ascii-box-tables

Two Distinct Styles — Use the Right One

1. Data Tables → Markdown pipe syntax

Use | and - for structured data with rows and columns. Renders cleanly everywhere.

| COLUMN A       | COLUMN B       | COLUMN C       |
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
| Data row 1     | Value 1        | Value 1        |
| Data row 2     | Value 2        | Value 2        |

For titled sections, use markdown headings above the table:

### Section Title

| COLUMN A       | COLUMN B       |
|----------------|----------------|
| Data row 1     | Value 1        |

Data Table Design Rules

1. Column separator: Always |
2. Header divider row: Use --- (three or more dashes) per cell
3. Padding: Add a space on each side of cell content for readability
4. Consistent column width: Pad with spaces so columns align visually
5. Section titles: Use markdown headings (##, ###) above tables instead of title rows inside the table

Do NOT use heavy Unicode box-drawing characters (╔, ║, ═, etc.) for data tables — they cause alignment issues.

---

2. Flow Diagrams & Architecture → Unicode box-drawing characters

Use Unicode box-drawing characters for node boxes, flow arrows, and architecture diagrams. These look far better than +/-/| for visual layouts.

Character Set for Diagrams

Purpose	Character
Horizontal	─
Vertical	│
Top-left	┌
Top-right	┐
Bottom-left	└
Bottom-right	┘
T-left	├
T-right	┤
T-top	┬
T-bottom	┴
Cross	┼
Arrow down	▼
Arrow up	▲
Arrow right	▶
Arrow left	◀

Do NOT use +, -, * for diagram boxes — always prefer the Unicode characters above.

Diagram Structure Pattern

┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│   Node A        │     │   Node B        │
│  - detail       │     │  - detail       │
└────────┬────────┘     └────────┬────────┘
         │                       │
         └───────────┬───────────┘
                     ▼
          ┌──────────────────────┐
          │      Next Layer      │
          └──────────────────────┘

Emoji Handling

Emojis render as ~2 characters wide in most monospace fonts and can cause column misalignment.

Include emojis (may cause slight alignment drift):

| Authentication | 🟢 Operational |
| Database       | 🔴 Outage      |

ASCII alternatives (perfect alignment):

| Authentication | [*] Operational |
| Database       | [X] Outage      |

Common substitutions:

• [~] = pending/waiting (replaces ⏳)
• [!] = warning/attention (replaces ⚡ 🟡)
• [*] = success/OK (replaces 🟢 ✓)
• [X] = error/failure (replaces 🔴 ✗)
• [x] = checkbox checked
• [ ] = checkbox unchecked
• >> = callout/verdict

Example Output

API Status Dashboard

Date: 2026-02-05 | Time: 14:30 UTC

Service	Status	Notes
Authentication	[*] Operational
Database	[!] Degraded
Storage	[X] Outage	Affecting file uploads, ETA 15:00 UTC