markdownlint/doc/md056.md

# `MD056` - Table column count

Tags: `table`

Aliases: `table-column-count`

This rule is triggered when a [GitHub Flavored Markdown table][gfm-table-056]
does not have the same number of cells in every row.

This table's second data row has too few cells and its third data row has too
many cells:

```markdown
| Header | Header |
| ------ | ------ |
| Cell   | Cell   |
| Cell   |
| Cell   | Cell   | Cell   |
```

To fix these issues, ensure every row has the same number of cells:

```markdown
| Header | Header |
| ------ | ------ |
| Cell   | Cell   |
| Cell   | Cell   |
| Cell   | Cell   |
```

Note that a table's header row and its delimiter row must have the same number
of cells or it will not be recognized as a table (per specification).

Rationale: Extra cells in a row are usually not shown, so their data is lost.
Missing cells in a row create holes in the table and suggest an omission.

[gfm-table-056]: https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/writing-on-github/working-with-advanced-formatting/organizing-information-with-tables