How to colspan a table in word with APACHE POI

Question

I have a code, but it\'s for rowspan a table. Can you help me to convert this to colspan code?

private static void mergeCellVertically(XWPFTable table, int c         


        

Answer 1

private static void mergeCellHorizontally(XWPFTable table, int row, int fromCell, int toCell){
    for(int cellIndex = fromCell; cellIndex <= toCell; cellIndex++){
        XWPFTableCell cell = table.getRow(row).getCell(cellIndex);
        if(cellIndex == fromCell){
            // The first merged cell is set with RESTART merge value
            cell.getCTTc().addNewTcPr().addNewHMerge().setVal(STMerge.RESTART);
        }else{
            // Cells which join (merge) the first one, are set with CONTINUE
            cell.getCTTc().addNewTcPr().addNewHMerge().setVal(STMerge.CONTINUE);
        }
    }
}

Answer 2

Axel Richter answer is very complete. But there is a problem if you don't work CTTcPr and other XML keys, and mix with POI API's.

You have to use

        // Cells which join (merge) the first one, must be removed
        int sizeOfTc = currentRow.getCtRow().sizeOfTcArray();
        for(int colIndex = toCol; colIndex > fromCol; colIndex--) {
            if (colIndex < sizeOfTc) currentRow.getCtRow().removeTc(colIndex);
            currentRow.removeCell(colIndex);
        }

because there is a bug on Apache POI. The removeCell() method doesn't remove the Tc from the row. And if you use removeTc(), it doesn't remove the cell from the internal POI's list. You have to use both.

Answer 3

The principle is the same only with org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.CTHMerge instead of org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.CTVMerge.

But I would be more carefully with the TcPr elements in the cells. Your actual code simply creates new TcPr elements every time. What if there are already such elements in the cells?

Example:

import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileOutputStream;

import java.math.BigInteger;

import org.apache.poi.xwpf.usermodel.XWPFDocument;
import org.apache.poi.xwpf.usermodel.XWPFTable;
import org.apache.poi.xwpf.usermodel.XWPFTableCell;
import org.apache.poi.xwpf.usermodel.XWPFParagraph;
import org.apache.poi.xwpf.usermodel.XWPFRun;

import org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.CTTcPr;
import org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.CTTblWidth;
import org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.STTblWidth;
import org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.CTVMerge;
import org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.CTHMerge;
import org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.STMerge;
import org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.CTDecimalNumber;

public class CreateWordTableMerge {

 static void mergeCellVertically(XWPFTable table, int col, int fromRow, int toRow) {
  for(int rowIndex = fromRow; rowIndex <= toRow; rowIndex++){
   XWPFTableCell cell = table.getRow(rowIndex).getCell(col);
   CTVMerge vmerge = CTVMerge.Factory.newInstance();
   if(rowIndex == fromRow){
    // The first merged cell is set with RESTART merge value
    vmerge.setVal(STMerge.RESTART);
   } else {
    // Cells which join (merge) the first one, are set with CONTINUE
    vmerge.setVal(STMerge.CONTINUE);
    // and the content should be removed
    for (int i = cell.getParagraphs().size(); i > 0; i--) {
     cell.removeParagraph(0);
    }
    cell.addParagraph();
   }
   // Try getting the TcPr. Not simply setting an new one every time.
   CTTcPr tcPr = cell.getCTTc().getTcPr();
   if (tcPr != null) {
    tcPr.setVMerge(vmerge);
   } else {
    // only set an new TcPr if there is not one already
    tcPr = CTTcPr.Factory.newInstance();
    tcPr.setVMerge(vmerge);
    cell.getCTTc().setTcPr(tcPr);
   }
  }
 }

