Appendix with mostly tables—problems with floats and longtable

Question

I am sectioning my appendix with \chapter and \section, I sometimes have to add some text sections and then the following table is placed after the next page. I don't know how to prevent these table placements.

My second problem is that the appendix mostly consists only of long tables (\longtable), and when placing one longtable after another etc., blocks of rows are being shifted. I guess these are some float problems. See screenshot here:

I get the warning:

Package longtable Warning: Column widths have changed (longtable) in table 2 on input line 257.

When I remove the \chapter and \section sectioning, the table lining up well, however I need a structured appendix. What is happening there?

MWE

\documentclass[BCOR=5mm,paper=letter,11pt,title page,oneside,headinclude, footinclude=true,abstractoff,headings=optiontohead,cleardoublepage=empty]{scrbook}
\usepackage{classicthesis} % nochapters

\usepackage{lipsum}


\usepackage{longtable}
\usepackage{booktabs}

\usepackage{lscape}

\begin{document}

    \lipsum[3-6]

    \appendix

    \chapter{Data}
    \section{A section}
    \lipsum[3-8]

    \begin{landscape}
    \begin{center} %example from: http://users.sdsc.edu/~ssmallen/latex/longtable.html
    \begin{longtable}{|l|l|l|}
    \caption[Feasible triples for a highly variable Grid]{Feasible triples for 
    highly variable Grid, MLMMH.} \label{grid_mlmmh} \\

    \hline \multicolumn{1}{|c|}{\textbf{Time (s)}} & \multicolumn{1}{c|}{\textbf{Triple chosen}} & \multicolumn{1}{c|}{\textbf{Other feasible triples}} \\ \hline 
    \endfirsthead

    \multicolumn{3}{c}%
    {{\bfseries \tablename\ \thetable{} -- continued from previous page}} \\
    \hline \multicolumn{1}{|c|}{\textbf{Time (s)}} &
    \multicolumn{1}{c|}{\textbf{Triple chosen}} &
    \multicolumn{1}{c|}{\textbf{Other feasible triples}} \\ \hline 
    \endhead

    \hline \multicolumn{3}{|r|}{{Continued on next page}} \\ \hline
    \endfoot

    \hline \hline
    \endlastfoot

    0 & (1, 11, 13725) & (1, 12, 10980), (1, 13, 8235), (2, 2, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    2745 & (1, 12, 10980) & (1, 13, 8235), (2, 2, 0), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    5490 & (1, 12, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    8235 & (1, 12, 16470) & (1, 13, 13725), (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    10980 & (1, 12, 16470) & (1, 13, 13725), (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    13725 & (1, 12, 16470) & (1, 13, 13725), (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    16470 & (1, 13, 16470) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    19215 & (1, 12, 16470) & (1, 13, 13725), (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    21960 & (1, 12, 16470) & (1, 13, 13725), (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    24705 & (1, 12, 16470) & (1, 13, 13725), (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    27450 & (1, 12, 16470) & (1, 13, 13725), (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    30195 & (2, 2, 2745) & (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    32940 & (1, 13, 16470) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    35685 & (1, 13, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    38430 & (1, 13, 10980) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    41175 & (1, 12, 13725) & (1, 13, 10980), (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    43920 & (1, 13, 10980) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    46665 & (2, 2, 2745) & (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    49410 & (2, 2, 2745) & (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    52155 & (1, 12, 16470) & (1, 13, 13725), (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    54900 & (1, 13, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    57645 & (1, 13, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    60390 & (1, 12, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    63135 & (1, 13, 16470) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    65880 & (1, 13, 16470) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    68625 & (2, 2, 2745) & (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    71370 & (1, 13, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    74115 & (1, 12, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    76860 & (1, 13, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    79605 & (1, 13, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    82350 & (1, 12, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    85095 & (1, 12, 13725) & (1, 13, 10980), (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    87840 & (1, 13, 16470) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    90585 & (1, 13, 16470) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    93330 & (1, 13, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    96075 & (1, 13, 16470) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    98820 & (1, 13, 16470) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    101565 & (1, 13, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    104310 & (1, 13, 16470) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    107055 & (1, 13, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    109800 & (1, 13, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    112545 & (1, 12, 16470) & (1, 13, 13725), (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    115290 & (1, 13, 16470) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    118035 & (1, 13, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    120780 & (1, 13, 16470) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    123525 & (1, 13, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    126270 & (1, 12, 16470) & (1, 13, 13725), (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    129015 & (2, 2, 2745) & (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    131760 & (2, 2, 2745) & (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    134505 & (1, 13, 16470) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    137250 & (1, 13, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    139995 & (2, 2, 2745) & (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    142740 & (2, 2, 2745) & (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    145485 & (1, 12, 16470) & (1, 13, 13725), (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    148230 & (2, 2, 2745) & (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    150975 & (1, 13, 16470) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    153720 & (1, 12, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    156465 & (1, 13, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    159210 & (1, 13, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    161955 & (1, 13, 16470) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    164700 & (1, 13, 13725) & (2, 2, 2745), (2, 3, 0), (3, 1, 0) \\
    \end{longtable}
    \end{center}
    \end{landscape}



