Objective 4. Create a Table

The table feature in Word has largely replaced the use of tabs because of its flexibility and ease of use. Tables consist of rows and columns and are used to organize data. You can create an empty table and then fill in the boxes, which are called cells. You can also convert existing text into a table if the text is properly formatted.

If a table needs to be adjusted, you can add rows or columns and change the height of rows and the width of columns. You can format the text and numbers in the cells and the backgrounds and borders of cells.

Activity 3.14. Creating a Table

1.

In the paragraph beginning Admission charges, position the insertion point after the exclamation point at the end of the second sentence. Press two times.
 

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2.

On the Standard toolbar, click the Insert Table button . Move the pointer down to the cell in the third row and third column of the displayed Insert Table grid.

The cells are highlighted, and the table size displays at the bottom of the menu, as shown in Figure 3.43.
 

Figure 3.43.

 

3.

Click the mouse button, and then compare your screen with Figure 3.44.
 

Figure 3.44.

A table with three rows and three columns is created at the insertion point location and the insertion point is placed in the upper left cell. The table fills the width of the page, from the left margin to the right margin.
 

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4.

Press to move to the second cell in the first row of the table.

The key is used to move from cell to cell in a Word table. The natural tendency is to press Enter to move from one cell to the next. In a table, however, pressing Enter creates another line in the same cell, similar to the way you add a new line in a document. If you press Enter by mistake, you can remove the extra line by pressing .
 

5.

Type Age and press . Type One Day and press .

The text displays in the top row, and the insertion point moves to the first cell in the second row.
 

6.

Type the following to complete the table, but do not press or after the last item. Compare your screen with Figure 3.45.
 

Figure 3.45.

 

Toddler	3 & under	Free
Adult	12 to 59	$39

 

7.

On the Standard toolbar, click the Save button .
 

More Knowledge: Navigating in a Table

You can move to a previous cell in a table by pressing + . This action selects the contents of the previous cell. The selection moves back one cell at a time each time you press while holding down . You can also use the up or down arrow keys to move up or down a column. The left and right arrow keys, however, move the insertion point one character at a time within a cell.

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Activity 3.15. Adding a Row to a Table

You can add rows to the beginning, middle, or end of a table.

1.	With the insertion point in the last cell in the table, press to add a new row to the bottom of the table. In the first cell of the new row, type Senior and then press .
2.	Type 60+ and press . Type $29 and then compare your new row with Figure 3.46.   Figure 3.46.
3.	In the table row beginning Adult, click anywhere to place the insertion point. From the Table menu, point to Insert, and then click Rows Above. A new row is added above the row containing the insertion point.
4.	Type Junior and press . When the entire row is selected, text you type automatically begins in the cell on the left.
5.	Type 4 to 11 and press . Type $19 Click Save , and then compare your table with Figure 3.47.     Figure 3.47.

Activity 3.16. Changing the Width of a Table Column

1.	In the first column of the table, point to the right boundary until the pointer displays, as shown in Figure 3.48.   Figure 3.48.
2.	Drag the boundary to the left until the first column is about one inch wide, to approximately the 1-inch mark on the horizontal ruler. Use the horizontal ruler as a guide. If only one row resizes, click the Undo button and begin again.
3.	Drag the right boundary of the second column to the left until the column is about one inch wide, to approximately the 2-inch mark on the horizontal ruler. Drag the right boundary of the third column to the left until the column is about one inch wide, to approximately the 3-inch mark on the horizontal ruler. Compare your table with Figure 3.49.     Figure 3.49.
4.	Save your document.

Activity 3.17. Adding a Column to a Table

You can add a column to a Word table in a manner similar to inserting a row.

1.

In the last column of the table, click anywhere in the column to position the insertion point. From the Table menu, point to Insert, and then click Columns to the Right to add a new column to the table. Compare your screen with Figure 3.50.
 

Figure 3.50.

 

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2.

Type Season Pass

In a selected column, text is entered in the top cell when you type. If necessary, drag the column slightly to the right so that the text displays on one line.
 

3.

Press to move down one cell. Complete the column with the following information, and then compare your table with Figure 3.51.
 

Figure 3.51.

 

Toddler	Free
Junior	$89
Adult	$129
Senior	$99

 

4.

Save your document.
 

More Knowledge: Using Tabs in Tables

You can add tabs to a table column; doing so lets you indent items within a table cell. The easiest way to add a tab is to click on the ruler to set the location within a column. Then you can drag the tab stop indicator to change the location of the tab within the column or add the hanging indent marker so multiple lines in a list are evenly indented. To move to the tabbed location within the cell, press .

[Page 448 (continued)]

Objective 5 Format a Table