 static void mergeCellHorizontally(XWPFTable table, int row, int fromCol, int toCol) {
  for(int colIndex = fromCol; colIndex <= toCol; colIndex++){
   XWPFTableCell cell = table.getRow(row).getCell(colIndex);
   CTHMerge hmerge = CTHMerge.Factory.newInstance();
   if(colIndex == fromCol){
    // The first merged cell is set with RESTART merge value
    hmerge.setVal(STMerge.RESTART);
   } else {
    // Cells which join (merge) the first one, are set with CONTINUE
    hmerge.setVal(STMerge.CONTINUE);
    // and the content should be removed
    for (int i = cell.getParagraphs().size(); i > 0; i--) {
     cell.removeParagraph(0);
    }
    cell.addParagraph();
   }
   // Try getting the TcPr. Not simply setting an new one every time.
   CTTcPr tcPr = cell.getCTTc().getTcPr();
   if (tcPr != null) {
    tcPr.setHMerge(hmerge);
   } else {
    // only set an new TcPr if there is not one already
    tcPr = CTTcPr.Factory.newInstance();
    tcPr.setHMerge(hmerge);
    cell.getCTTc().setTcPr(tcPr);
   }
  }
 }

 public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {

  XWPFDocument document= new XWPFDocument();

  XWPFParagraph paragraph = document.createParagraph();
  XWPFRun run=paragraph.createRun();  
  run.setText("The table:");

  //create table
  XWPFTable table = document.createTable(3,5);

  for (int row = 0; row < 3; row++) {
   for (int col = 0; col < 5; col++) {
    table.getRow(row).getCell(col).setText("row " + row + ", col " + col);
   }
  }


  //create CTTblGrid for this table with widths of the 5 columns. 
  //necessary for Libreoffice/Openoffice to accept the column widths.
  //values are in unit twentieths of a point (1/1440 of an inch)
  //first column = 1 inches width
  table.getCTTbl().addNewTblGrid().addNewGridCol().setW(BigInteger.valueOf(1*1440));
  //other columns (2 in this case) also each 1 inches width
  for (int col = 1 ; col < 5; col++) {
   table.getCTTbl().getTblGrid().addNewGridCol().setW(BigInteger.valueOf(1*1440));
  }


  //create and set column widths for all columns in all rows
  //most examples don't set the type of the CTTblWidth but this
  //is necessary for working in all office versions
  for (int col = 0; col < 5; col++) {
   CTTblWidth tblWidth = CTTblWidth.Factory.newInstance();
   tblWidth.setW(BigInteger.valueOf(1*1440));
   tblWidth.setType(STTblWidth.DXA);
   for (int row = 0; row < 3; row++) {
    CTTcPr tcPr = table.getRow(row).getCell(col).getCTTc().getTcPr();
    if (tcPr != null) {
     tcPr.setTcW(tblWidth);
    } else {
     tcPr = CTTcPr.Factory.newInstance();
     tcPr.setTcW(tblWidth);
     table.getRow(row).getCell(col).getCTTc().setTcPr(tcPr);
    }
   }
  }

  //using the merge methods
  mergeCellVertically(table, 0, 0, 1); 
  mergeCellHorizontally(table, 1, 2, 3); 
  mergeCellHorizontally(table, 2, 1, 4); 

  paragraph = document.createParagraph();

  FileOutputStream out = new FileOutputStream("create_table.docx"); 
  document.write(out);
  out.close();

  System.out.println("create_table.docx written successully");
 }
}

---

Edit Mar, 11 2018:

There are two methods setting horizontally merging. The first is using CTHMerge which is similar to the vertically merging using CTVMerge and it does not explicitly need a table grid. The second is using grid span properties. This method needs a table grid and the cells which are merged with the first one must be removed.

Microsoft Word supports all methods.

Libreoffice Writer supports CTHMerge too but a table grid must be set because of the correct rendering the table.

WPS Writer supports only setting grid span.

So this should be the most compatible solution:

import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileOutputStream;

import java.math.BigInteger;

import org.apache.poi.xwpf.usermodel.XWPFDocument;
import org.apache.poi.xwpf.usermodel.XWPFTable;
import org.apache.poi.xwpf.usermodel.XWPFTableCell;
import org.apache.poi.xwpf.usermodel.XWPFParagraph;
import org.apache.poi.xwpf.usermodel.XWPFRun;

import org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.CTTcPr;
import org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.CTTblWidth;
import org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.STTblWidth;
import org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.CTVMerge;
import org.openxmlformats.schemas.wordprocessingml.x2006.main.STMerge;

