How to automatically line-break a wide table?

Question

If I have a very wide table, how do I let LaTeX line-break it automatically so it won't fall off the page?

I expect it will be split into parts which will be shown on top of each other.

My table is

\documentclass{article}

\begin{document}
    \begin{tabular}{*{26}{l}}
        a&b&c&d&e&f&g&h&i&j&k&l&m&n&o&p&q&r&s&t&u&v&w&x&y&z\\ \hline
        z&y&x&w&v&u&t&s&r&q&p&o&n&m&l&k&j&i&h&g&f&e&d&c&b&a \\
        one&two&three&four&five&six&seven&eight&nine&ten&eleven&twelve&
        thirteen&fourteen&fifteen&sixteen&seventeen&eighteen&nineteen&twenty&twenty-one&twenty-two&twenty-three&twenty-four&twenty-five&twenty-six
    \end{tabular}
\end{document}

Relevant questions

• How can I get a very wide table to wrap all three rows within the margins? David's answer comes close, but \hline does not work. Werner's answer requires quite some manual fiddling.

Answer 1

This is essentially an implementation of Mico's comment

\documentclass{article}

\def\zz#1#2#3{\begin{tabular}[t]{l}#1\\\hline#2\\#3\end{tabular}\linebreak[0]\ignorespaces}
\begin{document}

\begin{center}\setlength\lineskip{10pt}
 \zz{a}{z}{one}
\zz{b}{y}{two}
\zz{c}{x}{three}
\zz{d}{w}{four}
\zz{e}{v}{five}
\zz{f}{u}{six}
\zz{g}{t}{seven}
\zz{h}{s}{eight}
\zz{i}{r}{nine}
\zz{j}{q}{ten}
\zz{k}{p}{eleven}
\zz{l}{o}{twelve}
\zz{m}{n}{thirteen}
\zz{n}{m}{fourteen}
\zz{o}{l}{fifteen}
\zz{p}{k}{sixteen}
\zz{q}{j}{seventeen}
\zz{r}{i}{eighteen}
\zz{s}{h}{nineteen}%:-)
\zz{t}{g}{twenty}
\zz{u}{f}{twenty-one}
\zz{v}{e}{twenty-two}
\zz{w}{d}{twenty-three}
\zz{x}{c}{twenty-four}
\zz{y}{b}{twenty-five}
\zz{z}{a}{twenty-six}
\end{center}
\end{document}

Answer 2

The best thing I could find was not automatically, by adapting Werner's answer to how I would apply it in practice.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{lipsum}

\usepackage{array} % Used for table wrapping
\usepackage{tabularx} % Used for table wrapping
% Define a new command to hide certain columns of a table
\newcolumntype{H}{>{\setbox0=\hbox\bgroup}c<{\egroup}@{}}

\begin{document}

    \lipsum[42]

    \newcommand{\hidetableone}[1]{
    \begin{tabular}{#1}
        a & b & c & d & e & f & g & h & i & j & k & l & m & n & o & p & q & r & s & t & u & v & w & x & y & z\\ \hline
        z & y & x & w & v & u & t & s & r & q & p & o & n & m & l & k & j & i & h & g & f & e & d & c & b & a \\
        one & two & three & four & five & six & seven & eight & nine & ten & eleven & twelve &
        thirteen & fourteen & fifteen & sixteen & seventeen & eighteen & nineteen & twenty &
        twenty-one & twenty-two & twenty-three & twenty-four & twenty-five & twenty-six
    \end{tabular}
    }

    \begin{figure}
        \centering
        \hidetableone{*{0}{H} l | *{9}{l} *{16}{H}}
        \hidetableone{*{10}{H} *{7}{l} *{9}{H}}
        \hidetableone{*{17}{H} *{6}{l} *{3}{H}}
        \hidetableone{*{23}{H} *{3}{l} *{0}{H}}
        \caption{This is a caption for a large table.}
    \end{figure}

\end{document}

Answer 3

This also supports booktabs rules with a handy syntax.

