Incorrect modification of \begin{table} environment with labeled table in LaTeX

[jkrumbiegel]

Bug description

SummaryTables.jl can create latex output and I noticed that tables don't look quite right when using quarto's table label feature. It seems like quarto tries to splice its own code into the \begin{table} environment but misses the [!ht] parameters, which are then left dangling, leading to this kind of output:

Steps to reproduce

This doc just returns some raw latex with the correct MIME type, it should work with any similar latex output:

---
engine: julia

format:
    pdf:
        include-in-header:
            - text: |
                \usepackage{threeparttable}

keep-tex: true
---

```{julia}
#| label: tbl-test
struct Latex
    s::String
end

Base.show(io::IO, m::MIME"text/latex", l::Latex) = print(io, l.s)

Latex(raw"""
\begin{table}[!ht]
\setlength\tabcolsep{0pt}
\centering
\begin{threeparttable}
\begin{tabular}{@{\extracolsep{2ex}}*{5}{ccccc}}
\toprule
$\theta 1$ & $\theta 1$ & $\theta 1$ & $\theta 1$ & $\theta 1$ \\
\midrule
$\theta 2$ & $\theta 2$ & $\theta 2$ & $\theta 2$ & $\theta 2$ \\
$\theta 3$ & $\theta 3$ & $\theta 3$ & $\theta 3$ & $\theta 3$ \\
$\theta 4$ & $\theta 4$ & $\theta 4$ & $\theta 4$ & $\theta 4$ \\
$\theta 5$ & $\theta 5$ & $\theta 5$ & $\theta 5$ & $\theta 5$ \\
\bottomrule
\end{tabular}
\end{threeparttable}
\end{table}
""")
```

Actual behavior

The .tex file output contains this section, notice how some code was spliced into the \begin{table} environment, leaving the [!ht] on its own line:

\begin{table}

\caption{\label{tbl-test}}

\centering{

[!ht]
\setlength\tabcolsep{0pt}
\centering
\begin{threeparttable}
\begin{tabular}{@{\extracolsep{2ex}}*{5}{ccccc}}
\toprule
$\theta 1$ & $\theta 1$ & $\theta 1$ & $\theta 1$ & $\theta 1$ \\
\midrule
$\theta 2$ & $\theta 2$ & $\theta 2$ & $\theta 2$ & $\theta 2$ \\
$\theta 3$ & $\theta 3$ & $\theta 3$ & $\theta 3$ & $\theta 3$ \\
$\theta 4$ & $\theta 4$ & $\theta 4$ & $\theta 4$ & $\theta 4$ \\
$\theta 5$ & $\theta 5$ & $\theta 5$ & $\theta 5$ & $\theta 5$ \\
\bottomrule
\end{tabular}
\end{threeparttable}

}

\end{table}%

Expected behavior

No response

Your environment

No response

Quarto check output

quarto check
Quarto 1.6.32
[✓] Checking environment information...
      Quarto cache location: /Users/krumbiegel/Library/Caches/quarto
[✓] Checking versions of quarto binary dependencies...
      Pandoc version 3.4.0: OK
      Dart Sass version 1.70.0: OK
      Deno version 1.46.3: OK
      Typst version 0.11.0: OK
[✓] Checking versions of quarto dependencies......OK
[✓] Checking Quarto installation......OK
      Version: 1.6.32
      Path: /Applications/quarto/bin

[✓] Checking tools....................OK
      TinyTeX: v2025.01
      Chromium: (not installed)

[✓] Checking LaTeX....................OK
      Using: TinyTex
      Path: /Users/krumbiegel/Library/TinyTeX/bin/universal-darwin
      Version: 2024

[✓] Checking basic markdown render....OK

[✓] Checking Python 3 installation....OK
      Version: 3.12.2 (Conda)
      Path: /Users/krumbiegel/miniconda3/bin/python
      Jupyter: 5.5.0
      Kernels: julia-1.11, julia-1.10, julia-1.8, julia-1.7, python3

[✓] Checking Jupyter engine render....OK

[✓] Checking R installation...........OK
      Version: 4.3.2
      Path: /Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Resources
      LibPaths:
        - /Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Versions/4.3-arm64/Resources/library
      knitr: 1.45
      rmarkdown: 2.26

[✓] Checking Knitr engine render......OK

[mcanouil]

This is a known issue.

Third parties should not emit table environments as Quarto Cross-ref feature needs to add its own.
Quarto tries to be smart and parse the code produced by the user.

[mcanouil]

Note that this particular case was fixed in the "parser":

• Problem in processing raw LaTeX tables as floatref when table has option #11878

It will be part of the next-prerelease (1.7.14).

