multicolumn display for partial list of table

Question

I have a file with some consecutive tables one for each month. The listoftables takes up too much space when it lists each table entry on a separate line. I can use multicols to have a two column output for the whole list of tables, however I do not want to do this for all the tables. How can I get, say, three column output in the list of table for certain range of tables?

The output for list of tables I am trying to get to (preferably first one):

1.1 Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 January . . . 2    1.3 February  . . 2    1.4 March . . . . 2
1.5 April . . . . 3    1.6 May . . . . . 3    1.7 June  . . . . 3
1.8 July  . . . . 3
1.9 More tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1.1 More tables from next chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

or

1.1 Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 January . . . 2    1.5 April . . . . 3    1.8 July  . . . . 3
1.3 February  . . 2    1.6 May . . . . . 3
1.4 March . . . . 2    1.7 June  . . . . 3
1.9 More tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2.1 More tables from next chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

My current hackish solution using addtocontents "almost" works but, other than obvious issues with alignment and dot spacing, it is not flexible if I want to switch between two-, three- or four-column layout. And more importantly it is not automatic.

Also I am not sure how to suppress the list of table entry for particular table. I tried caption* with caption package but that did not work. I am guessing it has something to do with memoir class.

\documentclass[oneside]{memoir}
\usepackage{hyperref}
\usepackage{multicol}

\newcommand{\threecoltab}[3]{%
\begin{tabularx}{\linewidth}{XXX} #1 & #2 & #3 \end{tabularx}}

\newcommand{\spaceddotfill}[0]{{} \dotfill \hspace{1.5em}}
\newcommand{\lotcontent}[6]{\noindent%
    \hyperref[#2]{#1} \spaceddotfill{} \pageref{#2} \hspace{1em}%
    \hyperref[#4]{#3} \spaceddotfill{} \pageref{#4} \hspace{1em}%
    \hyperref[#6]{#5} \spaceddotfill{} \pageref{#6} \newline}

\begin{document}

\listoftables
% \begin{multicols}{2}  \listoftables   \end{multicols}

\chapter{Records}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{Table}       \label{tab:t1} \end{table}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{January}     \label{tab:m1} \end{table}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{February}    \label{tab:m2} \end{table}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{March}       \label{tab:m3} \end{table}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{April}       \label{tab:m4} \end{table}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{May}         \label{tab:m5} \end{table}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{June}        \label{tab:m6} \end{table}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{July}        \label{tab:m7} \end{table}

\begin{table}[htp] \caption{More tables} \label{tab:t2} \end{table}

\addtocontents{lot}{\noindent
    \hyperref[tab:m1]{January}  \spaceddotfill{} \pageref{tab:m1} \hspace{1em}
    \hyperref[tab:m2]{February} \spaceddotfill{} \pageref{tab:m2} \hspace{1em}
    \hyperref[tab:m3]{March}    \spaceddotfill{} \pageref{tab:m3} \newline}

\addtocontents{lot}{\lotcontent{January}{tab:m1}{February}{tab:m2}{March}{tab:m3}}
\addtocontents{lot}{\lotcontent{April}{tab:m4}{May}{tab:m5}{June}{tab:m6}}
% \addtocontents{lot}{\lotcontent{July}{tab:m7}{}{}{}{}}
\addtocontents{lot}{\noindent
    \hyperref[tab:m7]{July}  \spaceddotfill{} \pageref{tab:m7} }

%\addtocontents{lot}{\threecoltab{\hyperref[tab:m1]{January}}{\hyperref[tab:m2]{February}}{\hyperref[tab:m3]{March}}}

\chapter{Data}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{Table from next chapter} \label{tab:t3} \end{table}

\end{document}

Answer 1

\documentclass[oneside]{memoir}
\usepackage{hyperref}
\usepackage{multicol}


\let\oldcontentsline\contentsline



%non hyperref version
\def\mcontentsline#1#2#3#4{%
\ifvmode\noindent\else\unskip\hspace{1em plus 2pt}\fi
\hbox{\vbox{\hsize=\dimexpr(\hsize-#1em+1em)/#1\relax
\oldcontentsline{#2}{#3}{#4}}}}

\def\mcontentsline#1#2#3#4#5{%
\ifvmode\noindent\else\unskip\hspace{1em plus 2pt}\fi
\hbox{\vbox{\hsize=\dimexpr(\hsize-#1em+1em)/#1\relax
\oldcontentsline{#2}{#3}{#4}{#5}}}}

\protected\def\ltcols#1{%
\ifnum#1=1
\par\let\contentsline\oldcontentsline
\else
\par\def\contentsline{\mcontentsline{#1}}%
\fi}



\begin{document}

\listoftables


\chapter{Records}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{Table}       \label{tab:t1} \end{table}
\begin{table}[htp] \addtocontents{lot}{\ltcols{3}}\caption{January}\label{tab:m1} \end{table}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{February}    \label{tab:m2} \end{table}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{March}       \label{tab:m3} \end{table}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{April}       \label{tab:m4} \end{table}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{May}         \label{tab:m5} \end{table}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{June}        \label{tab:m6} \end{table}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{July}        \label{tab:m7} \end{table}


\begin{table}[htp] \addtocontents{lot}{\ltcols{1}}\caption{More tables} \label{tab:t2} \end{table}



\chapter{Data}
\begin{table}[htp] \caption{Table from next chapter} \label{tab:t3} \end{table}

\end{document}