Inserting a Table

Summary

To insert a table:

1. Place the insertion point where you want the table to appear in your document.
2. Choose Table from the Insert menu or click the Table button on the Format Tools toolbar.
3. In the New Table Properties dialog, set the properties you want.
4. Click OK to accept the settings and close the dialog box. Click Apply to preview the settings you've specified and then click Close to accept them and exit the dialog box.

To delete a row, column, or cell: place the insertion point inside the row, column, or cell you want to delete. Then choose Edit|Delete Table|Row (or Delete Table|Column or Delete|Table|Cell).

Setting Table Properties

Once you've created a table, choose Format|Table Properties to set various properties for rows and cells, or modify the properties you set for the table itself.

Note: The settings you choose in the Table properties dialog box always override the settings used when you first created the table.

To set table properties:

1. Place the insertion point in the table.
2. Choose Format|Table Properties and then select the Table tab.
3. In the Table Properties dialog, set the properties you want.

Table Properties dialog box

About the Table Properties dialog box

Lets you specify attributes such as border line width, cell spacing and padding, width, height, color, and captioning for the selected table. Click OK to make the specified changes and close the dialog box. Click Apply to preview the changes you've specified and then click Close to accept the changes and exit the dialog box.

Table alignment - Lets you select a left-justified, centered, or right-justified alignment for the table within the document.

Include caption - Lets you inserts space for a centered line of text above or below the selected table.

Border line width - The size (in pixels) of the border lines around cells. Type a number in the box.

Cell spacing - The space (in pixels) between cells in the selected table. Type a number in the box.

Cell padding - The padding (in pixels) within each cell. This sets the top, bottom, right, and left margins of each cell in the selected table. Type a number in the box.

Table width - The width of the selected table. You can specify table width as a percent of the window width or as a number of pixels. Type a number in the box and select "pixels" or "% of window."

Table min. height - The minimum height of the selected table. This is the smallest height the table can have. If you type more text in the table, the table automatically resizes to fit the text you enter. You can specify table height as a percent of the total window height or as a number of pixels. If you specify the height as a percent of the window, the table height changes whenever the window height changes. Type a number in the box and select "pixels" or "% of window."

Table Background - Select a background color for cells in the selected table. You can use the document's default background color as specified in Page Properties|Appearance, or define a custom color. You can also use an image as the background of the table.

Note: If you are inserting a table within a table (called nesting tables), you can also set the minimum height and width of the nested table as a percentage of the parent cell (the cell of the table in which the nested table resides). The nested tables height and width changes whenever the parent tables height and width changes. Type a number in the box and then select "% of parent cell."

Setting Row Properties

To set row properties:

Note: If you are modifying a table within a table (called a nested table), you can also set the minimum height and width of the cell in the nested table as a percentage of the parent cell (the cell of the table in which the nested table resides). The height and width of the cell in the nested table changes whenever the parent cell's height and width changes. Type a number in the box and then select "% of parent cell."

The Cell Properties dialog

About the Cell Properties dialog

Lets you specify attributes such as spanning additional rows and columns, horizontal and vertical text alignment, text style and wrapping, cell width and height, and cell color for the selected cell. Click OK to make the specified changes and close the dialog box. Click Apply to preview the changes you've specified and then click Close to accept the changes and exit the dialog box.

Text alignment - Position of text relative to the top, bottom, and sides of the selected cell. You can specify horizontal and vertical alignment or leave the alignment as it was set when the table was created.

Cell spans - Lets you set the selected cell to span more than one column or row. Type a number in the rows box to span additional rows. Type a number in the columns box to span additional columns.

Header style - Centers the text in the selected cell and sets its style to bold.

Nonbreaking - Lets you set the text in the selected cell to wrap to the next line when it reaches the preset width of the cell. Turning "Wrap text" off causes the cell (and the table) to expand to fit the text you type.

Cell width - The width of the selected cell. You can specify cell width as a percent of the table width or as a number of pixels. If you specify the width as a percent of the table, the cell width changes whenever the table width changes. Type a number in the box and select "pixels" or "% of table."

Cell min. height - The minimum height of the selected cell. This is the smallest height the cell can have. If you type more text in the cell, the cell automatically resizes to fit the text you enter. You can specify cell height as a percent of the total table height or as a number of pixels. If you specify the height as a percent of the table, the cell height changes whenever the table height changes. Type a number in the box and select "pixels" or "% of table."

Cell Background - Select a background color for the selected table cell. You can use the document's default background color as specified in Page Properties|Appearance, or define a custom color. You can also use an image as the background.

Displaying Tables

If you plan to create large tables with many columns and rows, you might want to consider displaying tables flat in order to save time and your computer's memory. You can still edit individual cells and modify their properties when the table is flattened, and when you browse your document the tables display normally. Select View|Display Tables (when the item is checked it's selected) to display tables normally in the edit window. When View|Display Tables is unchecked, the Composer displays a table as one long series of cells in successive order. Borders and colors are not displayed. The following example shows a 2-column, 3-row table with a normal display (View|Display Tables checked) on the left, and the same table with a flattened display on the right.