[mcanouil]

FYI, there is a discussion about allowing users to explicitly tell Quarto: "I am outputting raw LaTeX without cross-reference, and I want Quarto to do nothing"¹

• Raw LaTeX table with no crossref are not passthrough. Should they ? #11951

Footnotes

1. If you intend to use Quarto cross-reference (i.e., tbl- ID prefix), you should not emit table environments. ↩

[jkrumbiegel]

Note that this particular case was fixed in the "parser":

I see, thank you, could not locate that issue when I tried looking for preexisting ones. I get that quarto needs to have control of \begin{table} but I think it's ok as long as we don't do more than define the inner table structure. Latex is just not 100% composable here, so some compromises need to be made.

It would be hard or impossible to convert the structures SummaryTables wants to create in markdown, I will have another look into this though.

[mcanouil]

It would be hard or impossible to convert the structures SummaryTables wants to create in markdown, I will have another look into this though.

That's mainly why (I believe), Quarto tries to "fix" the tables but as it involves regexes, etc. and that LaTeX syntax is not very homogenous, it can't work all the time.
The simplest way to ensure Quarto cross-reference can work, is to not use the surrounding environment when possible.

[cderv]

Note that this particular case was fixed in the "parser":

• Problem in processing raw LaTeX tables as floatref when table has option #11878

It will be part of the next-prerelease (1.7.14).

It seems this is not fixed when trying to reproduce with this julia example. So something missed somehow in #11878

I'll see how to adapt.

[cderv]

I get that quarto needs to have control of \begin{table} but I think it's ok as long as we don't do more than define the inner table structure

Just so this is clear, if you do not emit \begin{table}, it works. You can still set !ht using tbl-pos

---
engine: julia
format:
  pdf:
    include-in-header:
      - text: |
         \usepackage{threeparttable}
keep-tex: true
keep-md: true
---

```{julia}
#| label: tbl-test
#| tbl-pos: "!ht"
struct Latex
    s::String
end

Base.show(io::IO, m::MIME"text/latex", l::Latex) = print(io, l.s)

Latex(raw"""
\setlength\tabcolsep{0pt}
\centering
\begin{threeparttable}
\begin{tabular}{@{\extracolsep{2ex}}*{5}{ccccc}}
\toprule
$\theta 1$ & $\theta 1$ & $\theta 1$ & $\theta 1$ & $\theta 1$ \\
\midrule
$\theta 2$ & $\theta 2$ & $\theta 2$ & $\theta 2$ & $\theta 2$ \\
$\theta 3$ & $\theta 3$ & $\theta 3$ & $\theta 3$ & $\theta 3$ \\
$\theta 4$ & $\theta 4$ & $\theta 4$ & $\theta 4$ & $\theta 4$ \\
$\theta 5$ & $\theta 5$ & $\theta 5$ & $\theta 5$ & $\theta 5$ \\
\bottomrule
\end{tabular}
\end{threeparttable}
""")
```

When \begin{table} is found, Quarto should try to remove it, and will not keep the option. So here I consider the [!ht] leftover the issue, but it would still not use your table asis while having Quarto cross ref working. You would need to not use Quarto cross ref to have the table passed asis

[jkrumbiegel]

I meant that it should be okay to have a table with \begin{table}, knowing that quarto chops that off and does some outer adjustments, as long as the inner content of the table is sufficiently simple so it doesn't interfere with quarto's transformations.

So here I consider the [!ht] leftover the issue

Yes, me too, although @mcanouil pointed to this already being solved. I haven't tried on prerelease, yet, though.

Sorry, missed your earlier post saying it was not fixed.

[cderv]

#12103 should fix it. This problem is a follow up on the one I fixed in #11878 - it was not complete because we do same processing but in a different code path for when the raw latex table is from a computated cell output. (meaning inside a .cell Div, with label tbl- in the Div itself.)

knowing that quarto chops that off and does some outer adjustments, as long as the inner content of the table is sufficiently simple so it doesn't interfere with quarto's transformations.

Results is the following for your example

\begin{table}

\caption{\label{tbl-test}}

\centering{

\setlength\tabcolsep{0pt}
\centering
\begin{threeparttable}
\begin{tabular}{@{\extracolsep{2ex}}*{5}{ccccc}}
\toprule
$\theta 1$ & $\theta 1$ & $\theta 1$ & $\theta 1$ & $\theta 1$ \\
\midrule
$\theta 2$ & $\theta 2$ & $\theta 2$ & $\theta 2$ & $\theta 2$ \\
$\theta 3$ & $\theta 3$ & $\theta 3$ & $\theta 3$ & $\theta 3$ \\
$\theta 4$ & $\theta 4$ & $\theta 4$ & $\theta 4$ & $\theta 4$ \\
$\theta 5$ & $\theta 5$ & $\theta 5$ & $\theta 5$ & $\theta 5$ \\
\bottomrule
\end{tabular}
\end{threeparttable}

}

\end{table}%

[cderv]

SummaryTables.jl can create latex output and I noticed that tables don't look quite right when using quarto's table label feature.

@jkrumbiegel I did not test specifically for SummaryTables.jl output, but the issue you found is now fixed in dev version.

[jkrumbiegel]

@cderv thank you :)