Fluid Layout (Table Extract Method)

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This article is about the current version of Grooper. Note that some content may still need to be updated.
2025	2023	2021

Fluid Layout is a Table Extract Method that will choose between Tabular Layout and Flow Layout configurations, depending on how labels are collected for a description Document Type.

Introduction

Fluid Layout is a table extract method that adapts to documents where the same information may appear either as a traditional grid (with column headers) or as a flowing list (without column headers). Fluid Layout automatically chooses between Tabular Layout and Row Match based on the labels configured for the document's Label Sets.

How it differs:

• Tabular Layout requires column headers to be present on the document and extracts values under those columns.
• Row Match treats each matched line or block as a row when headers are not present.
• Fluid Layout chooses the most appropriate approach at run time, driven by the document's Label Set.

Prerequisite:

• Fluid Layout requires a Labeling Behavior set up on the Content Type and a configured Label Set for each Document Type. Without a Label Set, Fluid Layout will not extract the table.

When to use

Use Fluid Layout when a single Data Table must read from multiple document types where:

• Some types present data in columns with headers (e.g., “Code”, “Description”).
• Other types present the same data as a list or paragraph-like blocks without obvious column headers.

Real-world example:

• A payer's “Remark Codes” may appear as a neat two-column table on one document type and as a bulleted or wrapped list on another. With Fluid Layout, add column header labels for the tabular version and only a table header label for the list version; the same Data Table will extract both layouts.

Prerequisites:

• Add Labeling Behavior to the Content Type. See the Labeling Behavior wiki article for information on how to do so.

How to configure Fluid Layout

1. Configure a Labeling Behavior on your Content Type.
2. Navigate to the "Labels" tab on the Content Type.
3. On the Label Set:
   • For Tabular Layout samples: add header labels for each needed Data Column (e.g., “Code”, “Description”) below the target Data Table.
   • For samples requiring Row Match: add a header label for the Data Table (e.g., “Remark Codes”) and do not add column header labels.
4. Navigate to the Data Table node in your Node Tree.
5. Set the "Extract Method" to Fluid Layout.
6. In the Data Table's properties:
   • Expand "Tabular Layout" to configure the tabular scenario (header detection, row detection, optional footer detection). See Tabular Layout for details.
   • Expand "Flow Layout" to configure the list scenario using Row Match (row detection pattern/extractor, optional header/footer extractors, spacing/alignment). See Row Match for details.
7. Test the configuration on representative pages using the Design page test tools. Confirm:
   • When any Data Column has a header label in the Label Set, Fluid Layout reports “Using Tabular Layout” and extracts by columns.
   • When only the Data Table has a header label (no column header labels), Fluid Layout reports “Using Flow Layout” and extracts rows via Row Match.

Tips for validation and tuning:

• If nothing is extracted, ensure the Label Set includes either:
  • At least one column header label (for any Data Column), or
  • A table header label (on the Data Table).
• For wrapped/listed rows, fine‑tune Row Match options like "Maximum Row Spacing" and "Row Alignment".=
• For multi‑line tabular rows, adjust "Multiline Rows" under Tabular Layout.