# Show objects side by side in two columns using format() **URL:** \ **Category:** Ask the Community\ **Created:** [November 21, 2019, 2:46pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-objects-side-by-side-in-two-columns-using-format/12320 "2019-11-21T14:46:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bill\_French](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/bill_french/32/49422_2.png) [@Bill\_French](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Bill_French)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 5:35pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-objects-side-by-side-in-two-columns-using-format/12320/21 "2019-11-23T17:35:10Z")
> [@Johg\_Ananda](#): > > some kind of formatted narrative Yep. > [@Johg\_Ananda](#): > > I think coda is winking to us about this Yep. I’ll wager that someone like @Ben_Lee will see this and use it to demonstrate to the team that all this great work and late nights has paid off - more importantly, we fully understand why Coda is so “uncommonly good”. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_Danyliuk](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/paul_danyliuk/32/27228_2.png) [@Paul\_Danyliuk](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Paul_Danyliuk)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2019, 5:36pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-objects-side-by-side-in-two-columns-using-format/12320/22 "2019-12-31T17:36:35Z")
OK @Johg_Ananda @Bill_French here’s something that could help you render your perfect “formatted narrative”: > [@MEGA TRICK: SVG in Coda (one step away from generated charts and mind maps!)](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/mega-trick-svg-in-coda-one-step-away-from-generated-charts-and-mind-maps/12994): > > I discovered the way to render [SVG](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalable_Vector_Graphics) (vector graphics) in Coda. This capability (if put enough effort) lets you dynamically create virtually any images out of your data, such as: non-standard charts mind maps any other visualizations, including animated ones (but only with vanilla SVG; see row 2 of demo) That is because you declare image elements (e.g. each rectangle or text label) as plain text, which you can then concatenate into a finished image. Limitations: Don’t capture mouse events, … Just render SVGs one per row, with all the formatting and layout options you want. You’ll need to prepare those SVGs manually or export from a vector editing app first though. ---
**Author:** ![Johg\_Ananda](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/johg_ananda/32/13930_2.png) [@Johg\_Ananda](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Johg_Ananda)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 1:11am UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-objects-side-by-side-in-two-columns-using-format/12320/23 "2020-01-07T01:11:10Z")
ok so now I get to learn how to code SVGs too?!?! You’re amazing @Paul_Danyliuk thanks for thinking to message me about this! ---
**Author:** ![Johg\_Ananda](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/johg_ananda/32/13930_2.png) [@Johg\_Ananda](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Johg_Ananda)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 2:26am UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-objects-side-by-side-in-two-columns-using-format/12320/24 "2020-01-16T02:26:07Z")
Hey @Bill_French when you used the tab character " " in your reply, how did ‘get it’? How do you enter it into this site? Tab for me jumps to the next block. What is the shortcut? ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_French](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/bill_french/32/49422_2.png) [@Bill\_French](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Bill_French)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 2:44am UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-objects-side-by-side-in-two-columns-using-format/12320/25 "2020-01-16T02:44:21Z")
You have to find an actual tab character (like in TextMate) copy it, and paste it. 😉 Or use this [Chrome extension](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/chrome-textarea-formatter/oglpfnoajkapekjobldcbbjhgjndbfkf). ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_Danyliuk](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/paul_danyliuk/32/27228_2.png) [@Paul\_Danyliuk](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Paul_Danyliuk)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:12pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-objects-side-by-side-in-two-columns-using-format/12320/26 "2020-01-16T16:12:12Z")
Or use `Character(9)` ---
**Author:** ![Johg\_Ananda](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/johg_ananda/32/13930_2.png) [@Johg\_Ananda](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Johg_Ananda)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-objects-side-by-side-in-two-columns-using-format/12320/27 "2020-07-18T23:03:43Z")
Six months later, knowing about `Character(9)` has been tremendous. ---
**Author:** ![Alexander\_Mazza](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/alexander_mazza/32/37410_2.png) [@Alexander\_Mazza](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Alexander_Mazza)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 6:40pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-objects-side-by-side-in-two-columns-using-format/12320/28 "2023-09-03T18:40:16Z")
Hi, fellow new Coda user here, and I cant get the bars to align for the life of me. @Bill_French could it be that something has since changed about Coda formulas that would make your code here not work properly anymore? I’ve sure learned a lot on the way, but regardless I’ve just spent like 4 hours making sure I’ve started with the same characters as you and then wiggling every possible part and nothing would reliably bring me closer to the desired outcome. Here a screenshot with pre-bar strings of length 3 and 7 like in your examples. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/original/3X/3/6/36408ade539d1e8b818df98db22198b54f565642.png) Also @Johg_Ananda sry for fat-fingering on the access request button (which can’t be undone? 🤨) Hope I’m just missing some really minute dumb beginner thing ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_French](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/bill_french/32/49422_2.png) [@Bill\_French](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Bill_French)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 9:07pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-objects-side-by-side-in-two-columns-using-format/12320/29 "2023-09-03T21:07:49Z")
> [@Alexander\_Mazza](#): > > something has since changed about Coda formulas that would make your code here not work properly anymore? Ha ha! I’m sure anything in this thread could be referred to as “proper”. It was really an excursion to try to address a specific formatting objective. One question, though, have you tried to copy a tab character and paste it into the formula. This goes back a long time and I recall having to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Alexander\_Mazza](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/alexander_mazza/32/37410_2.png) [@Alexander\_Mazza](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Alexander_Mazza)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 8:45am UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-objects-side-by-side-in-two-columns-using-format/12320/30 "2023-09-04T08:45:47Z")
Oh wow, thanks for replying so quickly. Yes I did with one from [here](http://www.unicode-symbol.com/u/0009.html) yesterday and just now I’ve tried to copy tab characters from several other places just in case, but they all turned out duds ☹ I’ve also looked at the cells in the Coda Android App, Vivaldi mobile browser, Chrome desktop browser (yesterday’s screenshot being from Vivaldi desktop) to make sure it’s not some weird browser thing, but I’m none the wiser again. If it’s helpful context, I’m so far completely self taught in anything computer science, coding, RegEx, formulas etc. so the sky’s the limit as far as possible blindspots are concerned, all I know is that I know nothing except “Being able to precisely control alignment of concatenated objects/strings of differing lengths within a cell” would be a valuable skill to have, like when creating a work breakdown structure as shown in [this post](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/serious-project-management-in-coda-work-breakdown-structures/6114/8), which I’ve copied and since somewhat modified (not to complete satisfaction ofc) ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/original/3X/9/3/93eee21fa34120b00509c9d2be63fd5b808c7d91.png) ---
**Author:** ![Johg\_Ananda](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/johg_ananda/32/13930_2.png) [@Johg\_Ananda](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Johg_Ananda)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2023, 4:35pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-objects-side-by-side-in-two-columns-using-format/12320/31 "2023-09-11T16:35:32Z")
Wow flashbacks to a 4 year younger version of myself. I believe this can be easily handled now with the `card()` formula. ```auto card( concat(User1, linebreak(), User2), concat(Rectangle(user1params), linebreak(), Rectangle(user2params)) ) ``` It’s not perfect but helps in many uses cases. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/system/32/24484_2.png) [@system](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-objects-side-by-side-in-two-columns-using-format/12320/32 "2023-09-14T16:36:21Z")
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