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Level Up Your Python Tables: Structure, Style, and Clarity with Great Tables

Written by Isabella Velásquez

2023-01-13

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Great Tables is a fantastic Python library that lets you create beautiful display tables. This means transforming a raw data structure, like a Polars DataFrame, into a formatted, styled, beautified table suitable for reports and publishing insights.

You can get started with a single line of code:

import polars as pl
import polars.selectors as cs
from great_tables import GT, loc, style

coffee_sales = pl.read_ndjson("https://raw.githubusercontent.com/posit-dev/great-tables/4a11db5692a6e223b108dfcb73b39885652ccefb/docs/examples/_data/coffee-sales.ndjson")

GT(coffee_sales)

icon	product	revenue_dollars	revenue_pct	profit_dollars	profit_pct	monthly_sales
grinder.png	Grinder	904500.0	0.03	567960.0	0.04	[521, 494, 596, 613, 667, 748, 765, 686, 607, 594, 568, 751]
moka-pot.png	Moka pot	2045250.0	0.07	181080.0	0.01	[4726, 4741, 4791, 5506, 6156, 6619, 6868, 6026, 5304, 4884, 4648, 6283]
cold-brew.png	Cold brew	288750.0	0.01	241770.0	0.02	[244, 249, 438, 981, 1774, 2699, 2606, 2348, 1741, 896, 499, 244]
filter.png	Filter	404250.0	0.01	70010.0	0.0	[2067, 1809, 1836, 2123, 2252, 2631, 2562, 2367, 2164, 2195, 2070, 2744]
drip-machine.png	Drip machine	2632000.0	0.09	1374450.0	0.09	[2137, 1623, 1971, 2097, 2580, 2456, 2336, 2316, 2052, 1967, 1837, 2328]
aeropress.png	AeroPress	2601500.0	0.09	1293780.0	0.09	[6332, 5199, 6367, 7024, 7906, 8704, 8693, 7797, 6828, 6963, 6877, 9270]
pour-over.png	Pour over	846000.0	0.03	364530.0	0.02	[1562, 1291, 1511, 1687, 1940, 2177, 2141, 1856, 1715, 1806, 1601, 2165]
french-press.png	French press	1113250.0	0.04	748120.0	0.05	[3507, 2880, 3346, 3792, 3905, 4095, 4184, 4428, 3279, 3420, 3297, 4819]
cezve.png	Cezve	2512500.0	0.09	1969520.0	0.13	[12171, 11469, 11788, 13630, 15391, 16532, 17090, 14433, 12985, 12935, 11598, 15895]
chemex.png	Chemex	3137250.0	0.11	817680.0	0.06	[4938, 4167, 5235, 6000, 6358, 6768, 7112, 6249, 5605, 6076, 4980, 7220]
scale.png	Scale	3801000.0	0.13	2910290.0	0.2	[1542, 1566, 1681, 2028, 2425, 2549, 2569, 2232, 2036, 2089, 1693, 3180]
kettle.png	Kettle	756250.0	0.03	617520.0	0.04	[1139, 1023, 1087, 1131, 1414, 1478, 1456, 1304, 1140, 1233, 1193, 1529]
espresso-machine.png	Espresso Machine	8406000.0	0.29	3636440.0	0.25	[686, 840, 618, 598, 2148, 533, 797, 996, 1002, 668, 858, 2577]
None	Total	29448500.0	1.0	14793150.0	1.0	None

However, we believe that effective display tables go beyond the default with:

A structure that makes them easy to read
Well-formatted values to make data understandable
Styling that draws the viewer’s attention to key takeaways

As “total fanatics about table display,” Michael Chow and Richard Iannone, the minds behind Great Tables, understand this deeply. In their latest video series, they walk through more advanced techniques to elevate your Great Tables with structure, formatting, and styling.

