Easy Table

Common errors

• TypeError: Table is not a constructor

  cause Attempting to instantiate `Table` using an incorrect import, typically `import { Table } from 'easy-table'` instead of `import Table from 'easy-table'` in ESM, or `require('easy-table').Table` in CommonJS if it's a default export.
  fix For ESM, use `import Table from 'easy-table'`. For CommonJS, ensure you're doing `const Table = require('easy-table')` if `Table` is the default/module.exports object.

• TypeError: t.cell is not a function

  cause `t` is not an instance of `Table`. This often happens if `new Table()` was not called, or the import of `Table` was incorrect, resulting in `t` being undefined or an unexpected object.
  fix Ensure `let t = new Table()` is called after correctly importing `Table`.

• ReferenceError: require is not defined

  cause Attempting to use `require('easy-table')` in an ECMAScript Module (ESM) context (e.g., a file with `"type": "module"` in `package.json` or a `.mjs` file).
  fix Switch to ESM import syntax: `import Table from 'easy-table'`. If you must use `require` in an ESM file, Node.js v22+ has some experimental support, or consider `await import('easy-table')` for older versions, or explicitly configure `type: 'commonjs'` in your `package.json`.

• Table does not sort correctly or throws an error for column 'XYZ'

  cause The string passed to `t.sort(['Column Name'])` does not exactly match a column name or uses an invalid sort order suffix (e.g., 'asc' vs 'ass').
  fix Verify that the column name string passed to `t.sort()` is an exact match for one of the column headers used in `t.cell()`. Ensure sort order suffixes are strictly `|asc` or `|des`.

Warnings

• breaking The package appears to be abandoned, with no new features, bug fixes, or security updates for over 5 years. Relying on it for critical applications may pose risks.
  Fix: Consider migrating to a more actively maintained library for text table rendering if new features, bug fixes, or security updates are required.
• gotcha The package primarily uses CommonJS module syntax (`require`). While it ships with TypeScript types, direct ESM `import { Table } from 'easy-table'` will likely fail in strict ESM environments because it's a default export from a CommonJS module.
  Fix: Use `import Table from 'easy-table'` for ESM projects to correctly import the default export. For CommonJS, `const Table = require('easy-table')` is correct.
• gotcha Custom cell 'printer' functions require explicit handling of the `width` parameter for correct padding. If `width` is not handled, content might not be correctly aligned or truncated when the library calculates layout.
  Fix: Ensure custom printer functions accept both `value` and `width` parameters and use `Table.padLeft` or `Table.padRight` with `width` if alignment is desired, as shown in the documentation example for `currency`.
• gotcha Sorting columns by string-based syntax (e.g., `['Column Name|des']`) is specific and can be prone to typos. No validation is provided for column names or sort orders (e.g., 'des' vs 'descending').
  Fix: Carefully check column names and use the exact `|asc` or `|des` suffixes. For complex sorting, consider providing a custom comparator function to `t.sort()`.

Install

• npm install easy-table npm
• yarn add easy-table yarn
• pnpm add easy-table pnpm

Imports

• Table (CommonJS)

  const Table = require('easy-table')

  Primary CommonJS import pattern shown in documentation.
• Table (ESM)
  wrong:

  import { Table } from 'easy-table'

  correct:

  import Table from 'easy-table'

  The package uses a CommonJS default export, which translates to a default import in ESM. Named imports like `import { Table }` will result in errors in strict ESM environments.
• Table.print
  wrong:

  import { print } from 'easy-table'; print(data)

  correct:

  import Table from 'easy-table'; Table.print(data)

  Static methods like `print` and helper functions like `number` are accessed as properties of the main `Table` export, not as named exports directly.

Quickstart

Demonstrates basic table creation, custom cell formatting, static `Table.print` usage with options, and sorting and totaling features.

import Table from 'easy-table';

const data = [
  { id: 123123, desc: 'Something awesome', price: 1000.00 },
  { id: 245452, desc: 'Very interesting book', price: 11.45},
  { id: 232323, desc: 'Yet another product', price: 555.55 }
];

// Using instance methods for fine-grained control
let t = new Table();

data.forEach(product => {
  t.cell('Product Id', product.id);
  t.cell('Description', product.desc);
  t.cell('Price, USD', product.price, Table.number(2)); // Format price to 2 decimal places
  t.newRow();
});

console.log('Formatted Table:\n' + t.toString());

// Using the static print method for quick rendering with options
console.log('\nAuto-generated Table with options:\n' + Table.print(data, {
  desc: { name: 'Product Description' }, // Rename column
  price: { printer: Table.number(2) }     // Apply printer
}));

// Example of sorting and totaling
let sortableTable = new Table();
data.forEach(product => {
  sortableTable.cell('Product Id', product.id);
  sortableTable.cell('Description', product.desc);
  sortableTable.cell('Price, USD', product.price);
  sortableTable.newRow();
});
sortableTable.sort(['Price, USD|des']); // Sort by Price descending
sortableTable.total('Price, USD', { printer: Table.aggr.printer('Total: ', Table.number(2)) });

console.log('\nSorted and Totaled Table:\n' + sortableTable.toString());