Chapter 4: Presenting Information in Tables and Columns

Overview

In this chapter you will learn to:

• Present information in a table.

• Format table information.

• Work with table data.

• Present text in columns.

You can use a table to make information in a document concise , consistent, and easy to read. A table organizes information neatly into rows and columns. The intersection of a row and column is called a cell . With Microsoft Office Word 2003, you can create a uniform table with standard-sized cells , draw a custom table with various- sized cells, or you can create a table from existing text. After you create your table, you can enter text, numbers, and graphics into cells. At any time, you can change the table s size ; insert and delete columns, rows, and cells; and format individual entries or the entire table. To help readers interpret the information in your table, you can sort the information in a logical order. To perform standard mathematical calculations on numbers in a table ”for example, to total the values in a column or row ”you can use the Formula command on the Table menu. To perform more complex calculations or statistical analysis, you can create a Microsoft Office Excel worksheet and insert it into your document.

To group and organize information in a document, you can use columns of text. Dividing text into columns is useful when you are creating a newsletter or brochure. In Word, you can define the number of columns you want on a page and then allow text to flow from the bottom of one column to the top of the next , as in newspapers. You can also manually end one column and move subsequent text to the next column.

In this chapter, you will create and format tables, and work with table data. You will also format text that currently appears in one column into four columns.

See Also  

Do you need only a quick refresher on the topics in this chapter? See the Quick Reference entries on page xxxiii.

Important  

 On the CD    Before you can use the practice files in this chapter, you need to install them from the book s companion CD to their default location. See Using the Book s CD-ROM on page xxi for more information.