Using booktabs with newcommand

Question

I'm relatively new to defining commands and environments. I'm trying to make several tables (all of which follow a template), and thought that defining myself a new command would simplify the code. Here's what I tried:

\newcommand{test}[6]{
    \begin{table}
    \begin{tabular}{ll}
        \centering
        \toprule

        \textbf{Form} & \textbf{Conjugation} \\
        \midrule

        \textit{Yo} & \textit{#1} \\
        \textit{T\'u} & \textit{#2} \\
        \textit{\'El} & \textit{#3} \\
        \textit{Nosot@s} & \textit{#4} \\
        \textit{Vosotr@s} & \textit{#5} \\
        \textit{Ell@s} & \textit{#6} \\

        \bottomrule
    \end{tabular}
    \end{table}
}

Basically, I'd like to be able to enter 6 parameters, and have it fill in those parameters and print the corresponding table.

Unfortunately, this code doesn't work. Do you know how to get it to work?

Thank you!

Answer 1

Here's a more flexible macro, that allows to choose between using table (when the key caption is used in the optional argument) or just producing the tabular.

The placement key (default value htp) can be added along with the other options.

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

\ExplSyntaxOn

\NewDocumentCommand{\conjugation}{O{}m}
 {
  \group_begin:
  \keys_set:nn { froggos/conjugation } { #1 }
  \froggos_conjugation:n { #2 }
  \group_end:
 }

\keys_define:nn { froggos/conjugation }
 {
  placement    .tl_set:N  = \l__froggos_conjugation_placement_tl,
  placement    .initial:n = htp,
  caption      .tl_set:N  = \l__froggos_conjugation_caption_tl,
  shortcaption .tl_set:N  = \l__froggos_conjugation_shortcaption_tl,
  label        .tl_set:N  = \l__froggos_conjugation_label_tl,
 }

\seq_new:N \l__froggos_conjugation_entries_seq

\cs_new_protected:Nn \froggos_conjugation:n
 {
  \tl_if_empty:NF \l__froggos_conjugation_caption_tl
   {
    \__froggos_conjugation_table_begin:V \l__froggos_conjugation_placement_tl
    \centering
   }
  \seq_set_split:Nnn \l__froggos_conjugation_entries_seq { \\ } { #1 }
  \begin{tabular}{ll}
    \toprule
    \textbf{Form} & \textbf{Conjugation} \\
    \midrule
    \textit{Yo}       & \textit{\seq_item:Nn \l__froggos_conjugation_entries_seq {1}} \\
    \textit{T\'u}     & \textit{\seq_item:Nn \l__froggos_conjugation_entries_seq {2}} \\
    \textit{\'El}     & \textit{\seq_item:Nn \l__froggos_conjugation_entries_seq {3}} \\
    \textit{Nosotr@s} & \textit{\seq_item:Nn \l__froggos_conjugation_entries_seq {4}} \\
    \textit{Vosotr@s} & \textit{\seq_item:Nn \l__froggos_conjugation_entries_seq {5}} \\
    \textit{Ell@s}    & \textit{\seq_item:Nn \l__froggos_conjugation_entries_seq {6}} \\
    \bottomrule
  \end{tabular}
  \tl_if_empty:NF \l__froggos_conjugation_caption_tl
   {
    \tl_if_empty:NTF \l__froggos_conjugation_shortcaption_tl
     {
      \caption{\l__froggos_conjugation_caption_tl}
     }
     {
      \caption[\l__froggos_conjugation_shortcaption_tl]{\l__froggos_conjugation_caption_tl}
     }
    \tl_if_empty:NF \l__froggos_conjugation_label_tl
     {
      \label{\l__froggos_conjugation_label_tl}
     }
    \end{table}
   }
 }

\cs_new_protected:Nn \__froggos_conjugation_table_begin:n
 {
  \begin{table}[#1]
 }
\cs_generate_variant:Nn \__froggos_conjugation_table_begin:n {V}

\ExplSyntaxOff

\begin{document}

\listoftables

\section{Main}

\conjugation{soy \\ eres \\ es \\ somos \\ sois \\ son}

\conjugation[
  caption=Conjugation of \textit{ser},
  label=verb:ser,
]{soy \\ eres \\ es \\ somos \\ sois \\ son}

\conjugation[
  caption={Conjugation of \textit{ser}, but with a very long caption that requires a short one},
  shortcaption=Conjugation of \textit{ser},
  label=verb:ser-again,
]{soy \\ eres \\ es \\ somos \\ sois \\ son}

\end{document}