HTML TableTool is a nice little HyperCard utility for creating HTML tables from tab-delimited text files. Any text file will do as long as each item in the file is separated from every other item by a tab character. As its documentation states, these text files are intended to be the output of spreadsheet or database programs.
To use HTML TableTool, first create your tab-delimited text file. Next, open HTML TableTool and select your preferences. HTML TableTool includes options for making the first item of every row a "row header" as well as the first item of every column a "column header". It also provides options for border, cell padding, captions, center, and width. Once you've set your preferences you use the Open button to import and markup your text file. Your results are then displayed in a scrolling text field for copying or saving.
The utility includes two other useful features. One, it can translate ASCII characters greater than ASCII 126. This means it will convert things like å into å. Two, it indents each of your rows from the left-hand column by a number of spaces. This makes reading your tables remarkably easy.
HTML TableTool works well, but do not think it provides all the features of all tables. Notably, it does not support things like ROWSPAN, COLSPAN, nor allow you to specify the width of your border. These attributes as well as the addition of a few command-key sequences to updated and save the tables as you tweak with them are the only improvements it could use, but these improvements would just be icing on the cake.
Eric last edited this page on September 26, 1995. Please feel free to send comments.