Create a simple table with borders

Essential styles

Setup essential styles for demos

\pgfplotstableset{
    /pgfplots/compat = 1.17,
    tex/.style = {col sep = &, row sep = \\},
    text cells/.style = {string type,tblr={ column{1,Z}={c} }},
    tblr/.style = {environment=tblr, every table/.append code={\SetTblrInner[tblr,talltblr,longtblr]{#1}}},
    tblr outer/.style = {tblr, every table/.append code={\SetTblrOuter[tblr,talltblr,longtblr]{#1}}},
    environment/.style={begin table=\begin{#1}{},end table=\end{#1},skip coltypes,environment/.style={}},
    caption/.style = {tblr outer={tall,caption={#1}}},
}

• tex: Use LaTeX’s default tabular separators for columns & and rows \\
• text cells: Don’t parse cells as numbers, center align cells
• tblr: use the tabularray environment
• tblr=⟨key-value pairs⟩: add inner tabularray configuration
• tblr outer=⟨key-value pairs⟩: add outer tabularray configuration
• environment: set environment to be used by pgfplotstable, and don’t generate column types
• caption: Add table number to identify the demo tables

Setup demo projects

\documentclass{article} \pagestyle{empty}
\renewcommand{\thetable}{⟨chapter⟩\alph{table}} \setcounter{table}{⟨skip n letters⟩}
\usepackage{pgfplotstable,tabularray}
\pgfplotstableset{…}
\begin{document}
\end{document}

• Use article class without page numbers for easier pdf cropping
• chapter: set number at the start of table numbers
• skip n letters: start the table numbers with the $n+1^{\text{th}}$ letter of the lowercase alphabet, default 0

Add table borders

Use essential styles from above

Setup styles for border lines

\pgfplotstableset{
    hlines/.style={tblr={ hline{1,Z}={.08em},hline{2}={.05em} }},
    hasrowname/.style={every first column/.append style={string type}, tblr={ column{1}={l} }},
    cross/.style={hasrowname, tblr={ vline{2}, hline{2} }},
    frame/.style={tblr={ vline{1,Z}={.08em},hline{1,Z}={.08em} }},
    innergrid/.style={tblr={ vline{2-Y},hline{2-Y} }},
    boldcolname/.style={tblr={ row{1}={font=\bfseries} }},
    boldrowname/.style={hasrowname, tblr={ column{1}={font=\bfseries} }},
}

Rule widths equals booktabs’ defaults for toprule, midrule, and bottomrule

Add thick horizontal lines around the table and a regular line below the first row, see $1a$

• Use style hlines

Add two crossing lines separating the first row and first column from the rest, see $1b$

• Visually clarify column titles and row titles
• Left aligns the first column
• Use style cross requiring hasrowname

Add inner gridlines, see $1c,1d$

• Vertical and horizontal lines everywhere except the outside border
• Use style innergrid

Box the table with a thick frame line, see $1c,1f$

• Use style frame

Format the first row bold, see $1c,1e$

• Use style boldcolname

Format the first column bold, see $1c,1f$

• Left aligns the first column
• Use style boldrowname requiring hasrowname

Demos with essential styles tex, text cells, and caption from > Essential styles as default:

Complete source code for $1a-1f$

\documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\renewcommand{\thetable}{1\alph{table}}
\usepackage{pgfplotstable,tabularray}
\pgfplotstableset{
    /pgfplots/compat = 1.17,
    tex/.style = {col sep = &, row sep = \\},
    text cells/.style = {string type,tblr={ column{1,Z}={c} }},
    tblr/.style = {environment=tblr, every table/.append code={\SetTblrInner[tblr,talltblr,longtblr]{#1}}},
    tblr outer/.style = {tblr, every table/.append code={\SetTblrOuter[tblr,talltblr,longtblr]{#1}}},
    environment/.style={begin table=\begin{#1}{},end table=\end{#1},skip coltypes,environment/.style={}},
    caption/.style = {tblr outer={tall,caption={#1}}},
    hlines/.style={tblr={ hline{1,Z}={.08em},hline{2}={.05em} }},
    hasrowname/.style={every first column/.append style={string type}, tblr={ column{1}={l} }},
    cross/.style={hasrowname, tblr={ vline{2}, hline{2} }},
    frame/.style={tblr={ vline{1,Z}={.08em},hline{1,Z}={.08em} }},
    innergrid/.style={tblr={ vline{2-Y},hline{2-Y} }},
    boldcolname/.style={tblr={ row{1}={font=\bfseries} }},
    boldrowname/.style={hasrowname, tblr={ column{1}={font=\bfseries} }},
    tex,tblr,text cells,caption
}
\begin{document}
\noindent
\pgfplotstabletypeset[hlines]{
    Name & Identifier \\
    Peter & 3 \\
    Io & Hat \\
    Lara & $\triangle$ \\
}
\hspace{1cm}
\pgfplotstabletypeset[cross]{
    Name & Identifier \\
    Peter & 3 \\
    Io & Hat \\
    Lara & $\triangle$ \\
}
\hspace{1cm}
\pgfplotstabletypeset[frame,innergrid,boldcolname,boldrowname]{
    Name & Identifier \\
    Peter & 3 \\
    Io & Hat \\
    Lara & $\triangle$ \\
}
 
