Feature Request: Switch table to listview on smartphone instead of toggle/reflow

[frequent]

I find both the reflow and columntoggle not perfect for table-heavy applications. A colleague suggested to just display a table as a listview on small devices.

I tried and really like this idea. Plus basic version (as in bin) can be CSS only:

Example JSBIN

With some classes being appended via JS, I can see image/icon/split-button and other listview elements quite easily renderable. Same for supporting filterable.

If you need a standalone demo, let me know.

[arschmitz]

@frequent Im little tossed about this because there are differences between a list and a table. For example the way you navigate a list when using a screen reader is different then a table. Also the way the announce them is different. Also you now getting the link arrow and hover styling on the list ( which is actually a table so should not get this ). It seems to me like this is creating more problems then it is solving.

[frequent]

@arschmitz Of course tables and lists are apples and oranges. I should have said, make a table look like a listview on a small device. Then it's technically still a table.

If you look around there are no real good implementations out there for handling tables on mobile (JQM being one of the few providing solutions). And in fact, outside of using JQM, do you see a lot of tables on smartphone? To me lists are the predominant way of displaying a number of records on a small screen. Maybe a reason other frameworks like ionic or onsenui don't even bother to provide something-table.

From my personal experience, the columntoggle is nice while hardcoding. But once you try to squeeze something large, dynamic and existing into the table widget, things like the column-priority needing to be set are quickly making it a drag.

Actually the reflow isn't so far off from a listview "look" (another example). Plus you'd save having to generate the header cell for every row.

Anyway, thanks for feedback. I hadn't thought of the screenreader :-)

[arschmitz]

@frequent I do agree with you about tables on mobile. I also would say your implementation is one of the better looking examples. The issue comes when in a screen reader tables and lists are navigable via keyboard but the navigation works different so for partially sighted people it will look like a list but it will announce and navigate as a table this might be odd.

You will notice i have left this issue open and not just closed as a feature request. I would be open to adjusting the table styling and function in reflow or looking into this more. if you could talk to @gabrielschulhof hes working on a re-write of tables right now.

catch me on irc and we can discuss more.

[frequent]

@arschmitz: will do - once I get back from my vacation. Will be a week.