Table of Contents
This document covers advanced formatting features of Word such as tables, sorting, styles, and templates. Word 2000 and Word XP are similar versions of the same program, but have a few important differences. In this document, information unique to Word XP appears in italics.
Word tables can make it easy to arrange text and numbers in columns. A table is a grid-like structure consisting of a series of boxes called "cells," which are arranged in rows and columns. Each cell can contain text, numbers, and even graphics. Text wraps within a cell, and rows expand to accommodate cell contents. You can edit and move information around within the table, and you can format the columns and rows and even the individual cells. Word's tables also work if you save your document as a Web page and can easily be imported by most HTML (Web page) editors.
To create a table from scratch, you can use either the Table menu, the Table button on the Standard toolbar, or the Draw Table tool. You can also convert existing text into a table if tabs, paragraph marks, commas, or another character separates the columns
Click where you want the table to appear in the document. From the Table menu, select Insert Table. Specify the number of rows and columns. You can also specify the column width by typing a number in the Column width box; note that if you select the Auto option, Word creates a table running from the left to the right margin, with equally sized columns. After making your selections, click OK.
Click where you want the table to appear in the document. From the standard toolbar, click the Insert Table button. Many commands related to tables such as the Insert Table button can also be found on the Tables and Borders toolbar. You can turn on this toolbar by selecting the Viewmenu, Toolbars, and then Tables and Borders.
When you click the Insert Table button, specify the number of columns and rows in your table by dragging your mouse over the drop-down grid that appears. Below the grid, Word shows you the numerical size of the table. When you release the mouse button, Word inserts the table.
To turn on the Draw Table tool, select Draw Table from the Table menu, or click the Tables and Borders button on the standard toolbar. The tables and borders toolbar appears, and the mouse pointer becomes a pencil, the Draw Table tool. You can click and drag the pencil to form the table borders and the lines between cells. To turn off the Draw Table tool again, click the Draw Table button on the left side of the toolbar.
To convert existing text to a table, select the desired text and choose Convert Text to Table from the Table menu. A dialog box opens, asking how many columns you want the table to have and where to separate the columns (at the tabs, paragraph marks, or commas). Make your selections, and click OK. To convert an existing table to text, select the desired table and choose Convert Table to Text from the Table menu.
Type text in each cell just as you do in other parts of your document. To move from one cell to the next, press the Tab key. When you get to the end of a row, press Tab to move to the first cell in the next row. (To insert a tab character into a cell, press CtrlTab.) You can also move to a cell by clicking in it with the mouse, or by using the arrow keys on your keyboard. In addition, you can use the following keyboard shortcuts:
|
To move cursor to: |
Press: |
|
Next cell |
Tab or right-arrow key |
|
Preceding cell |
Shift+Tab or left-arrow key |
|
First cell in a row |
Alt+Home |
|
Last cell in a row |
Alt+End |
|
Top cell in a column |
Alt+Page Up |
|
Bottom cell in a column |
Alt+Page Down |
You can format, move, or otherwise edit the contents of a cell after selecting it. To select a cell, click and drag over its contents. In your selection, you can also choose to include the end-of-cell or end-of-row markers, which you can see by clicking the Show ¶ button on the standard toolbar. If you select the end-of-cell/row marker, you can then move, format or otherwise edit the cell or row itself, and not just its current contents.
You can select parts of a table by clicking when you see the different table selection bars.
Click to select a cell when see the cell selection bar, which appears, usually as a small black arrow, when you move the arrow pointer tothe left side of a cell.
Click to select a row when you see the row selection bar, which appears as a right-pointing arrow when you move the arrow pointer to the left side of a row. Click to select a column when you see the column selection bar, which appears as a downward pointing arrow when you move the arrow pointer to the top of a column.
To select the entire table, click the table selection handle at the top left corner of the table. This handle also allows you to move the table to a different location in the document.
The following table lists options for selecting different parts of a table.
|
To Select: |
Press these keys: |
Or select this option from the Table Menu: |
|
Cell |
Click when the cell selection bar appears, or drag over the contents of the cell (including the end-of-cell marker). |
Choose Select Cell |
|
Row |
Click when the row's selection bar appears, or double-click when a cell's selection bar appears. |
Choose Select Row |
|
Column |
Click when the column's selection bar appears, or hold down the Alt key and click anywhere in the column. |
Choose Select Column |
|
Entire Table |
With the Num Lock off, hold down the Alt key and press 5 on the numeric keypad. Or click table selection handle. |
Choose Select Table |
|
Block of Rows and Columns |
Click in the first cell. Hold down the Shift key and click in the last cell. Or click and drag over the columns and rows. |
You can easily move and copy cells, rows, and columns the same way you move and copy any other text in your document; simply highlight your selection and then click and drag, or cut and paste. If you highlight the cell marker along with the contents of a cell, then when you insert it into another cell, it replaces that cell's contents. If you do not highlight the cell marker, then the cell's contents are added to what is already in the new cell. When you move a row, if you include the end-of-row marker in your selection, the row is inserted above the row where you drag or paste it. If you do not include the end-of-row marker, the contents of the original row are cut, leaving a blank row, and when you drag and drop or paste the contents in a different row, they replace anything that was there previously.
