I have a table, possibly a very large table, where every cell is just a simple checkbox (e.g., click-dragging will check/uncheck a grid at a time). The table will have both row and column headers. Although the cells are very simple and small, the row / column headers will tend to be very long (the row headers, for instance, will typically be full sentences).
Ideally, the headers should be fixed while the table scrolls in both dimensions, in order to easily indicate each cell's location. It isn't vital that the entire row or column header be visible, except in its purpose of distinguishing it from the other headers (on average, maybe around 3-5 words at the start may match for some).
As a prerequisite, I know I can use ellipsis dots or fading to truncate the headers after so many characters. But the next question is what I'm struggling with: How do I elegantly lay out the table, without creating excess dead-space or cutting off too much of my headers?
1.
My first thought was to try using vertical labels for the columns. My concern with this is that it reduces the scrollable space by a bit while creating a large unused empty space in the corner:
2.
I considered horizontal top-headers too, but it just leaves so much dead-space in the cells, since the ideal cell shape is a square:
3.
I also considered some kind of inline option... but not sure how intuitive or functional it would be:
If there's no definitive solution, what would be considered the generally accepted compromise?
TIA!
