Tabs and Tables

Tabs

Tabs allow you to create simple tables of data that line up along a particular vertical position.  You can also use advanced tab settings to create paper forms for print outs, or basic tables of contents.  Generally, these items contain dotted or solid lines for you to sign on or to indicate a page number for a topic - these lines can be generated with leader tabs.

Basic tabs with alignment

There are several different kinds of alignments with tabs we will explore some of them here:
A Left Tab stop sets the start position of text that will then run to the right as you type
A Center Tab stop sets the position of the middle of the text. The text centers on this position as you type.
A Right Tab stop sets the right end of the text. As you type, the text moves to the left.
A Decimal Tab stop aligns numbers around a decimal point. Independent of the number of digits, the decimal point will be in the same position. (You can align numbers around a decimal character only; you cannot use the decimal tab to align numbers around a different character, such as a hyphen or an ampersand symbol.)

A Bar Tab stop doesn't position text. It inserts a vertical bar at the tab position.

Default Tab stop

To change default tab stop

In the Paragraph dialog box, click Tabs

then you press the TAB key, your tab will stop across the page at the distance that you specified.
Set manual tab stops with ruler
You might want to use the ruler to set manual tab stops at the left side, middle, and right side of your document.  If you don't see the horizontal ruler that runs along the top of the document, click the Ruler check box on the View Ribbon.

You can quickly set tabs by clicking the tab selector at the left end of the ruler until it displays the type of tab that you want and then clicking the ruler at the location you want.

To use the horizontal ruler to set tab stops:

By default, there are no tab stops on the ruler when you open a new blank document.
To set indents click and drag the First Line Indent to the position on your ruler where you require the first line of your paragraph to be indented to
Click and drag the Hanging Indent marker to where you want the second and all following lines of a paragraph to begin.

When you set a Bar Tab Stop, a vertical bar line appears where you set the tab stop (you don't need to press the Tab key). A bar tab is similar to strikethrough formatting, but it runs vertically through your paragraph at the location of the bar tab stop. Like other types of tabs, you can set a bar tab stop before or after you type the text of your paragraph.


You can remove a tab stop by dragging it (up or down) off the ruler. When you release the mouse button, the tab stop disappears.

You can also drag existing tab stops left or right along the ruler to a different position.
When multiple paragraphs are selected, only the tabs from the first paragraph show on the ruler.  If you set manual tab stops, the default tab stops are interrupted by the manual tab stops that you set. Manual tab stops that are set on the ruler override the default tab stop settings.

Set manual tab stops with dialog

If you want your tab stops at precise positions that you can't get by clicking the ruler, or if you want to insert a specific character (leader) before the tab, you can use the Tabs dialog box. To display this dialog box, double-click any tab stop on the ruler.

To set manual tab stops


On the Page Layout Ribbon, click the Paragraph Dialog Box Launcher

In the Paragraph dialog box, click the Tabs button. The following dialog appears.

In the Default Tab Stops box, enter the amount of spacing that you want between the default tab stops.

When you press the Tab key, your tab will stop across the page at the distance that you specified.




·         Tab stop position ·	·         Type the position on the ruler where you want to create a new tab stop, or select an existing tab stop from the list to modify its properties.
·         Default tab stops ·	·         Specifies amount of spacing that is applied each time you press the TAB key.
·         Tab stops to be cleared ·	·         Displays tab stops that have been marked for deletion from the TAB STOP POSITION list. Cleared tabs are deleted from the list when you click OK.
·         Alignment ·	·         LEFT Sets a left start position of text that will then run to the right as you type. ·         CENTER Sets the position of the middle of the text. The text centres’ on this position as you type. ·         RIGHT Sets a right start position of text that will then run to the left as you type. ·         DECIMAL Aligns numbers around a decimal point. Independent of the number of digits, the decimal point will be in the same position. (You can align numbers around a decimal character only; you cannot use the decimal tab to align numbers around a different character, such as a hyphen or an ampersand symbol.) ·         BAR Inserts a vertical bar at the tab position. Not used for positioning text.





