trying to implement use of 'any'

table.proto

@@ -5,35 +5,71 @@ syntax = "proto3";
 package gitpb;
 
 import "google/protobuf/timestamp.proto"; // Import the well-known type for Timestamp
+import "google/protobuf/any.proto"; // Import the well-known type for Timestamp
 import "widget.proto"; // Import the well-known type for Timestamp
 
-message StringRow {
+//
-        Widget                               header         = 1;
+// this code was written this way to make it easy for me
-        repeated string                      vals           = 2;
+// to originally implement and auto generate the needed code
-        repeated Widget                      widgets        = 3;
+// with autogenpb
-}
+//
 
-message ButtonRow {
+// experiments in various options. think about this more.
-        Widget                               header         = 1;
-        repeated string                      vals           = 2;
-        repeated Widget                      widgets        = 3;
-}
 
-message IntRow {
+message ColAttr {
-        Widget                               header         = 1;
+        enum VarType {
-        repeated int64                       vals           = 2;
+                ANY = 0;
-        repeated Widget                      widgets        = 3;
+                INT = 1;
+                STRING = 2;
+                TIME = 3;
+                DURATION = 4;
+                BYTES = 5;
+        }
+        int32                                pad            = 1;
+        int32                                width          = 2;
+        bool                                 click          = 3;
+        VarType                              type           = 4;
 }
-
+message StringCol {
-message TimeRow {
-        Widget                               header         = 1;
-        repeated google.protobuf.Timestamp   vals           = 2;
-        repeated Widget                      widgets        = 3;
-}
-
-message BoolRow {
         Widget                               header         = 1;
         repeated Widget                      widgets        = 2;
+        ColAttr                              attr           = 3;
+        repeated string                      vals           = 4;  // deprecate
+}
+
+message ButtonCol {
+        Widget                               header         = 1;
+        repeated Widget                      widgets        = 2;
+        ColAttr                              attr           = 3;
+        repeated string                      vals           = 4;  // deprecate
+}
+
+message IntCol {
+        Widget                               header         = 1;
+        repeated Widget                      widgets        = 2;
+        ColAttr                              attr           = 3;
+        repeated int64                       vals           = 4;  // deprecate
+}
+
+message TimeCol {
+        Widget                               header         = 1;
+        repeated Widget                      widgets        = 2;
+        ColAttr                              attr           = 3;
+        repeated google.protobuf.Timestamp   vals           = 4;  // deprecate
+}
+
+message BoolCol {
+        Widget                               header         = 1;
+        repeated Widget                      widgets        = 2;
+        ColAttr                              attr           = 3;
+        repeated bool                        vals           = 4;  // deprecate
+}
+
+message AnyCol {
+        Widget                               header         = 1;
+        repeated Widget                      widgets        = 2;
+        ColAttr                              attr           = 3;
+        repeated google.protobuf.Any         vals           = 4;  // deprecate
 }
 
 message Table {                                                   // `autogenpb:marshal`
@@ -42,11 +78,13 @@ message Table {                                                   // `autogenpb:
         Widget                               parent         = 3;
         Widget                               grid           = 4;
         repeated string                      order          = 5;
-        repeated StringRow                   stringRows     = 6;
+        repeated StringCol                   stringCols     = 6;
-        repeated IntRow                      intRows        = 7;
+        repeated IntCol                      intCols        = 7;
-        repeated TimeRow                     timeRows       = 8;
+        repeated TimeCol                     timeCols       = 8;
-        repeated BoolRow                     boolRows       = 9;
+        repeated BoolCol                     boolCols       = 9;
-        repeated ButtonRow                   buttonRows     = 10;
+        repeated ButtonCol                   buttonCols     = 10;
+        repeated AnyCol                      anyCols        = 11;
+        int64                                height         = 12; // the number of rows
 }
 
 message Tables {                                                  // `autogenpb:marshal`