Making a table in python

Question

I'm trying to make a table in python which I can put into a report I'm writing in LaTeX . I've tried to use matplotlib to do this but I get the following...

If anyone has any idea how I can fix my code, or if theres a better approach I'd be grateful. Here's the code I'm using to generate this:

columns=('Temporary ID','ID')
tabledata=[]
for i in range(0,len(ID_mod)):
    tabledata.append([ID_mod[i],sort_ID2[i]])
plt.figure()
plt.table(cellText=tabledata,colLabels=columns)
plt.savefig('table.png')

Answer 1

The following are some simple example functions for generating LaTeX tables;

In [1]: %cpaste
Pasting code; enter '--' alone on the line to stop or use Ctrl-D.
:def header(align, caption, label=None, pos='!htbp'):
:    """
:    Return the start for a standard table LaTeX environment that contains a
:    tabular environment.
:
:    Arguments:
:    align -- a string containing the LaTeX alignment directives for the columns.
:    caption -- a string containing the caption for the table.
:    label -- an optional label. The LaTeX label will be tb:+label.
:    pos -- positioning string for the table
:    """
:    rs =  r'\begin{table}['+pos+']\n'
:    rs +=  '  \\centering\n'
:    if label:
:        rs += r'  \caption{\label{tb:'+str(label)+r'}'+caption+r'}'+'\n'
:    else:
:        rs += r'  \caption{'+caption+r'}'+'\n'
:    rs += r'  \begin{tabular}{'+align+r'}'
:    return rs
:
:def footer():
:    """
:    Return the end for a standard table LaTeX environment that contains a
:    tabular environment.
:    """
:    rs =  r'  \end{tabular}'+'\n'
:    rs += r'\end{table}'
:    return rs
:
:def line(*args):
:    """
:    Return the arguments as a line in the table, properly serparated and
:    closed with a double backslash.
:    """
:    rs = '  '
:    sep = r' & '
:    for n in args:
:        rs += str(n)+sep
:    rs = rs[:-len(sep)]+r'\\'
:    return rs
:--

If you print the output of the functions, you'll see it is LaTeX code;

In [2]: print(header('rr', 'Test table'))
\begin{table}[!htbp]
  \centering
  \caption{Test table}
  \begin{tabular}{rr}

In [3]: print(line('First', 'Second'))
  First & Second\\

In [4]: print(line(12, 27))
  12 & 27\\

In [5]: print(line(31, 9))
  31 & 9\\

In [6]: print(footer())
  \end{tabular}
\end{table}

Running the same code, but without printing the returned values;

In [7]: header('rr', 'Test table')
Out[7]: '\\begin{table}[!htbp]\n  \\centering\n  \\caption{Test table}\n  \\begin{tabular}{rr}'

In [8]: line('First', 'Second')
Out[8]: '  First & Second\\\\'

In [9]: line(12, 27)
Out[9]: '  12 & 27\\\\'

In [10]: line(31, 9)
Out[10]: '  31 & 9\\\\'

In [11]: footer()
Out[11]: '  \\end{tabular}\n\\end{table}'

Write the ouptut of these functions to a file, and use the \input mechanisn in LaTeX to include it in your main LaTeX file.

Answer 2

I would highly recommend using LaTeX's built in table support instead. There are many options to beautify the tables as well, such as the booktabs package. More info and options here