Building responsive tables from a single cell component
Toggle on and off boolean properties from a single cell to build comprehensive tables in Figma
I published a responsive table file to the Figma community. I built it from a single cell component. In this article, I show how I built it out and how to combine cells into complex tables.
If you’re like me, and prefer to follow along with a video instead of a long article, check out this explainer video below.
And here is another video that describes how I built out the cell component with boolean properties in Figma.
Responsive tables from a single cell component
In the past, I’ve built out individual table cells (e.g. header cell, badge cell, checkbox, button, etc.) and then define them in different column variant components.
However, I think you can save a step and allow for more flexibility by defining all the different cell types in a single cell with boolean properties that can be toggled on and off.
I then use the single cell component to build out column variants that can be combined to build responsive tables. One thing to note is that I included multiple cell variants to provide different table sizes.
From here, I combine the columns into tables. Make sure to set the cell and columns to fill the container to create a responsive table. This is also the time I start to add more styling to the tables by changing borders, colors, etc.
Tables are one of the most important components of software. The world runs on spreadsheets and enterprise software incorporates complex tables to power workflows.
I love designing tables and sharing what I learn with the design community. I plan to build out and write a lot about UI tables for enterprise SaaS. Stay tuned!
I also plan to build out a library of design components build for enterprise SaaS applications, which I’ll share on a new website I’m building out.