You can use the Format menu and the formatting toolbar to format your text in a table, just as you do text in the rest of your document. For example, select Paragraph from the Format menu or use the ruler to change indentation, horizontal alignment, and spacing within cells and rows. Add borders to your table by selecting Borders and Shading from the Format menu, or by using any of the borders options on the Tables and Borders toolbar. See the ATN handout Word 2000/02: Basic Formatting for details on these formatting options.
The Tables and Borders toolbar provides several additional options for formatting the table. Turn on the toolbar by selecting it from the ViewToolbars menu, or by clicking the Table and Borders button on the standard toolbar.
On the table toolbar, click the arrow to the right of the cell alignment button to see alignment options. You can specify text alignment both horizontally and vertically in the cells (top right, bottom center, etc.) As always, you can also use the alignment buttons on the formatting toolbar to align the contents of cells at the left, right, center, or to justify text.
The Change Text Direction button changes the orientation of the text within cells.
The Table AutoFormat button brings up a dialog box that allows you to select from several pre-formatted options to add borders and styles to your table. You can also open this dialog box when you first create your table by clicking AutoFormat in the Insert Table dialog box, or by choosing Table AutoFormat from the Table menu.
Note that if you plan to change row height with the mouse, you need to be in Print Layout view. Move your pointer arrow over the gridline separating a row or column. When the arrow becomes double-headed, click and drag the line to adjust the column width or row height.
Select the column that you want to adjust. Select Table Properties from the Table menu and make changes on the Column tab in the Table Properties window. Type in the exact width for the selected column, and specify the space between columns. Use the Previous Column and Next Column buttons to adjust other columns.
Select the row you want to adjust. Select Table Properties from the Table menu, and make changes on the Row tab. To specify the minimumsize of the row, select At Least and specify a measurement. To make the row a specific size, select Exactly and specify a measurement; keep in mind that any text that does not fit in the row also does not print. If necessary, click the Previous Row and Next Row buttons to adjust other rows. To indent, either use the Increase/Decrease Indent buttons on the formatting toolbar, or select the Format menu, and then Paragraph. Make adjustments as necessary on the Indents and Spacing tab. To change the alignment of text in the table, select an option from the Cell Alignment button on the Tables and Borders toolbar.
While specifying row settings, you can state whether you want rows to break across pages, or if you want the entire table on the same page. Ifthe table goes on to an additional page or more, you can create a heading row (or rows) that will repeat at the top of the table on each page. Starting with the first row of the table, select the row or rows you want to use as a table heading. Then on the Row tab of the Table Properties menu, select Repeat as header row at the top of each page. You can also select the row or rows, and then from the Table menu, select Heading Rows Repeat. Word will treat the highlighted row(s) of your table as the heading. Note that the heading feature does not work when you insert a page break manually.
AutoFit automatically adjusts the width of your cells and table to accommodate the contents in the smallest space. To use AutoFit, select the row(s), column(s), or table that you want adjusted. Select AutoFit from the Table menu, then select an option. Note that the AutoFit to Window option adjusts columns as necessary to make the table extend from the left to the right margin. To make a block of rows or columns the same height or width, first select the rows or columns. Then select Distribute Rows Evenly or Distribute Columns Evenly from the AutoFit menu, or click the buttons on the Tables and Borders toolbar.
You can manually split one table into two tables by placing your cursor in the row following where you want the split to occur, and selecting Split Table from the Table menu.
Word provides several options for dividing cells ("splitting") and joining adjacent cells together ("merging").
Select the cell or cells you want to split.
Click the Split Cells button on the toolbar, or select Split Cells from the Table menu.
In the Split Cell dialog box, type the number of columns or rows you want the cell(s) divided into.
If you have multiple cells selected, check or uncheck the box indicating whether you want the cells merged before they are split.
Click OK.
Select the cells you want to merge.
Click the Merge Cells button on the toolbar, or select Merge Cells from the Table menu.
To split a cell, click the Draw Table button on the Tables and Borders toolbar, and click and drag the pencil where you want the split to occur, just as you do when creating the table. Click the button again to turn off the drawing tool.
To merge cells, click the Eraser button, and click and drag the eraser over the gridlines between the cells. Click the Eraser button again to turn off the eraser tool.
Click in a table cell; if you plan to delete an entire row or column, make sure the cell is in that row or column.