\vspace{1em}\noindent
\pgfplotstabletypeset[innergrid]{
    Name & Identifier \\
    Peter & 3 \\
    Io & Hat \\
    Lara & $\triangle$ \\
}
\hspace{1cm}
\pgfplotstabletypeset[boldcolname]{
    Name & Identifier \\
    Peter & 3 \\
    Io & Hat \\
    Lara & $\triangle$ \\
}
\hspace{1cm}
\pgfplotstabletypeset[frame,boldrowname]{
    Name & Identifier \\
    Peter & 3 \\
    Io & Hat \\
    Lara & $\triangle$ \\
}
\end{document}

Make booktabs compatible with tabularray

Replace hlines and frame styles

\UseTblrLibrary{booktabs}
\pgfplotstableset{
    hlines/.style={tblr={ hline{1,Z}={\heavyrulewidth},hline{2}={\lightrulewidth} }},
    frame/.style={tblr={ vline{1,Z}={\heavyrulewidth},hline{1,Z}={\heavyrulewidth} }},
}

Change heavy rule width, see modified $1{\mathrm{a}}^{\prime },1{\mathrm{b}}^{\prime },1{\mathrm{c}}^{\prime }$

\heavyrulewidth=1.5pt

Create borders without tabularray

Use tabularray if you somehow can. If you have to use another tabular environment, it is still possible to create styles for border lines. To set the rule width of line, booktabs is used.

Problem: Booktabs creates gaps within vertical lines and next to colored rows:

Workaround: Remove booktabs’ vertical spacing

• Remove vertical separation from \toprule, \midrule, \bottomrule
• Create custom width vertical lines with !{\vrule width .08em} in the column type

\setlength{\abovetopsep}{0em}
\setlength{\aboverulesep}{0em}
\setlength{\belowrulesep}{0em}
\setlength{\belowbottomsep}{0em}
!{\vrule width .08em}

Ugly example: Remove booktabs vertical space for conflicts

• boldcolname* or boldrowname* must be applied before any line styles

\documentclass{article} \pagestyle{empty}
\usepackage{pgfplotstable,booktabs}
\pgfplotstableset{
    /pgfplots/compat = 1.17,
    tex/.style = {col sep = &, row sep = \\},
    text cells*/.style = {string type},
    hlines*/.style = {
        every head row/.style = {before row = \toprule, after row = \midrule},
        every last row/.style = {after row = \bottomrule}, },
    cross*/.style = {clearbooktabssep*,
        every first column/.style = {column type=l|,string type},
        every head row/.append style = {after row = \midrule} },
    clearbooktabssep*/.style = {every table/.code = {
        \setlength{\abovetopsep}{0em}\setlength{\aboverulesep}{0em}
        \setlength{\belowrulesep}{0em}\setlength{\belowbottomsep}{0em} }},
    frame*/.style = {
        every head row/.append style = {before row = \toprule },
        every last row/.append style = {after row = \bottomrule },
        every first column/.style = {column type/.add={!{\vrule width .08em}}{}},
        every last column/.style = {column type/.add={}{!{\vrule width .08em}}},
        clearbooktabssep*, },
    innergrid*/.style = {
        every column/.code={\ifnum\pgfplotstablecol>0 \pgfkeysalso{column type/.add={|}{}} \fi},
        every even row/.style={before row/.add=\hline}, 
        every odd row/.style={before row/.add=\hline}, },
    boldcolname*/.style = {assign column name/.style={/pgfplots/table/column name={\textbf{##1}}}},
    boldrowname*/.style = {every first column/.style = {column type=l},before row=\bfseries},
    tex, text cells*
}
\begin{document}
\pgfplotstabletypeset[hlines*]{
    Name & Identifier \\
    Peter & 3 \\
    Io & 7 \\
    Lara & $\cap$ \\
}
\hspace{1cm}
\pgfplotstabletypeset[cross*]{
    Name & Identifier \\
    Peter & 3 \\
    Io & 7 \\
    Lara & $\cap$ \\
}
\hspace{1cm}
\pgfplotstabletypeset[boldcolname*,boldrowname*,frame*,innergrid*]{
    Name & Identifier \\
    Peter & 3 \\
    Io & 7 \\
    Lara & $\cap$ \\
}
\end{document}