    \end{document}

Answer 1

After the hint from egreg about soul, adding the following to the preamble after loading classicthesis (or soul) allows longtable to stabilize.

The problem is that classicthesis defines the chaptermark to use letter spacing in the page head, and if that is implemented using soul, box 1 gets reset at an unfortunate time for longtable. Arguably longtable ought to protect itself from that but it's easier to stop soul using box 1 and use a newly allocated box instead.

\makeatletter
\newbox\zzzz
\def\SOUL@analyze{{%
    \setbox\z@\vbox{%
        \unvcopy\z@
        \unskip
        \unpenalty
        \global\setbox\zzzz=\lastbox}%
    \ifvoid\zzzz
    \else
        \setbox\zzzz\hbox{\unhbox\zzzz}%
        \SOUL@syllgoal=\wd\zzzz
        \advance\count@\@ne
        \SOUL@analyze
        \SOUL@syllwidth\z@
        \SOUL@syllable={}%
        \ifnum\count@>\z@
            \advance\SOUL@syllgoal-\SOUL@ttwidth
            \SOUL@dosyllable
            \SOUL@getkern{\the\SOUL@lasttoken}{\SOUL@hyphkern}%
                {\SOUL@sethyphenchar}%
            \SOUL@everyhyphen
        \else
            \SOUL@dosyllable
        \fi
    \fi
}}

---

Non answer in case anyone wants to work on this over (GMT) night.

A more M MWE is

\documentclass{book}
\usepackage{classicthesis}

\makeatletter

\usepackage{longtable}

\usepackage{lscape}

\begin{document}

\chapter{Data}

\begin{landscape}


\begin{longtable}{|l|}
a\endfirsthead
b\endhead
cc\endfoot
d\endlastfoot
x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\
x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\
x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\
x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\x\\
\typeout{^^J^^JFINAL WIDTHS: \LT@save@row^^J^^J}
\end{longtable}

\end{landscape}

\end{document}

That produces a typeout of

FINAL WIDTHS: 

with the column width data lost.

If you comment out any one of \usepackage{classicthesis} or \chapter{Data} or \begin{landscape} \end{landscape} then it works as expected and you get a typeout of

FINAL WIDTHS: \omit \kern 20.8889pt\relax 

something classic thesis is loading is messing with longtable's output routine but it's too late at night to be staring at \tracingall log of my own code:-)

Answer 2

The problem of the longtable that doesn't stabilize is due to bad interaction with the soul package; it's fixed if you use the pdfspacing option, that's recommended anyway:

\usepackage[pdfspacing]{classicthesis}

For the other problem, the information is not sufficient.