Limitation. The cells in each row should have the same height. Double rules are not supported.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{xparse,environ,booktabs}

\ExplSyntaxOn

\NewEnviron{splittabular}[1]
 {
  \dim_set:Nn \lineskip { 2ex }
  \phpirate_splittabular:nV { #1 } \BODY
  \par
 }

\int_new:N \l__phpirate_rows_int
\seq_new:N \l__phpirate_body_seq
\cs_generate_variant:Nn \seq_set_split:Nnn { c }

\cs_new_protected:Nn \phpirate_splittabular:nn
 {
  \seq_set_split:Nnn \l__phpirate_body_seq { \\ } { #2 }
  \int_zero:N \l__phpirate_rows_int
  \seq_map_inline:Nn \l__phpirate_body_seq
   {
    \int_incr:N \l__phpirate_rows_int
    \seq_clear_new:c { \__phpirate_row:n { \l__phpirate_rows_int } }
    \seq_set_split:cnn { \__phpirate_row:n { \l__phpirate_rows_int } } { & } { ##1 }
    % check for \hline
    \tl_clear_new:c { \__phpirate_hline:n { \l__phpirate_rows_int } }
    \seq_pop_left:cN { \__phpirate_row:n { \l__phpirate_rows_int } } \l_tmpa_tl
    \tl_set_eq:NN \l_tmpb_tl \l_tmpa_tl
    \regex_replace_once:nnN { \c{hline|toprule|midrule|bottomrule} } { } \l_tmpa_tl
    \seq_put_left:cV { \__phpirate_row:n { \l__phpirate_rows_int } } \l_tmpa_tl
    \regex_replace_once:nnN { (\c{hline|toprule|midrule|bottomrule}+).* } { \1 } \l_tmpb_tl
    \tl_set_eq:cN { \__phpirate_hline:n { \l__phpirate_rows_int } } \l_tmpb_tl
    % end code for \hline
   }
  \int_step_inline:nnnn { 1 } { 1 } { \seq_count:c { \__phpirate_row:n { 1 } } }
   {
    \__phpirate_column:nn { #1 } { ##1 }
   }
 }
\cs_generate_variant:Nn \phpirate_splittabular:nn { nV }

\cs_new_protected:Nn \__phpirate_column:nn
 {
  \seq_clear:N \l__phpirate_column_seq
  \int_step_inline:nnnn { 1 } { 1 } { \l__phpirate_rows_int }
   {
    \seq_put_right:Nx \l__phpirate_column_seq
     {
      \exp_not:v { \__phpirate_hline:n { ##1 } }
      \seq_item:cn { \__phpirate_row:n { ##1 } } { #2 }
     }
   }
  \begin{tabular}[t]{#1}
  \seq_use:Nn \l__phpirate_column_seq { \\ }
  \end{tabular}
  \linebreak[0]
 }

\cs_new:Nn \__phpirate_row:n
 {
  l__phpirate_row_ \int_eval:n { #1 } _seq
 }

\cs_new:Nn \__phpirate_hline:n
 {
  l__phpirate_hline_ \int_eval:n { #1 } _tl
 }

\ExplSyntaxOff

\begin{document}

\begin{center}

\begin{splittabular}{c}
\toprule
a&b&c&d&e&f&g&h&i&j&k&l&m&n&o&p&q&r&s&t&u&v&w&x&y&z\\
\midrule
z&y&x&w&v&u&t&s&r&q&p&o&n&m&l&k&j&i&h&g&f&e&d&c&b&a \\
one&two&three&four&five&six&seven&eight&nine&ten&eleven&twelve&
  thirteen&fourteen&fifteen&sixteen&seventeen&eighteen&nineteen&
  twenty&twenty-one&twenty-two&twenty-three&twenty-four&twenty-five&twenty-six \\
\bottomrule
\end{splittabular}

\end{center}

\end{document}

It works also with \hline.