Microsoft Word – Tables - underused, underappreciated

Tables are an underused, underappreciated feature of Microsoft Word. They allow an author to organize pictures or data, quickly and elegantly. They let you position the different elements exactly where you want to get the layout you desire. If you still use typewriter methods, adding spaces or tabs, to arrange your document this article will help you make better looking, easier to construct and easier to edit documents.

A table is a container object in a document. It can hold other objects such as text or pictures. It is comprised of a group of cells arranged in columns and rows, much like a spreadsheet. A table may have as few as one column by one row, for a single cell, or it can be larger. The maximum table size is 63 columns by 32,767 rows, in both Word 2007 and 2003. This provides for 2,064,321 cells, which should more than suffice most needs.

When you are working with tables, it is a good idea to think of tables in two ways. Firstly, consider what is outside and how it will interact with the table. Secondly, consider what is inside the table’s cells.

The table object interacts with normal document text like many other Word objects. It can be aligned to the left, right or center of the page. These alignment options are separate from how text aligns within a cell. You can also specify whether or not text wraps around the table, and if so, how. This allows you to create very professional looking documents.

Tables do not have to be symmetrical. Each cell, each row, or each column can be different from others. For example, one row in a table can have two columns and the next row can have three columns. Each cell can have its own border or shading (with or without background patterns). This allows you to create and use tables in imaginative ways to form a document.

Each cell in a table is like its own mini-document. You can insert and format text in a cell, insert a picture, a chart or even another table!

Have you ever wanted to place a photo with a caption in your document? This can be problematic if you try to insert a picture and then add the caption. A better way to do this is to create a single column, two-row table. Insert the photo in the first cell and the caption in the second cell. Now you can place the table where you want within the document and even have the regular text flow around it. You can format and align the caption to your preferences. You can also specify that a cell autofit its contents, this way the cell will expand or contract with the text or picture
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It is simple to add numbers or bullets to the first column’s cells if you want. Select the column and then apply number or bullet formatting. Perhaps your first row is used for column labels and you do not want to apply number or bullet formatting. Then, select only the cells you want and apply the formatting.

Table commands are located in different places in Word 2007 from all earlier versions. The 2007 version places table commands on the Insert tab of the Ribbon. Earlier versions have a separate Table menu, located between the Tools and Window menus.

There is a “table move handle” item on the upper left of the table. It is normally invisible but if you position your mouse near or in the table, it will appear. The move handle allows you to rapidly select the entire table and move it by dragging to wherever you want within the document. Separately, right clicking in a table will bring up a context menu with items that are specific to working with tables.