From the Table menu, select Delete and then the option you want: cell, rows, columns, or the table.
If you are deleting a cell, a dialog box opens asking where to shift the existing cells. Select Shift cells up or shift cells down, or choose to delete an entire column or row. Then click OK.
If you are inserting a row or column, simply click in a cell next to the spot where you want to make the insertion. If you are instead inserting a cell, click in the cell to the right or below the spot where you want to make the insertion.
Select either the arrow next to the Insert Table button on the Tables and Borders toolbar, or select Insert from the Table menu.
Select an option from the list that appears; you'll be able to specify where you want the row or column to appear. If you are inserting a cell, a dialog box appears in which you can specify whether to shift the existing cells down or to the right, or choose to insert an entire column (to the left) or row (above). Then click OK.
Tip: To add a row to your table, you can click in the last cell and press Tab. Word inserts a new row for you.
You can sort information in Word whether your "data" is in a table or just in paragraphs. The sort order is determined beginning with the first character of each sort item--e.g., the first letter of the author's last name in a bibliographic entry. Numerals and punctuation marks come before alphabetical characters. Sorting requires a good deal of a computer's memory, so you may need to sort a very long list in different batches.
When sorting information in tables, Word keeps the information in each row together. You can choose a column on which to base your sort,and also sort by multiple criteria. For example, you might sort a list of addresses first by city and then by name. Follow these steps to complete the sort:
Save your document.
Click in a cell of the table.
Go to the Table menu and choose Sort.
If your table has a header row, the Header row option should be selected already, and each heading should also be listed in the Sort By drop-down menu. Note that the header row will not be included in the sort.
Use the Sort by drop-down menu to select the column by which you want to sort.
To sort by an additional criterion, select an option from the list under Then by.
Word can sort three data types: text (alphabetical sort), date, or number. For each sort criterion, be sure the data Type is correct.
To begin the sort, click OK.
Note: This sorting method does not sort the first row of a table. The first row is treated as a header row.
Save your document.
Place your cursor in the column on which you want to base the sort.
Click the Ascending Order or the Descending Order button on the Tables and Borders toolbar.
Save your document again.
When sorting text that is not in a table, Word interprets paragraph marks (hard breaks) as the separator between items or "records," in a list. To sort a list of names, numbers, bibliography entries, numbered paragraphs, or other text, follow these steps
Save your document.
Highlight the text you wish to sort. If you do not select any text, Word sorts all of the paragraphs in the document.
Go to the Table menu and choose Sort.
In the Sort dialog box, select Ascending or Descending order. In the Type box, define the sort for text, dates, or numbers.
Click OK.
Save your document again.
A "style" is the combination of formatting attributes defined for a given character or paragraph. A "style" has several different types of formatting built into it, and using styles can help you to format your document quickly and consistently. For example, this document has one paragraph format for the main headings, another paragraph format for the subheadings, and another for the body text. The defined styles "heading," "subheading," and "body" were applied to the appropriate paragraphs to format them. When you change a style's attributes, every paragraph with that style changes automatically, which can save you a lot of time when you reformat long documents.
Styles are stored in a "template," which is a preset collection of page, paragraph, and character formatting styles attached to your document. The Normal template, Word's default, has several styles built in, which you can use to format your document or alter to fit your document's design. You can also create your own styles. To see what styles are in use in different sections of your document, switch to Normal view, go to the Tools menu, and select Options. Click the View tab. Change the Style Area Width to .7". You can now see the style names on the left side of the Word window.
The style box on the far left of the Formatting toolbar lists the styles immediately available to your document. To apply a style, first select the text or paragraph that you want formatted. Then select the appropriate style from the style drop-down menu.
Character formatting is typically applied to a few words or characters, and includes things like font, font size, underlining, bold, italic, and color. In the style box on the formatting toolbar, the symbol "a" indicates a character style.
Tip: If you have trouble switching from a special character style to your normal character style, select Default Paragraph Font from thelist of styles.
Paragraph styles can include character formatting but also include things like indentation and line spacing for a paragraph. In the style box on the formatting toolbar, the paragraph symbol (¶) indicates a paragraph style. To apply a paragraph style, you can either select a block of text or simply click in the paragraph; then choose a paragraph style. The style applies to the entire paragraph, not just to the selected characters.
If the style you want does not appear in the style drop-down menu, select Style from the Format menu to see a list of all styles. The List drop-down menu controls which styles display: "Styles in Use" are styles which appear in the current document; "User-Defined Styles" are styles created by the user; and the "All Styles" option shows all styles available in Word, both built-in and user-defined. To apply a style, select it from the Styles list, and click Apply.
Using the formatting toolbar is the fastest and easiest way to create paragraph styles, but the styles dialog box provides more options.
