\vline (LaTeX2e unofficial reference manual (November 2018))

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#### 8.23.2 `\vline`

Draw a vertical line in a `tabular` or `array` environment extending the full height and depth of an entry’s row. Can also be used in an @-expression, although its synonym vertical bar `|` is more common. This command is rarely used in the body of a table; typically a table’s vertical lines are specified in `tabular`’s cols argument and overridden as needed with `\multicolumn` (see tabular).

The example below illustrates some pitfalls. In the first row’s second entry the `\hfill` moves the `\vline` to the left edge of the cell. But that is different than putting it halfway between the two columns, so between the first and second columns there are two vertical rules, with the one from the `{c|cc}` specifier coming before the one produced by the `\vline\hfill`. In contrast, the first row’s third entry shows the usual way to put a vertical bar between two columns. In the second row, the `ghi` is the widest entry in its column so in the `\vline\hfill` the `\hfill` has no effect and the vertical line in that entry appears immediately next to the `g`, with no whitespace.

    \begin{tabular}{c|cc}
      x   &\vline\hfill y   &\multicolumn{1}{|r}{z} \\ % row 1
      abc &def &\vline\hfill ghi                       % row 2
    \end{tabular}

Unofficial LaTeX2e reference manual