this post was submitted on 04 Dec 2023
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I really like comparison tables on wikipedia but find them hard to navigate.

For example: Comparison of web browsers > General Information

Say I want a web browser for Linux which has been recently updated. I can sort by the "Platform" column, or by "Latest release: Date" but not both.

Sometimes tables can be very wide and/or very tall. Once you get to scrolling it is impossible to see either the row or column headings. So then you can't tell where you even are in the table. Example: Table of AMD processors Also they can have complex structures with merged headings and content.

Ideally I would like to apply some basic spreadsheet-type operations like hiding rows/columns, filtering, sorting by multiple columns etc. Even if there was a way to easily get the table into an actual spreadsheet that would be helpful. I tried some extensions that export tables to other formats but nothing worked without a lot of cleanup.

Is there some kind of trick or tool or extension that makes these ginormous tables useful? I can't tell how people even add information to these things, they are so large.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I can sort by the "Platform" column, or by "Latest release: Date" but not both.

My biggest usability pet peeve of Wikipedia. Othewise, I think they've done a fine job on site design.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It sucks because the info is all there! Someone has gone to the trouble to put it in and everything.

Like I said in the top post I honestly don't understand how these large tables even get updated... How do the authors know what they are even editing?? There has to be a trick.