# Edit Recent Posts to Display HTML-Tables with Markdown

Users have been using $$\rm\LaTeX$$'s array environment for displaying tables. For instance, in the MathJax Tutorial's "Table" section,

\begin{array}{c|c|c|c}
\style{font-family:inherit}{\text{Day}} & \style{font-family:inherit}{\text{Credit}}
& \style{font-family:inherit}{\text{Debit}} & \style{font-family:inherit}{\text{Total}}\\\hline
0                                       & 0    & 0   & 10000 \\\hline
1                                       & 100  & 500 & 9600 \\\hline
2                                       & 0    & 400 & 10000 \\\hline
3                                       & 1000 & 500 & 10500
\end{array}


gives

$$\begin{array}{c|c|c|c} \style{font-family:inherit}{\text{Day}} & \style{font-family:inherit}{\text{Credit}} & \style{font-family:inherit}{\text{Debit}} & \style{font-family:inherit}{\text{Total}}\\\hline 0 & 0 & 0 & 10000 \\\hline 1 & 100 & 500 & 9600 \\\hline 2 & 0 & 400 & 10000 \\\hline 3 & 1000 & 500 & 10500 \end{array}$$

Should we accept edits that convert recent posts (say, published within 2 days) containing tables rendered by $$\rm\LaTeX$$'s array environment into the corresponding Markdown syntax?

| Day | Credit | Debit | Total |
| --: | --: | --: | --: |
| 0 | 0    | 0   | 10000 |
| 1 | 100  | 500 | 9600 |
| 2 | 0    | 400 | 10000 |
| 3 | 1000 | 500 | 10500 |

Day Credit Debit Total
0 0 0 10000
1 100 500 9600
2 0 400 10000
3 1000 500 10500
• Why should we accept such edit suggestions? The array environment seems to suit the purpose just fine. If the only edit being suggested is to transform into markdown, then I think it ought to be rejected as providing "no improvement whatsoever." Dec 31 '20 at 19:09
• It's been awhile since you posted this, so perhaps enthusiasm has waned. In any case here is a link to the announcement on Meta.SE. May 12 at 19:10

## 1 Answer

Does the Latex array work for accessibility tools the same way as the tables? If the markdown is more accessible than the array, then this is an inclusivity issue, and these edits are improving the post, and should be approved.

On the flipside, unless you can demonstrate that the markdown tables and LaTeX arrays are functionally identical in every way, and someone has made the effort to edit them into the known-accessible and Stack Exchange-fixable format, why would you reject that effort, purely on the basis that you personally (meant here generically addressing all such users, not a specific user here or elsewhere) don't see the difference?

• If I were more knowledgeable about HTML semantics, I would have posted an answer for my own question. I believe that web developers prefer standard HTML syntax rather than a rendered result using an external JS library. Jan 1 at 2:46