The file parser can add tables to text output by using the SOBeginTable and SOEndTable functions to mark the start and end of the table definition and can format the rows and cells in tables by using the SOPutTableRowFormat and SOPutTableCellInfo functions. The file parser uses the character and paragraph functions to output the text for each cell and set the attributes.
The file parser marks the end of each cell and each row by using the SOPutBreak function with the SO_TABLECELLBREAK and SO_TABLEROWBREAK values. A file parser must insert a cell break after each cell and a row break at the end of each row. If a file parser inserts a row break before inserting as many cells as were defined for the row, the remaining cells are assumed to be empty. Empty cells may be inserted in the middle of a row by inserting consecutive cell breaks.
Row and cell formats must be defined before the last cell of a row. After defining the row properties by using the SOPutTableRowFormat function, the parser must call the SOPutTableCellInfo function for each cell in the row. After a row is defined, the row properties are assumed to apply to subsequent rows until new row properties are specified. A filter may, thus, define an entire table by specifying the row and cell properties once and then using the appropriate row and cell breaks.
You can add borders to cells by setting the pLeftBorder, pRightBorder, pTopBorder, and pBottomBorder members of the SOTABLECELLINFO structure to appropriate values when setting the cell format.
You can add tabs to cells by using the special character, the SO_CHCELLTAB value. This character is defined for cells that are merged with their neighbors and acts as a tab that moves the current text position to the location of the next boundary that would have existed if the cells had not been merged.