Template:Sticky header

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This template makes a table's column headers stick to the top of the screen as the table's data is scrolled in and out of view. It's used on tall tables that have column headers that might be difficult to remember as you scroll through the data.

Usage

Include this template by adding {{sticky header}} or its redirect {{sticky-header}} above a table. Add one of the following classes to the table start wikitext.

Classes for table start wikitext: {| class="class1 class2".

Class	Summary
sticky-header	Make the first header row top sticky.
sticky-header-multi	Requires sortable table. Make multiple header rows top sticky. Avoid use with the sorttop class that becomes sticky after sorting. Avoid making headers sticky that aren't for the entire table (ex. section header rows). Avoid making excessively tall header rows sticky that might block too much data on short screens (ex. mobile landscape).

Single sticky header row

The sticky-header class is used to make the first header row top sticky. Sortable is not required.

Caption

Color	A	B	C
Max	10	11	12
Red	1	2	3
Lime	4	5	6
Gold	7	8	9
Blue	10	11	12
Total	22	26	30

<syntaxhighlight lang=wikitext highlight=1-2>

Caption

Color	A	B	C
Max	10	11	12
Red	1	2	3
Lime	4	5	6
Gold	7	8	9
Blue	10	11	12
Total	22	26	30

</syntaxhighlight>

Multiple sticky header rows

Tracked in Phabricator
Task T6740

Tracked in Phabricator
Task T355492

The sticky-header-multi class is used to make multiple header rows top sticky. Sortable table is required since sortable is currently the only way to move consecutive rows of column headers to the <thead> element. If some or all columns should not be sortable, then class=unsortable can be put in the header cell with the sorting icon. Table top will still be sticky. See Help:Sortable tables. If JavaScript is disabled, then sortable and this solution won't work.

Avoid using the sorttop class since sortable moves those rows into the <thead> element after sorting, which makes them top sticky too. A solution might be to move them to the bottom and use the sortbottom class instead.

Caption

Color	Data
	A	B	C
Red	1	2	3
Lime	4	5	6
Gold	7	8	9
Blue	10	11	12
Max	10	11	12
Total	22	26	30

<syntaxhighlight lang=wikitext highlight=1-2>

Caption

Color	Data
	A	B	C
Red	1	2	3
Lime	4	5	6
Gold	7	8	9
Blue	10	11	12
Max	10	11	12
Total	22	26	30

</syntaxhighlight>

Header rows not for whole table

Consecutive rows of column headers are top sticky, so avoid adding a row of headers right under the column headers that don't apply to the entire table such as a section header meant to visually separate the table.

A solution might be to move each section to a column or separate tables, which also avoids accessibility issues per MOS:COLHEAD.

Another solution might be to add a blank row of data cells (| colspan=4 |) between the last column header row and the first section header row so the latter is not included in the consecutive header rows.

Caption

Color	Data
	A	B	C
Section 1
Red	1	2	3
Lime	4	5	6
Section 2
Gold	7	8	9
Blue	10	11	12

<syntaxhighlight lang=wikitext highlight=1-2,9-10>

Caption

Color	Data
	A	B	C
Section 1
Red	1	2	3
Lime	4	5	6
Section 2
Gold	7	8	9
Blue	10	11	12

</syntaxhighlight>

Excessively tall header rows

Avoid excessively tall header rows that might block too much or all data when sticky on a small mobile screen, especially in landscape orientation. Some solutions might be to move some of the header text to the table caption, more concise header text, remove line-breaks (<br>) in the headers, or split the table up into smaller tables to reduce headers.

Header group 1
Header group 2		Header group 3
Header 1	Header 2	Header 3	Header 4
data	data	data	data
data	data	data	data
data	data	data	data
data	data	data	data
data	data	data	data
data	data	data	data
data	data	data	data
data	data	data	data

Known issues

Tested in browsers on Windows 10, Windows 11, iOS 17 (iphone SE 2020 and iPhone 14 Pro Max), and Android 14 (Samsung Galaxy S21).

• Does not work on the MonoBook skin when the browser width is 550 pixels or less due to the body.skin--responsive .monobook-body {overflow: auto;} style that can't be overridden.
• On Android phones, table headers aren't top-sticky if at least one table using this template is wider than the screen, which is more likely in portrait orientation. The table's horizontal scroll doesn't work with this template, so wide tables span outside of the main content area making the entire page wider and requiring you to instead horizontally scroll the entire page. Zooming out to see the entire table makes the headers sticky, but also makes the text smaller and less readable the wider the table is. Currently, the only semi-solution is to view the zoomed out sticky headers in landscape orientation instead of portrait orientation so that the text is more readable.
• <div style="overflow:auto"></div> - Do not use this around tables. It prevents sticky headers until removed. See diff. See "List by region" table.
• Jumping to an {{Anchor}} (or similar mechanism for creating an anchor) in a table causes that location of the table to be at the top of the screen, where the sticky header covers it.

See also

• Help:Table/Advanced § Tables with sticky headers
• {{sticky table start}} - allows sticky rows and columns inside a scrollable area.
• {{shy}} – Can be used to help narrow columns by adding a soft hyphen to a word to allow it to wrap.

More template styles for tables:

• {{sort under}} - moves the sorting arrows under the headers.
• {{row hover highlight}} - adds row hover highlighting, and option for white background.
• {{static row numbers}} - adds a column of row numbers to a table.
• {{table alignment}} - aligns the cells in a column, or a whole table.

The above documentation is transcluded from Template:Sticky header/doc. (edit | history)
Editors can experiment in this template's sandbox (create | mirror) and testcases (create) pages.
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