How it works
Tables live inside a Text block in the Alva Courses lesson editor. The toolbar's Table menu always offers Insert table.
When your cursor is inside a table, the same menu adds the row and column actions, the Header row, Header column and Show borders switches, and Delete table. The toolbar also shows Cell color and Clear.
Insert a table
1. Place your cursor in a Text block
Open the lesson in Alva Courses, expand the Text block and click where the table should go.
2. Open Table → Insert table
In the Text block toolbar, open Table and choose Insert table. A dialog opens with Rows and Columns both set to 3. You can enter up to 500 rows and 50 columns.
3. Choose header cells
Header row and Header column are both ticked. Keep them for a table with labels along the top and left side, or untick either one if that row or column holds ordinary content.
4. Insert the table and fill it in
Click Insert table, then type into the cells. Press Tab to move to the next cell and Shift+Tab to move back.
5. Save and preview
Save the lesson, then click Preview to check the table in your storefront the way a student will see it.
Add or delete rows and columns
Click inside a cell, then open Table. Insert row above, Insert row below, Insert column left and Insert column right add a new line next to that cell.
Delete row and Delete column remove the row or column the cell sits in. Delete table removes the whole table from the Text block.
Turn header cells on or off
Header row and Header column are switches in the Table menu, with a check mark when they are on. Turning one off makes every header cell in that table an ordinary cell. Turning it back on makes the first row or first column header cells again.
In the editor, header cells show bold text on a grey background, so the Bold button has no visible effect in them. Turn the switch off if you want normal-weight text. Students see header cells with a light grey background unless you give them a cell colour.
Show or hide borders
A new table shows a thin black line around every cell. To remove the lines, click inside the table and open Table → Show borders so its check mark disappears. While you edit, faint dashed guides still mark the cells. Students see no lines.
Show borders is a setting for one table, so other tables in the lesson keep their lines. Click it again to bring the borders back.
Colour cells
Click in a cell, or drag across several cells to select them. Then click Cell color in the Text block toolbar and pick a colour. Click Clear to remove it. Both buttons appear only while your cursor is inside a table.
Resize columns
Hover over the right edge of a cell until the cursor becomes a resize arrow, then drag left or right. A column can be as narrow as 32 px, which leaves room for an icon or emoji column. Students see the widths you set.
Keep tables to a width that suits the lesson. On a phone, students scroll sideways to see a wide table.
Make a highlight box with a table
A one-cell table makes a simple coloured callout. Insert a table with 1 row and 1 column, and untick both Header row and Header column. Pick a Cell color, then turn off Show borders.
Students see a coloured box with no lines that sizes itself to your text, even if your theme adds its own table styling.
Common questions
Why is all the text in my table bold?
Those cells are header cells. Insert table ticks Header row and Header column by default, and the editor shows header text in bold. Click inside the table, open Table and click Header row or Header column to turn them off. A one-cell table needs both turned off.
Can I hide the borders on just one table?
Yes. Show borders is set per table. Click inside the table you want to change, open Table and click Show borders to remove its check mark. Other tables in the lesson keep their lines.
Why won't my empty row or column get smaller?
Columns stop at 32 px wide, and an empty row still holds one line of text. If you don't need the row or column, click inside it, open Table and choose Delete row or Delete column instead.
How do I give the header row its own colour?
Select the header cells, click Cell color in the toolbar and pick a colour. Your colour replaces the light grey header shading that students see. Click Clear to go back to the default.
See also
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Last updated 2026-10-08