Ensure there is a blank space preceding a table only when the table is being physically printed

Question

Ensure there is a blank space preceding a table only when the table is being physically printed

I am currently in the process of developing a report card system for students in grades K-6. The report card will display specific tables based on the student's grade level. For example, a 5th grader may not have a "Reading Stage" table displayed on their report card, whereas a 1st grader would. I have successfully formatted the styles to conditionally print the appropriate tables, but I am encountering difficulty with spacing between the tables.

My goal is to maintain a consistent amount of space between tables. I have attempted various methods such as adding a blank row at the beginning of each table or including a margin-top of 50pt. However, all my attempts have resulted in excess space being added between tables, even those that are hidden. This has led to an undesirable situation where there can be up to 200 points of unnecessary space between tables.

I am in need of a creative solution that will allow me to add space between tables only if they are going to be printed on the report card.

html css

Answer 1

Answer №1

I'm not quite sure how you are currently concealing your tables. If you are using the HTML5 hidden attribute or display: none, then there should be no issue with top margin affecting your layout.

If for some reason neither of these methods work for you, utilizing CSS negation could provide a solution. For instance, indicating that all tables without a specific class should have a margin-top: 1em.

table:not(.skip) {
  margin-top: 1em;
}

.skip {
  position: relative;
  background-color: yellow;
}

.skip::after {
  position: absolute;
  top: 3px;
  left: 150%;
  content: ' <-- no margin-top';
  white-space: nowrap;
}

<table>
  <tr>
    <td>table</td>
  </tr>
</table>

<table class="skip">
  <tr>
    <td>table</td>
  </tr>
</table>

<table>
  <tr>
    <td>table</td>
  </tr>
</table>

<table class="skip">
  <tr>
    <td>table</td>
  </tr>
</table>

<table>
  <tr>
    <td>table</td>
  </tr>
</table>

Answer 2

I'm not quite sure how you are currently concealing your tables. If you are using the HTML5 hidden attribute or display: none, then there should be no issue with top margin affecting your layout.

If for some reason neither of these methods work for you, utilizing CSS negation could provide a solution. For instance, indicating that all tables without a specific class should have a margin-top: 1em.

table:not(.skip) {
  margin-top: 1em;
}

.skip {
  position: relative;
  background-color: yellow;
}

.skip::after {
  position: absolute;
  top: 3px;
  left: 150%;
  content: ' <-- no margin-top';
  white-space: nowrap;
}

<table>
  <tr>
    <td>table</td>
  </tr>
</table>

<table class="skip">
  <tr>
    <td>table</td>
  </tr>
</table>

<table>
  <tr>
    <td>table</td>
  </tr>
</table>

<table class="skip">
  <tr>
    <td>table</td>
  </tr>
</table>

<table>
  <tr>
    <td>table</td>
  </tr>
</table>

Answer 3

Answer №2

Although the previous response addressed your question, have you considered utilizing @media print css? By incorporating conditional print css, you can tailor styles specifically for printing purposes.

// For testing purposes only, you can print without this code. It is solely for stackoverflow testing...
$("#testPrint").on("click", function() {
  window.print();
});

@media print {
  /* custom styles for printing */
  .myTables {
    background: orange !important;
    margin: 100px !important;
    border: 1px solid black !important;
    width: 500px;
  }
}

.myTables {
  background: pink;
  border-collapse: collapse;
  border: 1px dashed black;
  padding: 5px;
  margin: 5px;
  text-align: center;
}

<!-- JavaScript not necessary -->
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.0.0/jquery.min.js"></script>

<div id="wrapper">
  <table class='myTables'>
    <tr>
      <td>test1</td>
      <td>test2</td>
    </tr>
  </table>

  <table class='myTables'>
    <tr>
      <td>test1</td>
      <td>test2</td>
    </tr>
  </table>

  <table class='myTables'>
    <tr>
      <td>test1</td>
      <td>test2</td>
    </tr>
  </table>
</div>

<button id="testPrint">TEST PRINT</button>

Answer 4

Although the previous response addressed your question, have you considered utilizing @media print css? By incorporating conditional print css, you can tailor styles specifically for printing purposes.

// For testing purposes only, you can print without this code. It is solely for stackoverflow testing...
$("#testPrint").on("click", function() {
  window.print();
});

@media print {
  /* custom styles for printing */
  .myTables {
    background: orange !important;
    margin: 100px !important;
    border: 1px solid black !important;
    width: 500px;
  }
}

.myTables {
  background: pink;
  border-collapse: collapse;
  border: 1px dashed black;
  padding: 5px;
  margin: 5px;
  text-align: center;
}

<!-- JavaScript not necessary -->
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.0.0/jquery.min.js"></script>

<div id="wrapper">
  <table class='myTables'>
    <tr>
      <td>test1</td>
      <td>test2</td>
    </tr>
  </table>

  <table class='myTables'>
    <tr>
      <td>test1</td>
      <td>test2</td>
    </tr>
  </table>

  <table class='myTables'>
    <tr>
      <td>test1</td>
      <td>test2</td>
    </tr>
  </table>
</div>

<button id="testPrint">TEST PRINT</button>

Ensure there is a blank space preceding a table only when the table is being physically printed

Answer №1

Answer №2

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