To Work With Table Columns

Manage table columns.

To define column size

Set columns to either a specific or an automatic width.

• You can set the column width to Manual and specify the number of characters allowed in a string. Strings over the specified amount are truncated unless word wrapping is selected.
• You can set the column width to Automatic, which adjusts the width to accommodate the longest string in the column.

1. In the Table Style dialog box, click the Data Properties tab.
2. Under Structure, click a Column Width icon to display the selections.
3. Click either Automatic or Manual.
4. If you select Manual, enter the number of characters.
5. Click OK.

To rearrange columns

Rearrange and move columns in the table by dragging them.

1. In the Table Style dialog box, click the Data Properties tab.
2. Under Structure, click the column to be moved in its title cell and drag it to the new position.
   Note: You cannot move the first table column.

To add columns

Add or delete columns in a table.

1. In the Table Style dialog box, click the Data Properties tab.
2. Under Structure, click to add a column.
3. Double-click the blank column heading to open the Text Component Editor window.
4. Enter a title, and then click OK.
5. Double-click the blank Column Value cell and select a property on the Properties tab of the Text Component Editor.

To delete columns

1. In the Table Style dialog box, click the Data Properties tab.
2. Under Structure, click the column and then click .
3. Click OK.

To sort a column

Sort columns in ascending or descending order.

1. In the Table Style dialog box, click the Data Properties tab.
2. Select the Sort Data check box.
3. Select the column whose rows you want to sort and specify whether the sort should be in Ascending or Descending order.
4. Click OK.

Important: Column sorting uses either a numerical method or a string method depending on the content of the first (top) cell in the column. This may not provide the expected order when sorting columns of data.

• If the first cell contains only numbers, then the sorting logic is numerical and accounts for non-numeric characters in their ASCII order.
• If the first cell contains a non-numeric character, then the sorting logic is based on ASCII string order and accounts for numeric characters in their ASCII order.

Refer to the following examples of how this sorting logic can affect the order.

• 16, 22, 365, 1, 14 would sort as 1, 14, 16, 22, 365 because the first data entry (16) is a number and is sorted numerically.
• EE, DCE, AD, ABC, BCD would sort as ABC, AD, BCD, DCE, EE because the first data entry (EE) contains a non-numeric character and is sorted by the ASCII string method.
• 100, 10, 1, 1A, 11A would sort as 1, 10, 100, 11A, 1A because the first data entry (100) is a number and is sorted numerically.
• 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 10 would sort as 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 10 because the first data entry (1) is a number and is sorted numerically.
• 1+, 1A, 1B, 2, 10 would sort as 1+, 10, 1A, 1B, 2 because the first data entry (1+) contains a non-numeric character and is sorted by the ASCII string method.

To define column titles

Column titles are displayed in the second row of a table.

The first column must be the tag column.

1. In the Table Style dialog box, click the Data Properties tab.
2. Under Structure, double-click a column heading to open the Text Component Editor.
3. Enter the column title.
4. Format the text using the editing options.
5. Click OK.