Apache POI merge cells from a table in a Word document

Question

I need to have a table with the cells on the first and second row merged.

Something like this:

Image of table (I can't post pics) http://i.stack.imgur.com/dAO6j.png

I have been reviewing all the questions related to this topic and I have found some answers for applying grid span to the cells, but I couldn't find a real solution.

Here is the code I have from examples obtained from google and from this site:

    XWPFDocument document = new XWPFDocument();
    XWPFTable table = document.createTable(7, 2);

    fillTable(table);

    XWPFTableCell cellRow1 = table.getRow(0).getCell(0);
    XWPFTableCell cellRow2 = table.getRow(1).getCell(0);

    cellRow1.getCTTc().addNewTcPr();
    cellRow1.getCTTc().getTcPr().addNewGridSpan();
    cellRow1.getCTTc().getTcPr().getGridSpan().setVal(BigInteger.valueOf(2L));

    cellRow2.getCTTc().addNewTcPr();
    cellRow2.getCTTc().getTcPr().addNewGridSpan();
    cellRow2.getCTTc().getTcPr().getGridSpan().setVal(BigInteger.valueOf(2L));

    FileOutputStream out = new FileOutputStream("Table.docx");
    doc.write(out);
    out.close();

What I get from this code is the following:

I tried to remove the "extra" cells with table.getRow(0).removeCell(1); but it didn't work, am I doing something wrong?

Answer 1

It seems xml has to be removed as well:

 XWPFTableCell removed = tableRow.getCell(idx);
 removed.getCTTc().newCursor().removeXml();
 tableRow.removeCell(idx);

Answer 2

To merge horizontally/vertically you need to create 2 CTHMerge and use the setVal:

• one for the cells that you will remain (STMerge.RESTART);
• a second one for the merged cells (STMerge.CONTINUE);

a) example of a horizontal merge for a 2x2 table:

|___________|___________| --> |___________ ___________|
|___________|___________| --> |___________ ___________|

// First Row
CTHMerge hMerge = CTHMerge.Factory.newInstance();
vmerge.setVal(STMerge.RESTART);
table.getRow(0).getCell(0).getCTTc().getTcPr().setHMerge(hMerge);
table.getRow(1).getCell(0).getCTTc().getTcPr().setHMerge(hMerge);

// Secound Row cell will be merged/"deleted"
CTHMerge hMerge1 = CTHMerge.Factory.newInstance();
hMerge.setVal(STMerge.CONTINUE);
table.getRow(0).getCell(1).getCTTc().getTcPr().setHMerge(hMerge1);
table.getRow(1).getCell(1).getCTTc().getTcPr().setHMerge(hMerge1);

b) example of a vertical merge:

 // First Row
CTVMerge vmerge = CTVMerge.Factory.newInstance();
vmerge.setVal(STMerge.RESTART);
table.getRow(0).getCell(0).getCTTc().getTcPr().setVMerge(vmerge);
table.getRow(0).getCell(1).getCTTc().getTcPr().setVMerge(vmerge);

 // Secound Row cell will be merged 
CTVMerge vmerge1 = CTVMerge.Factory.newInstance();
vmerge.setVal(STMerge.CONTINUE);
table.getRow(1).getCell(0).getCTTc().getTcPr().setVMerge(vmerge1);
table.getRow(1).getCell(1).getCTTc().getTcPr().setVMerge(vmerge1);