Figure 3 – Setting Tabs


Creating Leader Tabs


Use this feature to fill the empty space before a tab stop with dotted, dashed or solid lines. This effect is most commonly seen in a table of contents. The right aligned tab for the numbers

tab:



To create a leader from an existing tab:


On the Page Layout Ribbon, click the Paragraph dialog box launcher


In the Paragraph dialog box, click the Tabs button. The Tabs dialog appears


Select the tab stop in the Tab Stop Position: list


Choose one of the 4 Leader types


Click on the Set button to save the tab.


Click on OK to return to the document.


You can also create the Tab from scratch in the Tab dialog box


To create a new tab and assign a leader:


On the Page Layout Ribbon, click the Paragraph dialog box launcher


In the Paragraph dialog box, click the Tabs button. Type in the new tab position in the Tab Stop Position: field


Choose the Alignment and optionally choose the Leader (the default is None)


Click on the Set button to save the tab


Choose OK


The CLEAR button removes the selected tab, whilst CLEAR ALL removes all the tabs in the selected paragraph(s). Note - tabs are a paragraph format and as such will display differently when you click in different paragraphs


Tables
Tables give you the ability to lay information out in columns and rows.  An example of a table is shown below:
 
 

·         Item	·         Action
·         Word 2010 manual was discussed – deadline has now been set for end of next week.	·         AM to complete manual and give a draft copy to HB for proof reading and revisions.

Creating Tables
When a table is created, Word will make the table as wide as the current page orientation allows.  Therefore, if you know your table is going to be quite wide, you may want to switch to landscape before creating it.  Your table is made up of rows and columns.  Where the rows and columns intersect to form boxes, Word refers to those as cells.
To create a table:
Position the cursor where you want to insert the table
Click the table button on the Insert ribbon, Tables group
Do not click but move your mouse over the grid that appears, to highlight the number of columns and rows that you want your table to have. These will appear in your document and will continually adjust until you have all the rows and columns you need
Click the mouse - the table will appear in your document at the cursor position
Enter text into your table
Or
Position the cursor where you want to insert the table.
Click the Table button on the Insert ribbon, Tables group and click on Insert Table from the menu.
Under Table Size, select the number of columns and rows.
Under Autofit Behaviour, choose options to adjust table size.
If you will use this table size regularly then tick the Remember Dimensions For New Tables checkbox
Click OK - enter text into your table
You can add new rows by pressing TAB when the cursor is in the last cell if you don’t know precisely how many rows your table will need.
Table Navigation
When you are entering data into your table, you can simply click into different cells with your mouse to move your cursor around. This will allow you to enter text into different cells.
However, you may find it faster to move around using the keyboard. The table below outlines some keyboard techniques for moving in a table:

·         To	·         Press
·         Move to the next cell	·         TAB (If the insertion point is in the last cell of a table, pressing TAB adds a new row.)
·         Move to the preceding cell	·         SHIFT TAB
·         Move to the preceding or next row	·          or 
·         Move to the first cell in the row	·         ALT HOME, or ALT 7 on the numeric keypad (NUM LOCK must be off.)
·         Move to the last cell in the row	·         ALT END, or ALT 1 on the numeric keypad (NUM LOCK must be off.)
·         Move to the first cell in the column	·         ALT PAGE UP, or ALT 9 on the numeric keypad (NUM LOCK must be off.)
·         Move to the last cell in the column	·         ALT PAGE DOWN, or ALT 3 on the numeric keypad (NUM LOCK must be off.)
·         Start a new paragraph	·         ENTER
·         Add a new row at the bottom of the table	·         TAB at the end of the last row
·         Add text before a table at the beginning of a document	·         ENTER at the beginning of the first cell

Enter Data in a Table
You can enter text into each cell in your table – your text can even run to multiple lines within one cell. Working within a cell is almost like working on a very small page your text will wrap you can insert objects, set indents and numbering and the text can be formatted as usual.
To enter data in a table:
Position the cursor in the cell where you want the information, and type it in.
Press ENTER to start a new paragraph within the same cell or SHIFT ENTER to start a new line.
Or
Press TAB to move to the next cell.
Select Items in a Table
The table below outlines some methods for selecting table components:

·         To	·         Do this
·         Select a cell	·         Click the left edge of the cell.
·         Select a row	·         Click to the left of the row.
·         Select a column	·         Click the column's top gridline or border.
·         Select multiple cells, rows, or columns	·         Drag across the cell, row, or column; or select a single cell, row, or column, and then hold down SHIFT while you click another cell, row, or column.
·         Select text in the next cell	·         Press TAB
·         Select text in the previous cell	·         Press SHIFT TAB
·         Extend a selection to adjacent cells	·         Hold down SHIFT and press an arrow key repeatedly
·         Select a column	·         Click in the column's top or bottom cell. Hold down SHIFT and press  or  repeatedly
·         Extend a selection (or block)	·         CTRL SHIFT F8, and then use the arrow keys; press ESC to cancel selection mode
·         Reduce the selection size	·         SHIFT F8
·         Select an entire table	·         ALT 5 on the numeric keypad (with NUM LOCK off)

Or
You can also select rows, columns, or the entire table by clicking on the table and then using the SELECT commands from the SELECT button on the LAYOUT ribbon, TABLE group
Format Table Data
You can apply the same character and paragraph formats to table data as to standard text.
To format data in a table:
Select the data to format.
Click the buttons to apply formatting from the HOME ribbon as discussed in earlier sections
Word treats each cell in a table as a separate document.  Be sure if you have used the enter key in a cell and are applying paragraph formatting to select the appropriate paragraphs. This means that when you use alignment options for example, the data lines up between the edges of the CELL according to the selected alignment.
Change Column and Row Size
The initial width of the columns and height of your rows for your table will depend upon the page orientation and how many columns or rows you selected to insert.  The standard widths that Word applies can be easily altered.
To change column widths and row height
Ensure that nothing in your table is highlighted (click away from any highlighting to remove it)
Move the mouse over the right edge of the column whose width you want to change – the mouse pointer will change shape (see below)
Click and drag the column edge to make the column wider or narrower as required.  A vertical guide appears as soon as you start dragging allowing you to preview the new position of the column edge and its width
Or

In the Cell Size group on the layout ribbon enter the row and column sizes you wish for the selected rows
Add Rows and Columns
A new row can be added to the bottom of a table by pressing the TAB key when the cursor is in the last cell.  If you need to, you can choose where new rows and columns should be inserted or deleted from your table and add or remove them accordingly. 
To add a row or column:
Select the row above or below where you want to insert the new row left or right of where you would want a new column
Select from the Rows & Columns Group on the Layout ribbon where you would want to insert a row or column

A new column or row will appear. Repeat for more.
Remove Rows and Columns
You can delete selected rows and columns from your table if they are no longer needed.
To remove rows:
Select the cells, rows or columns that you want to delete
Select the Delete button from the Rows & Columns Group on the Layout Ribbon. Choose one of the options.
Text Alignment
Because your rows and columns may have different quantities of data in them it may be necessary to align certain textual elements to various parts of the cell. I.E. you may have a one word tile in a tall cell and wish to align it to the very centre of the cell.
To align text
Select the cell or cells you wish to align the text for.
Choose an alignment from the Alignment group on the Layout tab.
If aligning the text does not put your text where you want it you may set the cell margins as you would for a document to line up your text perfectly
Or
Select Cell Margins from the Alignment group on the Layout tab a dialog will appear.
Enter required margin sizes for selected cells.
Click OK to apply
Table Borders and Shading
When you insert a table, Word automatically borders the outline and all the gridlines within – these will appear on a print out.  You may want to change the border style and colour or even remove the borders altogether.  You can also shade in parts of your table to emphasise them.
You can decide which borders should appear in parts of the table, or in the table as a whole.
To choose the bordered edges:
Select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) where you want to change which edges are bordered, or select the whole table.
 
