Setting Row Height and Column Width

You can adjust the height of a row or the width of a column to improve the appearance and readability of a spreadsheet. To adjust either row height or column width, you can drag or you can use the Active Cells dialog box.

Tip

You can quickly widen a column to accommodate the cell containing the most information in the column. Click the cell and then move the mouse pointer into the column letter area and double-click. Quattro Pro widens the column to accommodate the selected cell. You also can widen several columns simultaneously using the same technique; simply select the columns you want to widen and then double-click one of the selected column letters. And, the same techniques work with rows; you can double-click a row number to change the height of a row to accommodate the tallest cell and change the height of several rows simultaneously by selecting them before you double-click the row number of any selected row.

To adjust row height, move the mouse pointer into the row number area at the bottom of the row number that you want to adjust (see Figure 8.12). The mouse pointer shape changes to a pair of arrows pointing up and down. Drag down to increase the height of the row; drag up to reduce the height of the row. As you drag, a dotted line appears, marking the current height of the row.

Figure 8.12. Drag down to increase row height or up to reduce row height.

You can use the exact same technique to widen or narrow a column. Move the mouse pointer into the column letter area to the right side of the column that you want to make narrower or wider. Drag to the right to widen the column; drag to the left to make the column narrower.

Tip

You can adjust the height of several rows or the width of several columns if you select cells in the rows and columns you want to adjust before you open the Active Cells dialog box.

If you prefer to be more precise, place the cell pointer in any cell of the row or column you want to adjust. Then, open the Format menu and click Selection Properties. In the Active Cells dialog box, click the Row/Column tab (see Figure 8.13). In the Column Options section, type a number for the width of the column containing the selected cell in the Set Width box. In the Units of Measure column, select Characters, Inches, or Centimeters. To adjust row height, repeat the process in the Row Options section of the tab, typing the height in the Set Height box.

Figure 8.13. You can set row height or column width precisely using the Active Cells dialog box.