includes/form.inc            | 152 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 includes/theme.inc           |  93 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 modules/system/system.module |  24 +++++++
 3 files changed, 269 insertions(+)

diff --git a/includes/form.inc b/includes/form.inc
index 8ae8065..4a6d172 100644
--- a/includes/form.inc
+++ b/includes/form.inc
@@ -2310,6 +2310,36 @@ function form_type_checkboxes_value($element, $input = FALSE) {
 }
 
 /**
+ * Determines the value of a table form element.
+ *
+ * @param array $element
+ *   The form element whose value is being populated.
+ * @param array|false $input
+ *   The incoming input to populate the form element. If this is FALSE,
+ *   the element's default value should be returned.
+ *
+ * @return array
+ *   The data that will appear in the $form_state['values'] collection
+ *   for this element. Return nothing to use the default.
+ */
+function form_type_table_value(array $element, $input = FALSE) {
+  // If #multiple is FALSE, the regular default value of radio buttons is used.
+  if (!empty($element['#tableselect']) && !empty($element['#multiple'])) {
+    // Contrary to #type 'checkboxes', the default value of checkboxes in a
+    // table is built from the array keys (instead of array values) of the
+    // #default_value property.
+    // @todo D8: Remove this inconsistency.
+    if ($input === FALSE) {
+      $element += array('#default_value' => array());
+      return drupal_map_assoc(array_keys(array_filter($element['#default_value'])));
+    }
+    else {
+      return is_array($input) ? drupal_map_assoc($input) : array();
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+/**
  * Determines the value for a tableselect form element.
  *
  * @param $element
@@ -3409,6 +3439,128 @@ function form_process_tableselect($element) {
 }
 
 /**
+ * #process callback for #type 'table' to add tableselect support.
+ *
+ * @param array $element
+ *   An associative array containing the properties and children of the
+ *   table element.
+ * @param array $form_state
+ *   The current state of the form.
+ *
+ * @return array
+ *   The processed element.
+ *
+ * @see form_process_tableselect()
+ * @see theme_tableselect()
+ */
+function form_process_table($element, &$form_state) {
+  if ($element['#tableselect']) {
+    if ($element['#multiple']) {
+      $value = is_array($element['#value']) ? $element['#value'] : array();
+    }
+    // Advanced selection behaviour makes no sense for radios.
+    else {
+      $element['#js_select'] = FALSE;
+    }
+    // Add a "Select all" checkbox column to the header.
+    // @todo D8: Rename into #select_all?
+    if ($element['#js_select']) {
+      $element['#attached']['library'][] = array('system', 'drupal.tableselect');
+      array_unshift($element['#header'], array('class' => array('select-all')));
+    }
+    // Add an empty header column for radio buttons or when a "Select all"
+    // checkbox is not desired.
+    else {
+      array_unshift($element['#header'], '');
+    }
+
+    if (!isset($element['#default_value']) || $element['#default_value'] === 0) {
+      $element['#default_value'] = array();
+    }
+    // Create a checkbox or radio for each row in a way that the value of the
+    // tableselect element behaves as if it had been of #type checkboxes or
+    // radios.
+    foreach (element_children($element) as $key) {
+      // Do not overwrite manually created children.
+      if (!isset($element[$key]['select'])) {
+        // Determine option label; either an assumed 'title' column, or the
+        // first available column containing a #title or #markup.
+        // @todo Consider to add an optional $element[$key]['#title_key']
+        //   defaulting to 'title'?
+        $title = '';
+        if (!empty($element[$key]['title']['#title'])) {
+          $title = $element[$key]['title']['#title'];
+        }
+        else {
+          foreach (element_children($element[$key]) as $column) {
+            if (isset($element[$key][$column]['#title'])) {
+              $title = $element[$key][$column]['#title'];
+              break;
+            }
+            if (isset($element[$key][$column]['#markup'])) {
+              $title = $element[$key][$column]['#markup'];
+              break;
+            }
+          }
+        }
+        if ($title !== '') {
+          $title = t('Update !title', array('!title' => $title));
+        }
+
+        // Prepend the select column to existing columns.
+        $element[$key] = array('select' => array()) + $element[$key];
+        $element[$key]['select'] += array(
+          '#type' => $element['#multiple'] ? 'checkbox' : 'radio',
+          '#title' => $title,
+          '#title_display' => 'invisible',
+          // @todo If rows happen to use numeric indexes instead of string keys,
+          //   this results in a first row with $key === 0, which is always FALSE.
+          '#return_value' => $key,
+          '#attributes' => $element['#attributes'],
+        );
+        $element_parents = array_merge($element['#parents'], array($key));
+        if ($element['#multiple']) {
+          $element[$key]['select']['#default_value'] = isset($value[$key]) ? $key : NULL;
+          $element[$key]['select']['#parents'] = $element_parents;
+        }
+        else {
+          $element[$key]['select']['#default_value'] = ($element['#default_value'] == $key ? $key : NULL);
+          $element[$key]['select']['#parents'] = $element['#parents'];
+          $element[$key]['select']['#id'] = drupal_html_id('edit-' . implode('-', $element_parents));
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  return $element;
+}
+
+/**
+ * #element_validate callback for #type 'table'.
+ *
+ * @param array $element
+ *   An associative array containing the properties and children of the
+ *   table element.
+ * @param array $form_state
+ *   The current state of the form.
+ */
+function form_validate_table($element, &$form_state) {
+  // Skip this validation if the button to submit the form does not require
+  // selected table row data.
+  if (empty($form_state['triggering_element']['#tableselect'])) {
+    return;
+  }
+  if ($element['#multiple']) {
+    if (!is_array($element['#value']) || !count(array_filter($element['#value']))) {
+      form_error($element, t('No items selected.'));
+    }
+  }
+elseif (!isset($element['#value']) || $element['#value'] === '') {
+    form_error($element, t('No item selected.'));
+  }
+}
+
+/**
  * Processes a machine-readable name form element.
  *
  * @param $element
diff --git a/includes/theme.inc b/includes/theme.inc
index d1864c8..4b347db 100644
--- a/includes/theme.inc
+++ b/includes/theme.inc
@@ -1804,6 +1804,99 @@ function theme_breadcrumb($variables) {
 }
 
