket

Common Pitfalls (Gotchas)

1. Version compatibility: Pay attention to the compatibility between framework versions and dependency libraries; APIs may differ across versions
2. Configuration file format: Configuration file format errors are the most common issue; it is recommended to use your editor's syntax checking
3. Environment variables: Ensure all necessary environment variables are set correctly, and do not hard-code sensitive information
4. Dependency conflicts: When multiple versions coexist, watch out for dependency conflicts and use a lock file to pin versions
5. Performance pitfalls: Pay attention to performance optimization in large-data scenarios, and avoid common problems such as N+1 queries

Usage workflow

Step 1: Environment preparation

Ensure the necessary dependencies and tools are installed in the development environment.

Step 2: Configuration initialization

Perform basic configuration according to project requirements.

Step 3: Core feature usage

Implement the core functionality according to the example code.

Step 4: Test verification

Run tests to ensure the functionality works properly.

Step 5: Deployment and release

After development is complete, proceed with deployment and monitoring.