Click the drop down arrow on the right of the BORDERS button on the TABLE STYLES group on the DESIGN ribbon.
From the palette that displays, click the button that displays the required option to control which edges of the selection will have borders and which will not.
Border Style
You can change the line style, thickness and colour that Word uses to border the elements that make up your table.  We do this in Word 2010 by drawing the border around the cells.
To draw border
Click within your table
Click on the DESIGN ribbon.
On the DRAW BORDERS group select a line style from the top left box (use drop down arrow) the DRAW TABLE button will be enabled
Select a thickness for your border from the box beneath using the drop down arrow
Finally choose a pen colour from the button marked.
Click on the border of a cell and drag along the border of a cell and release. A border will be applied with your selections.
Repeat step around cell or table to apply your border formatting
To apply border
Select the drop down arrow to the right of the border tool button in the PARAGRAPH group and select BORDERS AND SHADING
Click on the BORDERS tab and choose the required border style
Select a thickness or colour for the border
Select an option from the left on where to apply the border.
Or
Use the buttons on the right hand side of dialog to apply different borders top, bottom, left or right
Click OK to apply borders to selected cells
Table Shading
You can apply shading to tables using an option on the TABLE STYLES group on the DESIGN ribbon.
































Select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) where you want to apply shading or select the whole table if you want to shade the whole table.
Click the drop down arrow to the right of the Shading colour button on the Table Styles group on the Design ribbon to display a list of different colours.
 
Select the cell(s), row(s) or column(s) where you want to apply shading or select the whole table if you want to shade the whole table.
Click the drop down arrow to the right of the Shading colour button on the Table Styles group on the Design ribbon to display a list of different colours.
Click the required colour to apply it to your selection
You can remove shading by selecting the items that are shaded, clicking the Shading Colour button and choosing the No colour option
Table Styles
There are many predefined styles available to enable you to create a consistently formatted table quickly and easily that looks professional.
To Apply a Table Style:
Click anywhere on the table. The Design tab will appear on the Ribbon.
Select the Design tab and locate the Table Styles.
Click the More drop-down arrow to see all of the table styles.
Hover the mouse over the various styles to see a live preview.
Select the desired style. The table style will appear in the document.
To Change the Table Style Options:
Once you've chosen a table style, you can turn various options On or Off to change the appearance of the table. There are six options: Header Row, Total Row, Banded Rows, First Column, Last Column, and Banded Columns.
Click anywhere on the table. The Design tab will appear.
From the Design tab, check or uncheck the desired options in the Table Style Options group.
 
Figure 13 - Table Style Options
Depending on which Table Style you're using, certain Table Style Options may have a somewhat different effect. You may need to experiment to get the exact look you want.
Merging and Splitting
When you have inserted your table there may be times in a number of cells that you would want them as one cell and not several and similarly you may wish for one cell to be split into several. In 2010 this feature is easy to do. Not only can you split cells but you can split a whole table into multiple tables if the need arises
 

To split cells


Select the cell(s) you wish to split


Go to the Merge group on the Layout Ribbon and click the Split Cells button.


To merge cells


Select the cells you wish to merge.


Go to the Merge group on the Layout Ribbon and click the Merge Cells button.


To split Table


Click in the row that you wish to be the first row of the split table


Go to the Merge group on the Layout Ribbon and click the Split Table button


The table will split above the row your cursor is in


 


Repeating Table Headings


When a table spreads across more than one page, it can be useful to automatically repeat the first row(s) of the table on each page as the first row(s) will often contain headings that apply to the columns of the table. If you choose to repeat table headings, the rows you have chosen will automatically be inserted at the top of each new page the table spreads onto. To edit the heading rows or make formatting changes, you must go back to the top of the table as it is simply an image of the first row(s) on the other table pages.


To repeat table headings:


Select the rows that you want to repeat at the top of each page the table prints on.


Go to the Data Group on the Layout ribbon and click the Repeat Header Rows button


You will only see the repeating headings when you are in Print Layout or Print preview


Converting Existing Text to a Table


How to Convert Existing Text to a Table:


Select the text you wish to convert


Select the Insert tab


Click the Table command


Select Convert Text to Table from the menu


Choose one of the options in the Separate text at: section. This is how Word knows what text to put in each column