public class CreateWordTableMerge {

 static void mergeCellVertically(XWPFTable table, int col, int fromRow, int toRow) {
  for(int rowIndex = fromRow; rowIndex <= toRow; rowIndex++) {
   XWPFTableCell cell = table.getRow(rowIndex).getCell(col);
   CTVMerge vmerge = CTVMerge.Factory.newInstance();
   if(rowIndex == fromRow){
    // The first merged cell is set with RESTART merge value
    vmerge.setVal(STMerge.RESTART);
   } else {
    // Cells which join (merge) the first one, are set with CONTINUE
    vmerge.setVal(STMerge.CONTINUE);
    // and the content should be removed
    for (int i = cell.getParagraphs().size(); i > 0; i--) {
     cell.removeParagraph(0);
    }
    cell.addParagraph();
   }
   // Try getting the TcPr. Not simply setting an new one every time.
   CTTcPr tcPr = cell.getCTTc().getTcPr();
   if (tcPr == null) tcPr = cell.getCTTc().addNewTcPr();
   tcPr.setVMerge(vmerge);
  }
 }

 //merging horizontally by setting grid span instead of using CTHMerge
 static void mergeCellHorizontally(XWPFTable table, int row, int fromCol, int toCol) {
  XWPFTableCell cell = table.getRow(row).getCell(fromCol);
  // Try getting the TcPr. Not simply setting an new one every time.
  CTTcPr tcPr = cell.getCTTc().getTcPr();
  if (tcPr == null) tcPr = cell.getCTTc().addNewTcPr();
  // The first merged cell has grid span property set
  if (tcPr.isSetGridSpan()) {
   tcPr.getGridSpan().setVal(BigInteger.valueOf(toCol-fromCol+1));
  } else {
   tcPr.addNewGridSpan().setVal(BigInteger.valueOf(toCol-fromCol+1));
  }
  // Cells which join (merge) the first one, must be removed
  for(int colIndex = toCol; colIndex > fromCol; colIndex--) {
   table.getRow(row).getCtRow().removeTc(colIndex);
   table.getRow(row).removeCell(colIndex);
  }
 }

 public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {

  XWPFDocument document= new XWPFDocument();

  XWPFParagraph paragraph = document.createParagraph();
  XWPFRun run=paragraph.createRun();  
  run.setText("The table:");

  //create table
  XWPFTable table = document.createTable(3,5);

  for (int row = 0; row < 3; row++) {
   for (int col = 0; col < 5; col++) {
    table.getRow(row).getCell(col).setText("row " + row + ", col " + col);
   }
  }

  //create CTTblGrid for this table with widths of the 5 columns. 
  //necessary for Libreoffice/Openoffice to accept the column widths.
  //values are in unit twentieths of a point (1/1440 of an inch)
  //first column = 1 inches width
  table.getCTTbl().addNewTblGrid().addNewGridCol().setW(BigInteger.valueOf(1*1440));
  //other columns (2 in this case) also each 1 inches width
  for (int col = 1 ; col < 5; col++) {
   table.getCTTbl().getTblGrid().addNewGridCol().setW(BigInteger.valueOf(1*1440));
  }

  //create and set column widths for all columns in all rows
  //most examples don't set the type of the CTTblWidth but this
  //is necessary for working in all office versions
  for (int col = 0; col < 5; col++) {
   CTTblWidth tblWidth = CTTblWidth.Factory.newInstance();
   tblWidth.setW(BigInteger.valueOf(1*1440));
   tblWidth.setType(STTblWidth.DXA);
   for (int row = 0; row < 3; row++) {
    CTTcPr tcPr = table.getRow(row).getCell(col).getCTTc().getTcPr();
    if (tcPr != null) {
     tcPr.setTcW(tblWidth);
    } else {
     tcPr = CTTcPr.Factory.newInstance();
     tcPr.setTcW(tblWidth);
     table.getRow(row).getCell(col).getCTTc().setTcPr(tcPr);
    }
   }
  }

  //using the merge methods
  mergeCellVertically(table, 0, 0, 1); 
  mergeCellHorizontally(table, 1, 2, 3); 
  mergeCellHorizontally(table, 2, 1, 4); 

  paragraph = document.createParagraph();

  FileOutputStream out = new FileOutputStream("create_table.docx"); 
  document.write(out);
  out.close();

  System.out.println("create_table.docx written successully");
 }
}