20  Multiple columns

Requires: the columns filter.

This is about setting parts of text in multiple columns, not about typesetting an entire document in two columns.

It is sometimes useful to typset a part of text into multiple columns, e.g. to display some claims or formulas side by side. Note that this is not the same as using a table. Here we just divide part of the text into two or more columns, and the text may be allowed to flow from one to the other. The syntax is this:

::: columns
:::: column
This goes in the first column
::::

:::: column
This goes in the second column
::::

:::: column
This goes in a third column
::::
:::

In LaTeX, columns are justified vertically by default. That is, if columns are explicitly broken at certain points, LaTeX ensures that the text in each column occupies its full height by stretching inter-paragraph space. This means that some paragraph may end up being “bumped” at the end of a column. To avoid this, set the .ragged class on your columns Div like so:

::: {.columns .ragged}

...

:::

Note that this doesn’t work on individual column Divs, only on the columns Div that contains them.

Above I use three colons to open and close the “columns” part, and four colons to open and close each “column”. Any number above two works, provided they are distinct from each other.

Good Bad

Columns opens and closes with 3 colons, each column opens and closes with 5:

::: {.columns}
::::: {.column}
On the left
:::::

::::: {.column}
On the right
:::::
:::

Everything opens and closes with 4 colons:

:::: {.columns}
:::: {.column}
On the left
::::

:::: {.column}
On the right
::::
::::

First column opens and closes with 5 colons, second with 7:

::: {.columns}
::::: {.column}
On the left
:::::

::::::: {.column}
On the right
:::::::
:::

```

First column opens with 5 but closes with 7, second column opens with 7 but closes with 5:

::: {.columns}
::::: {.column}
On the left
::::::::

::::::: {.column}
On the right
:::::
:::

The {. … } is optional if you have one word only, but mandatory if you have several

::: {.columns}
::: {.column}
On the left
:::

::: {.column}
On the right
:::
:::

::: {.columns \#my-columns}
::: {.column}
On the left
:::
::: {.column}
On the right
:::
:::
 
::: columns \#my-columns

::::: column width="40%"

On the left

:::::

::::::: column label="red"

On the right

:::::::

:::

At present you cannot set the relative width of columns.

See columns filter manual for further details.