Tables

Microsoft Word's table feature enables you to create tables of information.

A table consists of table cells arranged in columns and rows (Figure 1). You enter information into each cell, which is like a tiny document of its own. You can put multiple paragraphs of text into a cell and format characters or paragraphs as discussed in Chapters 3 and 4.

Figure 1. A four-column, nine-row table with borders. Each box is an individual cell.

Table structure and format are extremely flexible and can be modified to meet your needs. A cell can expand vertically to accommodate long blocks of text or graphics; you can also resize it manually as desired. You can format cells, merge cells, and split cells. You can even put a table within a table cell. These capabilities make the table feature a good choice for organizing a wide variety of data.

Tip

• You can also use tab stops and tab characters to create simple tables without cells. Chapter 3 explains how to do this. This method, however, is not nearly as flexible as using cell tables.