Format the selected paragraph to look as it should.
Click in the Styles box on the formatting toolbar to highlight the style type.
Type the name of the new style and press Enter. The new style will now appear in the Styles menu.
From the Format menu, select Style.
Select New.
In the Name box, type a name for the style.
In the Style type box, use the drop-down menu to select character or paragraph style.
Use the Based on box to specify a "parent" style for the new style. Any changes made to a parent style are passed on to the new style. For example, if the "chapter heading" style is based on "Normal," then when we change the font for "Normal" from Times to Palatino, then the font for "chapter heading" will also change to Palatino. Creating the parent relations among styles can be both useful and dangerous, since there may be times that you want to change the font for "Normal" but not for the other styles. If you want to define a style so that it is not based on another style, select (no style) from the Based on drop-down menu (at the top of the list).
Click the Format button.
Select the element you want to modify (Font, for example).
Make any changes in the window that opens, and click OK.
As needed, repeat steps 6-8 to modify additional style attributes.
Optional: specify a different style for paragraphs that follow the new style. For example, you can specify that your new "heading" paragraph style is always followed by "body text. " To do this, under Style for following paragraph, either select a style from the drop-down menu or type the style name. When you type a paragraph in the new style and press Enter, the next paragraph has the style you specify here.
Make any other changes in the New Style dialog box (as discussed below), and click OK.
To apply the style to the paragraph in which the cursor appeared when you started creating the style, click Apply. To close the window instead without applying the style, click Close.
Modifying an existing style is much the same as creating a new style using the Format menu. Select Style from the Format menu, select the style that you want to edit, and click Modify. Make any changes to the style's formatting attributes, as you did when creating a new style (see above). You can rename the style by typing the new name in the Name box.
In the Modify Style dialog box (see "Modifying Styles," above), click the Shortcut Key button. Click in the Press New Shortcut Key box, and press the combination of keys that you would like to use as a keyboard shortcut, (such as the Ctrl key together with a letter or number). If a command is already assigned to that shortcut, it appears below the box under "Currently Assigned To," and you can decide if you want to override that setup. Once you have found a keyboard shortcut, click Assign. Now to apply the style when you are editing your document, all you have to do is press keyboard shortcut. You can also create and add style buttons to your toolbars. For information about customizing toolbars, see the ATN document Word 2000/02: Increasing Efficiency.
Word XP offers many of the same options for styles, but you gain access to those options a little differently. You won't find Styles under the Format menu in Word 2002; instead, Office XP uses the new feature of task panes to make your Word tasks more efficient. If the style you want does not appear in the style drop-down menu, enable task panes by selecting Task Pane from the View menu. From the drop down menu on the task pane, select Styles and Formatting. The top of the Styles and Formatting task pane shows the formatting of selected text or ofthe paragraph where the cursor is currently located. To apply a different style, select it from the list in the Pick formatting to apply section of the task pane. Clicking directly on the name of the style will apply it; clicking on the arrow that appears on the right side of the style gives you additional options such as deleting the style or modifying it. Styles are listed in the task pane in alphabetical order, with most recently used styles at the top.
You can choose which styles to display from the Show section at the bottom of the task pane, whether styles in use in the current document or all available styles or formatting options. You can also select Custom... to bring up the Format Settings dialog box. This allows you to specify styles to show or hide for each category.
If you don't see the style you want in the list, you can create your own style. You can create a style using the formatting toolbaras described above for Word 2000 or by using the New Style button in the task pane. From the Styles and Formatting task pane, click the New Style button. Then follow directions to create a new style as for Word 2000. To apply the new style, simply select text or click in the appropriate paragraph and select the new style from the list in the task pane to apply it.
To modify an existing style, click on the arrow next to the style in the task pane list and select Modify. Make any changes as you did when creating a new style. You can rename the style by typing a new name in the name box. To create a keyboard shortcut for a style, bring up the Modify Style dialog box and select Format in the lower left corner. Choose Shortcut key from the list of format options. Assign a new shortcut key as for Word 2000.
If you want to use the new style in other documents that use the current template, select Add to Template in the New Style or Modify Style dialog box. You can also create a new template with just the current document's styles in it. To do this, go to the File menu, and click Save As. In the Save Files as Type drop-down menu, select Document Template (.dot). Then name the template and choose Save. All future documents with that template type will have access to those same styles.
When you open a new document, Word attaches the Normal template to it by default. To use a different template, open a new document by selecting New from the File menu, and select the template you want before clicking OK.
You can also attach a template to an existing document. To do this, open the document. Then select Templates and Add-Ins from the Tools menu. Click the Attach button. In the Attach Template dialog box, select the template you want, and then click Open. Check the box marked automatically update document styles. Then click OK. Word automatically formats the document using the new template.