Vertically align figures in table cells?

Question

I am trying to design a somewhat complex table (sidewaystable) with with 7 rows and 4 columns in LaTeX. The table contains text, bibtex-citations, and most importantly figures within cells (currently the figures are jpeg for testing purposes, ultimately I want to change them to PDF). The figures are very closely cropped (on purpose).

I have most of the table layout as I want it to be, but the figures are aligned at the top of the cells! This looks ugly and I need to align them vertically and horizontally within their cells.

I tried several things (parbox, manually defining a new columntype for the array package...) but simply can't figure out how to do it.

Here is how the latex-sourcecode of my table basically looks like (text replaced with mockup text):

    % THE TABLE
\begin{sidewaystable}\footnotesize
   \begin{tabular}{| p{3cm} | c | p{6cm} | p{4cm} |}
    \hline
    column1description & column2description & TypeOfOrganism & column4description\\ \hline
    \hline
    Diagram1title & \includegraphics[scale=0.25]{vector_figures/mockup_001.jpg} & description1 & {\em S.\ cerevisiae, E.\ coli}\\ \hline
    Diagram2title & \includegraphics[scale=0.25]{vector_figures/mockup_002.jpg} & description2 & {\em S.\ cerevisiae, E.\ coli}\\ \hline
    Diagram3title & \includegraphics[scale=0.25]{vector_figures/mockup_003.jpg} & description3 & {\em S.\ cerevisiae, E.\ coli}\\ \hline
    Diagram4title & \includegraphics[scale=0.25]{vector_figures/mockup_004.jpg} & description4 & {\em S.\ cerevisiae}\\ \hline
    Diagram5title & \includegraphics[scale=0.25]{vector_figures/mockup_005.jpg} & description5 & {\em S.\ cerevisiae}\\ \hline
    Diagram6title & \includegraphics[scale=0.25]{vector_figures/mockup_006.jpg} & description6 & {\em S.\ cerevisiae}\\ \hline

  \end{tabular}

  \caption[Diagrams and their descriptions]{\textbf{ Diagrams and their descriptions} Some diagrams with interesting descriptions}\label{tab:table2}.

\end{sidewaystable}

I would be very thankful if someone could give me some information on how to align the figures vertically as well as horizontally within their cells.

I.e. the figures need to be in each cell so that the space above and below the figure to the respective cell borders, and left and right to the respective cell borders, is the same.

(I found a few pages about this or related table layout problems but could not understand what to actually do.)

Answer 1

You can use the tabularx package (or the array packge) to have all cells vertically aligned. This can start you off:

\usepackage{tabularx}
\begin{document}

\renewcommand{\tabularxcolumn}[1]{>{\arraybackslash}m{#1}}
\begin{tabularx}{\textwidth}{XXXX}
    \hline
    column1description & column2description & TypeOfOrganism & column4description\\ \hline
    \hline
    Diagram1title & the graphics & I would be very thankful if someone
    could give me some information on how to align the figures vertically
    as well as horizontally within their cells.I would be very thankful if someone could give me some information on how to align the figures vertically as well as horizontally within their cells. & {\em S.\ cerevisiae, E.\ coli}\\ 
    \hline\\
    Diagram1title & the graphics & I would be very thankful if someone
    could give me some information on how to align the figures vertically
    as well as horizontally within their cells.I would be very thankful if
    someone could give me some information on how to align the figures
    vertically as well as horizontally within their cells. & {\em S.\
    cerevisiae, E.\ coli}\\ 
    \hline
\end{tabularx}

\end{document}