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You added a table widget and gave it a reference ID (for example loads or beam_data). This guide shows how to use that table in other widgets: computed fields, checks, or any equation. Think of the table like a spreadsheet: rows, columns, and cells. In equations, the reference ID is the name of the whole block of numbers.
Start here: The reference ID is how you “call” the table from anywhere else. You usually do not use the raw matrix by itself; you pull one cell, one column, or an aggregate (max, min, sum) with the patterns below.

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Reference ID

How the table name is used in equations

One cell

Single value with matrixSubset

One column

Whole column, then max / min / sum

Vectors

Flat lists with vectorSubset

Inside the table

T(), rowIndex, and 0-based indices

Lookup widgets

L() instead of matrixSubset

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Reference ID

Every table widget has a reference ID you choose (or that comes from the template). That name is how you point at the table from anywhere else. Example: Your table’s reference ID is loads. In another widget’s equation, writing loads means: “use the entire table as one block of data.” You rarely want only that; you usually want one cell, one column, or a sum across rows. The next sections show how.

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One cell with matrixSubset

Use matrixSubset when you need a single value at a specific row and column.
  • Count rows and columns starting from 1 (first row = 1, first column = 1).
Pattern:
Example (first row, third column):
Example (inside a larger formula):
That is the usual way to pull one cell from a normal table using its reference ID.
Full syntax and examples: Equation Functions (matrixSubset).

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One column with col

Sometimes every row has a value in the same column (for example “deflection” down the table). Use col to take that whole column, then wrap it in max, min, sum, etc.
  • Column numbers start at 1 for the leftmost column.
Pattern:
Example (largest value in column 6):
If the table comes from a remote result and you need to wrap it (as in some templates), you might see matrix(...) around the reference; follow the same idea: pick the column number, then aggregate.
Details: Equation Functions (col()).

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Vectors with vectorSubset

If something is already a flat list of numbers (not a full table), use vectorSubset. Positions are counted from 1. Pattern:
Use this when the data is one row or one list, not a 2D table.

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Inside the same table

When the equation lives in a column of that same table (for example a computed column), you do not use the reference ID for “the cell to my left.” You use T, rowIndex, and colIndex.
  • T(row, column) refers to a cell in this table.
  • Inside the table, row and column indices start at 0 (first column = 0, first row = 0).
Examples:
  • Current row, first column: T(rowIndex(), 0)
  • Current row, second column: T(rowIndex(), 1)
Indexing: Outside the table, matrixSubset and col use 1-based row and column numbers. Inside the table, T() uses 0-based indices. Easy to mix up; pick the rule that matches where you are writing the equation.
More detail: Equation Functions (T()).

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Lookup widgets

Lookup and shared lookup widgets use L(referenceId, column), not matrixSubset. The column index for L starts at 0 for the left column. That is a different widget type than a normal editable table. See Lookup Widget and Equation Functions (L()).

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Cheat sheet

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Optional: loops and growing tables

If the table can grow or shrink and you need to add up every row, templates often use setSum with size and matrixSubset. That is a more advanced pattern; the important part is still: your table’s reference ID is the handle, and matrixSubset / col are how you read from it.
Use this when you cannot hard-code row numbers and need to iterate over all rows (for example summing a column dynamically). Start from Equation Functions and existing templates that use setSum for a full pattern.

Table Widget

Configure tables, columns, and reference IDs

Equation Functions

matrixSubset, col, L, T, and more

Lookup Widget

When to use L() instead of a normal table

math.js background

Base math library used in equations