TABLES AND BORDERS

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Tables and Borders Toolbar

The Tables and Borders toolbar is very handy when you work with tables.

To display this toolbar:

  • Click the Tables and Borders button on the Standard Toolbar.

OR

  • Right click on any toolbar and select Tables and Borders.

The Tables and Borders toolbar is displayed.

Draw Table

  • Click where you want to create the table.

  • On the Table menu, click Draw Table.

  • The Tables and Borders toolbar appears, and the pointer changes to a pencil.

  • To define the outer table boundaries, draw a rectangle. Then draw the column and row lines inside the rectangle.

Eraser

To erase a line or block of lines:

  • click Eraser  on the Tables and Borders toolbar, and then click the line you want to erase.

Line Style

The Line Style drop down list allows you to select the style of line single, double, dotted, etc.

  • Select the cells or the whole table and click on the downward arrow next the to the line style button and select a line style.

Line Weight

The Line Weight drop down list allows you to select the thickness of the line.

  • Select the cells or the whole table

  • Click on the downward arrow next to the Line Weight button

  • Select the desired line weight.
Line Colour

 of the border lines

Border Palette

If you want to apply a border to specific table cells

  • select the cells, including the end-of-cell mark

 

  • or select the whole table

  • Click on the downward arrow next to the Border Palette button and select the appropriate border style.

Shading

The Shading Colour palette allows shading to be applied to the background of the whole table or selected cells.

  • Select the cells or the whole table

  • Click on the downward arrow next to the Shading button

  • Select the colour of click on More Fill Colors...

Table palette

The Table palette allows the user to insert a nested table, columns, rows, cells and AutoFit.

Merge Cells

You can combine two or more cells in the same row or column into a single cell. You can merge several cells horizontally or vertically to create a table heading that spans several columns or rows.

  

  • Select the cells that are to be merged

  • Click on the Merge Cells button.

Split Cells

  • Click in a cell, or select multiple cells that you want to split.

  • Click Split Cells.

  • Select the number of columns or rows you want to split the selected cells into

  • Click OK

Alignment palette

By default, Microsoft Word aligns text in a table to the upper left of a cell. You can change the alignment of text in a cell — both the vertical alignment (top, centre, or bottom) and the horizontal alignment (left, centre, or right).

  • Click the cell that contains text you want to align.

  • Click on the downward arrow next to the Alignment Palette button.

  • Select the option for the horizontal and vertical alignment you want

Distribute rows evenly

To make multiple columns or rows the same size

  • Select the columns or rows you want to make the same size.

  • Click Distribute Columns Evenly or Distribute Rows Evenly .

Distribute columns evenly

Table AutoFormat

You can quickly give your table a professional design by using any of the built-in table formats.

  • Select the table

  • Click on the Table AutoFormat button.

  • In the Table Styles box select the format you want.

  • Select the options you want.

Change Text Direction

You can change the text orientation in table cells so that the text is displayed vertically or horizontally.

  • Click the table cell that contains the text you want to change.
  • Keep clicking the Change Text Direction button until you get the required orientation

Sort Ascending

When you sort text in tables you can select to sort a single column in a table or the entire table.

You can also sort by more than one word or field inside a single table column. For example, if a column contains both last and first names, you can sort by either last name or first name, just as you could if the last and first names were in a list instead of a table.

Microsoft Word first sorts items that begin with punctuation marks or symbols (such as !, #, $, %, or &). Items that begin with numbers are sorted next; and items that begin with letters are sorted last. Keep in mind that Word treats dates and numbers as though they were text. For example, "Item 12" is listed before "Item 2."

Sort Descending

AutoSum

To quickly total a row or column of numbers, click the cell where you want the sum, and then click AutoSum button.