 /**
+ * #pre_render callback to transform children of an element into #rows suitable for theme_table().
+ *
+ * This function converts sub-elements of an element of #type 'table' to be
+ * suitable for theme_table():
+ * - The first level of sub-elements are table rows. Only the #attributes
+ *   property is taken into account.
+ * - The second level of sub-elements is converted into columns for the
+ *   corresponding first-level table row.
+ *
+ * Simple example usage:
+ * @code
+ * $form['table'] = array(
+ *   '#type' => 'table',
+ *   '#header' => array(t('Title'), array('data' => t('Operations'), 'colspan' => '1')),
+ *   // Optionally, to add tableDrag support:
+ *   '#tabledrag' => array(
+ *     array('order', 'sibling', 'thing-weight'),
+ *   ),
+ * );
+ * foreach ($things as $row => $thing) {
+ *   $form['table'][$row]['#weight'] = $thing['weight'];
+ *
+ *   $form['table'][$row]['title'] = array(
+ *     '#type' => 'textfield',
+ *     '#default_value' => $thing['title'],
+ *   );
+ *
+ *   // Optionally, to add tableDrag support:
+ *   $form['table'][$row]['#attributes']['class'][] = 'draggable';
+ *   $form['table'][$row]['weight'] = array(
+ *     '#type' => 'textfield',
+ *     '#title' => t('Weight for @title', array('@title' => $thing['title'])),
+ *     '#title_display' => 'invisible',
+ *     '#size' => 4,
+ *     '#default_value' => $thing['weight'],
+ *     '#attributes' => array('class' => array('thing-weight')),
+ *   );
+ *
+ *   // The amount of link columns should be identical to the 'colspan'
+ *   // attribute in #header above.
+ *   $form['table'][$row]['edit'] = array(
+ *     '#type' => 'link',
+ *     '#title' => t('Edit'),
+ *     '#href' => 'thing/' . $row . '/edit',
+ *   );
+ * }
+ * @endcode
+ *
+ * @param array $element
+ *   A structured array containing two sub-levels of elements. Properties used:
+ *   - #tabledrag: The value is a list of arrays that are passed to
+ *     drupal_add_tabledrag(). The HTML ID of the table is prepended to each set
+ *     of arguments.
+ *
+ * @see system_element_info()
+ * @see theme_table()
+ * @see drupal_process_attached()
+ * @see drupal_add_tabledrag()
+ */
+function drupal_pre_render_table(array $element) {
+  foreach (element_children($element) as $first) {
+    $row = array('data' => array());
+    // Apply attributes of first-level elements as table row attributes.
+    if (isset($element[$first]['#attributes'])) {
+      $row += $element[$first]['#attributes'];
+    }
+    // Turn second-level elements into table row columns.
+    // @todo Do not render a cell for children of #type 'value'.
+    // @see http://drupal.org/node/1248940
+    foreach (element_children($element[$first]) as $second) {
+      // Assign the element by reference, so any potential changes to the
+      // original element are taken over.
+      $row['data'][] = array('data' => &$element[$first][$second]);
+    }
+    $element['#rows'][] = $row;
+  }
+
+  // Take over $element['#id'] as HTML ID attribute, if not already set.
+  element_set_attributes($element, array('id'));
+
+  // If the custom #tabledrag is set and there is a HTML ID, inject the table's
+  // HTML ID as first callback argument and attach the behavior.
+  if (!empty($element['#tabledrag']) && isset($element['#attributes']['id'])) {
+    foreach ($element['#tabledrag'] as &$args) {
+      array_unshift($args, $element['#attributes']['id']);
+    }
+    $element['#attached']['drupal_add_tabledrag'] = $element['#tabledrag'];
+  }
+
+  return $element;
+}
+
+/**
  * Returns HTML for a table.
  *
  * @param $variables
diff --git a/modules/system/system.module b/modules/system/system.module
index 2bbcd7f..d6741fc 100644
--- a/modules/system/system.module
+++ b/modules/system/system.module
@@ -510,6 +510,30 @@ function system_element_info() {
     '#theme' => 'hidden',
   );
 
+  $types['table'] = array(
+    '#header' => array(),
+    '#rows' => array(),
+    '#empty' => '',
+    // Properties for tableselect support.
+    '#input' => TRUE,
+    '#tree' => TRUE,
+    '#tableselect' => FALSE,
+    '#multiple' => TRUE,
+    '#js_select' => TRUE,
+    '#value_callback' => 'form_type_table_value',
+    '#process' => array('form_process_table'),
+    '#element_validate' => array('form_validate_table'),
+    // Properties for tabledrag support.
+    // The value is a list of arrays that are passed to drupal_add_tabledrag().
+    // drupal_pre_render_table() prepends the HTML ID of the table to each set
+    // of arguments.
+    // @see drupal_add_tabledrag()
+    '#tabledrag' => array(),
+    // Render properties.
+    '#pre_render' => array('drupal_pre_render_table'),
+    '#theme' => 'table',
+  );
+
   return $types;
 }