Is it only me who experiences Gemini chat struggling to format tables and markdowns?

Troubleshooting Table and Markdown Formatting Issues in Gemini Chat: A User’s Perspective

In the evolving landscape of AI-powered chat interfaces, users often encounter challenges related to content formatting, particularly when requesting structured data such as tables and markdown code. Recently, some users have reported specific difficulties with the Gemini chat platform in this regard. This article explores these common issues and offers insights on how to navigate them effectively.

The Challenge: Inconsistent Table Rendering and Markdown Generation

Many users, including myself, have observed that when interacting with Gemini, even with well-crafted and clear prompts, the expected formatting does not materialize as intended. Typically, other chat interfaces and AI models reliably generate formatted tables or markdown-rendered content based on straightforward requests. However, Gemini seems to instead produce raw markdown code rather than rendering the tables directly within the chat environment.

For example, a user might prompt Gemini: “Please provide a table summarizing sales data.” Instead of displaying the table directly, Gemini responds with markdown syntax, such as:

markdown
| Month | Sales |
|--------|--------|
| Jan | 1000 |
| Feb | 1500 |

While this markdown code is correct, it requires an additional step to interpret or render, which can be inconvenient. Moreover, there are instances where, after initially generating markdown code, Gemini unexpectedly halts mid-response and switches to a preformatted text style, providing the raw content without rendering or completing the response.

Possible Reasons and Considerations

These issues could stem from several factors:

• Platform-specific rendering limitations: Gemini may have constraints in its ability to parse or display markdown and tables inline, unlike other interfaces that support real-time rendering.
• Prompt interpretation: Despite clear instructions, the AI might prioritize generating the code or may have default behaviors that produce raw markdown rather than rendered content.
• Technical glitches or updates: As platforms continue to evolve, bugs or ongoing modifications can temporarily impact formatting capabilities.

Strategies for Users

While these issues can be frustrating, there are steps users can take to improve their experience:

1. Explicit Instructions: Specify in your prompts whether you want raw markdown code or a rendered table. For example, say “Please provide a table in rendered format” or “Provide the markdown code for the table.”

2. Post-processing: If the platform outputs markdown code, consider copying it into a markdown viewer or compatible editor that supports rendering. This allows you