The <tbody> element in DITA tables is essential for structuring and organizing the body of a table. It plays a central role in containing the actual data rows of the table, separating them from the header (<thead>) and footer (<tfoot>) sections, if present. The primary purpose of <tbody> is to group and define the content that belongs to the core data of the table, making it clear and structured for readers.

Structuring the Table Body

The <tbody> element is used to group one or more <row> elements, which, in turn, contain the individual data cells represented by <entry> elements. Each <row> typically corresponds to a single data record or row of information in the table. By using <tbody>, you can logically organize and separate different sections of data within the table body, especially when dealing with complex tables that have multiple data segments.

Example:

Here’s an example of how the <tbody> element is used to structure the body of a DITA table:

<table id="sample_table">
  <thead>
    <row>
      <entry>Product Name</strong></entry>
      <entry>Category</strong></entry>
      <entry>Price</strong></entry>
    </row>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <row>
      <entry>Product A</entry>
      <entry>Electronics</entry>
      <entry>$499.99</entry>
    </row>
    <row>
      <entry>Product B</entry>
      <entry>Home & Garden</entry>
      <entry>$299.95</entry>
    </row>
    <!-- Additional data rows -->
  </tbody>
</table>