# HTML Email Table Patterns

When sending structured/tabular data by email (fee schedules, pricing, comparisons, timelines):

## CRITICAL: Never regex-convert markdown tables

Email clients (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) strip `<style>` blocks and misrender complex markdown-to-HTML conversions. **Build tables by hand in Python string interpolation.**

## Correct pattern (hand-crafted HTML)

```python
rows = [
    ("Tier 1", "$3,300 (22%)", "$11,700", "2-14 days"),
    ("Tier 2", "$4,500 (30%)", "$10,500", "15-30 days"),
]
html = '<table cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="font-size:13px;color:#333;">'
html += '<tr style="background:#f5f5f5;"><td style="border:1px solid #ddd;padding:6px 12px;"><b>Scenario</b></td>... </tr>'
for r in rows:
    html += f'<tr><td style="border:1px solid #ddd;padding:6px 12px;">{r[0]}</td>...'
html += '</table>'
```

## Cell styling

| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| `cellpadding` | `"6"` |
| `cellspacing` | `"0"` |
| `border` | `"0"` |
| Individual cell style | `border:1px solid #ddd;padding:6px 12px;` |
| Header row | `<tr style="background:#f5f5f5;">` |
| Merged cells | `rowspan="2"` with `vertical-align:middle` |

## Multi-part message construction

```python
msg = MIMEMultipart('alternative')
plain = MIMEText(markdown_text, 'plain')
html_part = MIMEText(full_html_doc, 'html')
msg.attach(plain)   # plain text first
msg.attach(html_part)  # HTML second (client picks last understood)
```

## Common failure: misplaced closing quote

The Sho'Nuff closing quote goes between the last body paragraph and the signature `<hr>` divider, NOT inside the signature table block. Pattern:

```python
full_html = body_content + f'<p><em>{closing}</em></p>' + sig_html
```

Not `body_content + sig_html_with_quote_buried_inside`.