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About Creating and Modifying Tables

Product Documentation
Beginner

A table is an object that contains data in rows and columns. Table cells can be linked to data in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

After the table has been created, you can click any gridline on the table to select it and then modify it by using the Properties palette or grips.

When you change the height or width of the table, only the row or column adjacent to the grip you have selected will change. The table will maintain its height or width. To change the size of the table proportionally to the size of the row or column you are editing, press Ctrl while using a column grip.

Break Tables into Multiple Parts

A table with a large amount of data can be broken into primary and secondary table fragments. Use the table breaking grips found at the bottom of your table to make a table span multiple columns in your drawing or to manipulate the different table parts you have already created.

Modify a Table Cell

You can click inside a cell to select it. Grips are displayed in the middle of the cell borders. Click inside another cell to move selection to that cell. Drag the grips on a cell to make the cell and its column or row larger or smaller.

Note

When a cell is selected, double-click to edit the cell text. You can also start entering text when a cell is highlighted to replace its current content.

To select more than one cell, click and drag over several cells. You can also hold down Shift and click inside another cell to select those two cells and all the cells between them. When you click inside a table cell when the ribbon is active, the Table ribbon contextual tab is displayed. If the ribbon is not active, the Table toolbar is displayed. From here, you can

  • Insert and delete rows and columns
  • Merge and unmerge cells
  • Match cell styles
  • Alter the appearance of cell borders
  • Edit data formatting and alignment
  • Lock and unlock cells from editing
  • Insert blocks, fields, and formulas
  • Create and edit cell styles
  • Link the table to external data

With a cell selected, you can also right-click and use the options on the shortcut menu to insert or delete columns and rows, combine adjacent cells, or make other changes. When cells are selected, you can use Ctrl+Y to repeat the last action.

Note

Using Ctrl+Y to repeat the last action only repeats actions executed through the shortcut menu, the Table ribbon contextual tab, or the Table toolbar.

Customize Display of Column Letters and Row Numbers

By default, the In-Place Text Editor displays column letters and row numbers when a table cell is selected for editing. Use the TABLEINDICATOR system variable to turn this display on and off.

To set a new background color, select a table, right-click, and click Table Indicator Color on the shortcut menu. The text color, size, and style and the line color are controlled by the settings for column heads in the current table style.


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