Microsoft Word

Using Tables to Expand Your Design Options

Have you ever wondered if there was a better way to organize your text and graphics in a Word document? We there is...and the answer is tables!

Tables help you organize without using "tab" spacers or extra "spaces". I'm surprised when I see individuals creating a document that contains lists of information and they aren't using this powerful feature.

As an example. When we create a simple list in Word without using tables we would need to use "tabs" to separate the text. Using the show/hide button we can see just how many tabs are needed to create this simple list. Multiply this by a hundred items and you can see how it would easily get out of control.

Now instead before we type the list, we choose, "Table" -> "Insert" -> "Table" and choose an appropriate number of rows and columns we can create a table to hold and neatly organize our data.

Just wait...it gets better. Now we can make the list even more interesting my simply adding color. Choose, "Format" -> "Borders and Shading" and choose a color that you would like and whalla...color!

Okay, so you might be saying I don't really need color. Well besides being aesthetically pleasing did you know that tables offer one last benefit. You can sort data as well!

Check back soon for our guide to sorting data using Word.

 

Kimberly Deprey
Copyright 2008