How to Work with Tables in Java

Aspose.Slides FOSS for Java supports creating tables on slides with configurable column widths and row heights. This guide shows how to add a table, populate it with data, and apply basic text formatting to cells.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Add the Maven Dependency

<dependency>
  <groupId>org.aspose.slides.foss</groupId>
  <artifactId>aspose-slides-foss</artifactId>
  <version>1.0.0</version>
</dependency>

Step 2: Create or Open a Presentation

import org.aspose.slides.foss.*;

try (Presentation prs = new Presentation()) {
    ISlide slide = prs.getSlides().get(0);
    // ... add table ...
    prs.save("table.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX);
}

Step 3: Define Column Widths and Row Heights

Tables require explicit column widths and row heights in points (1 point = 1/72 inch). A standard slide is 720 points wide and 540 points tall.

double[] colWidths = {200.0, 150.0, 150.0};   // 3 columns
double[] rowHeights = {45.0, 40.0, 40.0};     // 3 rows

Step 4: Add the Table

slide.getShapes().addTable(x, y, colWidths, rowHeights) creates the table at position (x, y):

import org.aspose.slides.foss.*;

try (Presentation prs = new Presentation()) {
    ISlide slide = prs.getSlides().get(0);

    double[] colWidths = {200.0, 150.0, 150.0};
    double[] rowHeights = {45.0, 40.0, 40.0};
    ITable table = slide.getShapes().addTable(50, 100, colWidths, rowHeights);

    prs.save("table.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX);
}

Step 5: Set Cell Text

Access cells via table.getRows().get(rowIndex).get(colIndex) and assign text through .getTextFrame().setText():

import org.aspose.slides.foss.*;

try (Presentation prs = new Presentation()) {
    ISlide slide = prs.getSlides().get(0);

    double[] colWidths = {200.0, 150.0, 150.0};
    double[] rowHeights = {45.0, 40.0, 40.0};
    ITable table = slide.getShapes().addTable(50, 100, colWidths, rowHeights);

    // Header row (row 0)
    String[] headers = {"Product", "Units Sold", "Revenue"};
    for (int col = 0; col < headers.length; col++) {
        table.getRows().get(0).get(col).getTextFrame().setText(headers[col]);
    }

    // Data rows
    String[][] data = {
        {"Widget A", "1,200", "$24,000"},
        {"Widget B", "850", "$17,000"},
    };
    for (int row = 0; row < data.length; row++) {
        for (int col = 0; col < data[row].length; col++) {
            table.getRows().get(row + 1).get(col)
                .getTextFrame().setText(data[row][col]);
        }
    }

    prs.save("sales-table.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX);
}

Step 6: Format Header Cell Text

Apply bold formatting to header cells using PortionFormat:

import org.aspose.slides.foss.*;

for (int col = 0; col < headers.length; col++) {
    ICell cell = table.getRows().get(0).get(col);
    IParagraphCollection paragraphs = cell.getTextFrame().getParagraphs();
    if (paragraphs.size() > 0 && paragraphs.get(0).getPortions().size() > 0) {
        IPortionFormat fmt = paragraphs.get(0).getPortions().get(0)
            .getPortionFormat();
        fmt.setFontBold(NullableBool.TRUE);
        fmt.getFillFormat().setFillType(FillType.SOLID);
        fmt.getFillFormat().getSolidFillColor().setColor(
            Color.fromArgb(255, 255, 255, 255)
        );
    }
}

Complete Working Example

import org.aspose.slides.foss.*;

public class CreateTable {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String[][] dataRows = {
            {"North", "$1.2M", "+8%"},
            {"South", "$0.9M", "+4%"},
            {"East",  "$1.5M", "+12%"},
            {"West",  "$0.7M", "+2%"},
        };
        String[] headers = {"Region", "Revenue", "Growth"};

        try (Presentation prs = new Presentation()) {
            ISlide slide = prs.getSlides().get(0);

            double[] colWidths = {180.0, 140.0, 120.0};
            double[] rowHeights = new double[dataRows.length + 1];
            rowHeights[0] = 45.0;
            for (int i = 1; i < rowHeights.length; i++) {
                rowHeights[i] = 38.0;
            }

            ITable table = slide.getShapes().addTable(
                60, 80, colWidths, rowHeights
            );

            // Header row
            for (int col = 0; col < headers.length; col++) {
                ICell cell = table.getRows().get(0).get(col);
                cell.getTextFrame().setText(headers[col]);
                if (cell.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().size() > 0
                    && cell.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get(0)
                        .getPortions().size() > 0) {
                    cell.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get(0)
                        .getPortions().get(0).getPortionFormat()
                        .setFontBold(NullableBool.TRUE);
                }
            }

            // Data rows
            for (int row = 0; row < dataRows.length; row++) {
                for (int col = 0; col < dataRows[row].length; col++) {
                    table.getRows().get(row + 1).get(col)
                        .getTextFrame().setText(dataRows[row][col]);
                }
            }

            prs.save("regional-revenue.pptx", SaveFormat.PPTX);
        }
        System.out.println("Saved regional-revenue.pptx");
    }
}

Common Issues and Fixes

IndexOutOfBoundsException when accessing table.getRows().get(row).get(col)

Row and column indices are zero-based. If you defined rowHeights with 3 elements, valid row indices are 0, 1, 2.

Cell text does not appear in the saved file

Always assign through .getTextFrame().setText(value). Access cells as table.getRows().get(rowIndex).get(colIndex).getTextFrame().setText("value").

Table position is off the slide

Check that x + sum(colWidths) <= 720 and y + sum(rowHeights) <= 540 for a standard slide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I merge table cells?

Cell merging (mergeCells) is declared in the API but raises UnsupportedOperationException in this edition.

Can I apply a table-wide background color?

Apply fill formatting to each individual cell:

for (int row = 0; row < table.getRows().size(); row++) {
    for (int col = 0; col < table.getColumns().size(); col++) {
        ICell cell = table.getRows().get(row).get(col);
        cell.getFillFormat().setFillType(FillType.SOLID);
        cell.getFillFormat().getSolidFillColor().setColor(
            Color.fromArgb(255, 240, 248, 255)
        );
    }
}

Can I set a table style preset?

Yes. Use table.setStylePreset(TableStylePreset.MEDIUM_STYLE_2_ACCENT_1) to apply a built-in table style.