Inserting Tab Characters

There are two parts to working with tabs. The first part is to insert the tab characters that force the text to jump to a certain position.

To insert tab characters into text:

1.	Position the insertion point where you want the tab character to be located.
2.	Press the Tab key on the keyboard. This creates a tab character in the text . A tab character is displayed as part of the hidden characters in text. Tip Choose Type > Show Hidden Characters to see the display of the tab character within the text. Tip InDesign recognizes tab characters in imported text.

InDesign also has a special type of tab character called a right tab. This tab character automatically sets the text to the rightmost position in the frame .

The right tab character automatically moves the text to the right side of the text frame.

To insert a right tab character:

1.	Place the insertion point where you want the right tab character.
2.	Press Shift-Tab. or Use the contextual menu to insert a right tab character from the Insert Special Character menu.

Inserting Tabs in Text

It's actually very simple to insert a tab character into text. Just tap the Tab key. However, there are some guides for working with tabs.

Insert only one tab character for each column. Even if the text doesn't line up correctly, don't add another tab character. Use the Tab palette and tab stops to line up the columns.

If you're over a certain age, you may have been taught to put a tab at the beginning of a paragraph to indent the first line. Don't do it! As mentioned in Chapter 3, "Basic Text," you can use the first line indent to format paragraphs.