This example demonstrates Tabulate’s excellent support for Unicode characters, including multi-byte characters from various writing systems around the world.
Complete Example
#include <tabulate/table.hpp>
using namespace tabulate;
using Row_t = Table::Row_t;
int main() {
Table table;
table.format()
.corner("♥")
.font_style({FontStyle::bold})
.corner_color(Color::magenta)
.border_color(Color::magenta);
table.add_row(Row_t{"English", "I love you"});
table.add_row(Row_t{"French", "Je t'aime"});
table.add_row(Row_t{"Spanish", "Te amo"});
table.add_row(Row_t{"German", "Ich liebe Dich"});
table.add_row(Row_t{"Mandarin Chinese", "我爱你"});
table.add_row(Row_t{"Japanese", "愛してる"});
table.add_row(Row_t{"Korean", "사랑해 (Saranghae)"});
table.add_row(Row_t{"Greek", "Σ΄αγαπώ (Se agapo)"});
table.add_row(Row_t{"Italian", "Ti amo"});
table.add_row(Row_t{"Russian", "Я тебя люблю (Ya tebya liubliu)"});
table.add_row(Row_t{"Hebrew", "אני אוהב אותך (Ani ohev otakh)"});
// Column 1 is using multi-byte characters
table.column(1).format().multi_byte_characters(true);
std::cout << table << std::endl;
}
Output
The table will render beautifully with proper character alignment:
♥─────────────────♥────────────────────────────────────────♥
│ English │ I love you │
♥─────────────────♥────────────────────────────────────────♥
│ French │ Je t'aime │
♥─────────────────♥────────────────────────────────────────♥
│ Spanish │ Te amo │
♥─────────────────♥────────────────────────────────────────♥
│ German │ Ich liebe Dich │
♥─────────────────♥────────────────────────────────────────♥
│ Mandarin Chinese│ 我爱你 │
♥─────────────────♥────────────────────────────────────────♥
│ Japanese │ 愛してる │
♥─────────────────♥────────────────────────────────────────♥
│ Korean │ 사랑해 (Saranghae) │
♥─────────────────♥────────────────────────────────────────♥
│ Greek │ Σ΄αγαπώ (Se agapo) │
♥─────────────────♥────────────────────────────────────────♥
│ Italian │ Ti amo │
♥─────────────────♥────────────────────────────────────────♥
│ Russian │ Я тебя люблю (Ya tebya liubliu) │
♥─────────────────♥────────────────────────────────────────♥
│ Hebrew │ אני אוהב אותך (Ani ohev otakh) │
♥─────────────────♥────────────────────────────────────────♥
Key Features
Multi-Byte Character Support
The critical setting for proper Unicode rendering:
// Enable multi-byte character support for columns with Unicode text
table.column(1).format().multi_byte_characters(true);
Without multi_byte_characters(true), the table may appear misaligned because multi-byte characters (like Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hebrew, etc.) take up more bytes than they do display width.
Custom Corner Characters
Make your tables unique with Unicode corner symbols:
table.format()
.corner("♥") // Use heart symbol for corners
.corner_color(Color::magenta); // Color the corners
table.format().corner("♥");
You can use any Unicode character for corners, borders, and column separators to create unique table styles.
Border Styling
The entire border can be styled with color and custom characters:
table.format()
.corner("♥")
.corner_color(Color::magenta)
.border_color(Color::magenta)
.font_style({FontStyle::bold});
Supported Writing Systems
Tabulate correctly handles width calculations for:
East Asian Scripts
table.add_row(Row_t{"Chinese", "你好世界"});
table.add_row(Row_t{"Japanese", "こんにちは世界"});
table.add_row(Row_t{"Korean", "안녕하세요"});
// Enable multi-byte support
table.column(1).format().multi_byte_characters(true);
Right-to-Left Scripts
table.add_row(Row_t{"Arabic", "مرحبا بالعالم"});
table.add_row(Row_t{"Hebrew", "שלום עולם"});
// Enable multi-byte support
table.column(1).format().multi_byte_characters(true);
Complex Scripts
table.add_row(Row_t{"Hindi", "नमस्ते दुनिया"});
table.add_row(Row_t{"Thai", "สวัสดีชาวโลก"});
table.add_row(Row_t{"Bengali", "ওহে বিশ্ব"});
// Enable multi-byte support
table.column(1).format().multi_byte_characters(true);
Special Symbols
// Runic characters
table.add_row(Row_t{"Runic", "ᚠ ᚡ ᚢ ᚣ ᚤ ᚥ ᚦ ᚧ ᚨ ᚩ"});
// Mathematical symbols
table.add_row(Row_t{"Math", "∑ ∫ ∂ ∇ √ ∞ ≈ ≠ ≤ ≥"});
// Emoji
table.add_row(Row_t{"Emoji", "🔥 💯 ✨ 🚀 ❤️ 👍 🎉"});
All columns containing multi-byte characters must have multi_byte_characters(true) set to ensure proper alignment.
Advanced Unicode Examples
Mixed Content
You can mix ASCII and Unicode in the same table:
Table mixed;
mixed.add_row(Row_t{"Item", "Symbol", "Description"});
mixed.add_row(Row_t{"Check", "✓", "Task completed"});
mixed.add_row(Row_t{"Cross", "✗", "Task failed"});
mixed.add_row(Row_t{"Warning", "⚠", "Attention required"});
mixed.add_row(Row_t{"Star", "★", "Featured item"});
// Only the Symbol column needs multi-byte support
mixed.column(1).format().multi_byte_characters(true);
Box Drawing Characters
Create custom table styles with Unicode box-drawing characters:
Table box;
box.format()
.corner("╔")
.border_top("═")
.border_bottom("═")
.border_left("║")
.border_right("║");
box.add_row(Row_t{"Fancy", "Border", "Style"});
Colored Unicode
Combine colors with Unicode characters:
table.add_row(Row_t{"Fire", "🔥🔥🔥"});
table[table.size() - 1][1]
.format()
.multi_byte_characters(true)
.font_color(Color::red)
.font_style({FontStyle::bold});
Best Practices
Always Enable Multi-Byte Support
For any column that might contain Unicode:
// Apply to specific columns
table.column(1).format().multi_byte_characters(true);
// Or apply to entire table
table.format().multi_byte_characters(true);
Test with Actual Data
Unicode rendering can vary by terminal and font:
Test your tables in the actual environment where they’ll be displayed. Some terminals have better Unicode support than others.
Consider Font Support
Not all fonts include all Unicode characters:
// Stick to common Unicode ranges for maximum compatibility
// Most terminals support:
// - Latin Extended
// - Greek and Coptic
// - Cyrillic
// - CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean)
// - Arabic
// - Common symbols and emoji
Troubleshooting
Misaligned Columns
If columns appear misaligned with Unicode text:
// Solution: Enable multi-byte character support
table.column(1).format().multi_byte_characters(true);
Missing Characters
If you see squares or question marks:
- Check that your terminal supports the character set
- Verify your terminal’s encoding is set to UTF-8
- Try a different font with better Unicode coverage
Width Calculation Issues
For emoji or wide characters:
// Some emoji are double-width
table.column(1).format()
.multi_byte_characters(true)
.width(30); // Adjust width as needed
