# How do I color table columns and rows?

I've found question How do I fill table cells with a background color?, but the link to the documentation isn't helping me at all.

I'd like to know how to color a table column given my column code, but the documentation only gives the syntax of the command. It doesn't give any code example of where to use it.

\usepackage{colortbl}

\begin{table}[h]
\centering
\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|c|c|c|c|c|}
\hline
\cellcolor[gray]{0.8}128&64&32&16&8&4&2&1\\\hline
1&0&1&1&0&1&0&1\\\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}


As you can see, I got \cellcolor to work, but I don't want to color individual cells. I want to color a whole column of the table. Does anybody know how I can go about to do this?

-

Here a small example, which might be of help to you.

• Define your own color using \definecolor{Gray}{gray}{0.85}
• Define your own columns using \newcolumntype{a}{>{\columncolor{Gray}}c}
• You are ready to go.

Code

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{xcolor,colortbl}

\newcommand{\mc}[2]{\multicolumn{#1}{c}{#2}}
\definecolor{Gray}{gray}{0.85}
\definecolor{LightCyan}{rgb}{0.88,1,1}

\newcolumntype{a}{>{\columncolor{Gray}}c}
\newcolumntype{b}{>{\columncolor{white}}c}

\begin{document}

\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l | a | b | a | b}
\hline
\rowcolor{LightCyan}
\mc{1}{}  & \mc{1}{x} & \mc{1}{y} & \mc{1}{w} & \mc{1}{z} \\
\hline
variable 1 & a & b & c & d \\
variable 2 & a & b & c & d \\ \hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}

\end{document}


Result

-

You can use \columncolor as

\begin{tabular}{|>{\columncolor[gray]{0.8}}c|c|c|c|c|c|c|c|}


# code:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{colortbl}

\begin{document}
\begin{table}[h]
\centering
\begin{tabular}{|>{\columncolor[gray]{0.8}}c|c|c|c|c|c|c|c|}
\hline
128&64&32&16&8&4&2&1\\\hline
1&0&1&1&0&1&0&1\\\hline
1&0&1&1&0&1&0&1\\\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
\end{document}


-
I think this answer could be much more useful with a bit of explanation about e.g. what 0.8 is and how the syntax can be understood. –  Cerran Mar 18 at 13:32
0.8 is the gray value (1 means white and 0 means black) –  TheChymera Jun 15 at 0:33
This code doesn't compile to me, I had to change the brackets of the color with {} –  Alejandro Sazo Oct 22 at 2:19