For instance, see how Great Tables code can transform our basic table:

Code

gt_leveled_up = (
    GT(coffee_sales)
    .tab_header(title="Coffee Equipment Sales for 2023")
    .tab_spanner(label="Revenue", columns=cs.starts_with("revenue"))
    .tab_spanner(label="Profit", columns=cs.starts_with("profit"))
    .cols_label(
        revenue_dollars="Amount",
        revenue_pct="Percent",
        profit_dollars="Amount",
        profit_pct="Percent",
        monthly_sales="Monthly Sales",
    )
    .fmt_currency(columns=cs.ends_with("dollars"), use_subunits=False)
    .fmt_percent(columns=cs.ends_with("pct"), decimals=0)
    .tab_style(
        style=style.fill(color="aliceblue"),
        locations=loc.body(columns=cs.starts_with("revenue")),
    )
    .tab_style(
        style=style.fill(color="papayawhip"),
        locations=loc.body(columns=cs.starts_with("profit")),
    )
    .tab_style(
        style=style.text(weight="bold"),
        locations=loc.body(rows=pl.col("product") == "Total"),
    )
    .fmt_nanoplot(columns="monthly_sales", plot_type="bar")
    .fmt_image(
        columns="icon",
        path="~/rrr/posit-web/wp-content/themes/Posit/markdown-blogs/level-up-great-tables/img/",
    )
)

gt_leveled_up

icon	product	Revenue		Profit		Monthly Sales
Coffee Equipment Sales for 2023
icon	product	Amount	Percent	Amount	Percent	Monthly Sales
	Grinder	$904,500	3%	$567,960	4%
	Moka pot	$2,045,250	7%	$181,080	1%
	Cold brew	$288,750	1%	$241,770	2%
	Filter	$404,250	1%	$70,010	0%
	Drip machine	$2,632,000	9%	$1,374,450	9%
	AeroPress	$2,601,500	9%	$1,293,780	9%
	Pour over	$846,000	3%	$364,530	2%
	French press	$1,113,250	4%	$748,120	5%
	Cezve	$2,512,500	9%	$1,969,520	13%
	Chemex	$3,137,250	11%	$817,680	6%
	Scale	$3,801,000	13%	$2,910,290	20%
	Kettle	$756,250	3%	$617,520	4%
	Espresso Machine	$8,406,000	29%	$3,636,440	25%
None	Total	$29,448,500	100%	$14,793,150	100%	None

Ready to level up your tables? Explore the series details below, or start watching it here!

Great Tables 1: Structure, Format, and Style

Video Link | Workshop Repo

This video includes:

Examples of nicely formatted tables
An introduction to the display table workflow:
- Structure for adding pieces like adding a title, column spanners, cleaning up column labels, creating row labels (stub), and grouping rows
- Format for cleaning up the values within the data cells
- Style for customizing the visual appearance of the table
Other exciting features that enhance table display, such as nanoplots and images

Great Tables 2: Introducing Units Notation

Video Link | Workshop Repo

This video includes:

An introduction to unit notation and syntax
Formatting methods
Information on how to handle missing numbers
Instructions on hiding columns

Great Tables 3: Data Color and Polishing

Video Link | Workshop Repo

This video includes:

Methods to transform a “wall of numbers” into a visually insightful heat map
How to use Markdown for formatting
Polars DataFrames and convenient column selectors
Resources for further learning

Continue your Great Tables journey

We hope that you enjoy Michael and Rich’s video series! The fun doesn’t have to stop here.

Explore the Great Tables package documentation.
If you have questions, thoughts, or just want to chat, join the Great Tables Discord!

Isabella Velásquez

Sr. Product Marketing Manager at Posit, PBC

Isabella is a content strategist, data enthusiast, and author. Her goal is to drive engagement around all the awesome things happening at Posit.

Level Up Your Python Tables: Structure, Style, and Clarity with Great Tables

Great Tables 1: Structure, Format, and Style

Great Tables 2: Introducing Units Notation

Great Tables 3: Data Color and Polishing

Continue your Great Tables journey

Isabella Velásquez

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