Tabs, Tables & Columns

What we will cover…

• Creating tables

• Formatting tables

• Sorting information in tables

• Using columns

• Using tabs

Tables• You can insert a table several:

• Insert Table button

– This will open a separate window

• Click the arrow next to the Insert Table button

– This will open a grid for you to drag to select your rows and columns.

• Click Table on the menu bar and use the dialog box

• Add the Table toolbar

– Click on View, Toolbars, Table

• Move around the table using your Tab key or click in the

cell

• You can create a table within a table

Using the arrow next to the Table Button

• Click on the arrow next to the Table button in the toolbar to open this window– Click and drag to select the number of columns

and rows needed

Using the Table Toolbar

• To access the Table Toolbar

–View, Toolbars, Table

–You will see the same Table button to get started as in the toolbar

• When you are clicked “out” of the table, the table toolbar will hide

• When you click back “in” the table, it will come back

• Once the table is inserted, the other icons will be available

• These same choices are available thru the Table menu

• Remember to select your cell, row, column or entire table when making changes to border style/color and shading.

Insert Table Button

Border line style

Border line color Border

Background color of table/cell

Merge cells

Split cells

Optimize(distribute rows/columns evenly)

Alignment of text/objects in cells

Top Middle Bottom Insert row

Insert column

Delete row

Delete column

AutoFormat

Table Properties(opens Table Format window)

Sort Sum

Using the Insert Table Button or menu bar

• Click on the Table button in the toolbar

• Or click on Table, Insert, Table in the menu bar– This window will open

– Make your choices

– Click OK

• You will see this table.

• The table is set to fit to window.

• To make changes - click on Table, Table Properties– Or click the Table Properties button the toolbar

• When you click in your table - your Table toolbar will pop open.– When you click outside of your table - it will go away

Table Properties window

A helpful tip – to add additional rows quickly,

place your cursor in the last cell in the last row

and hit Tab. This will insert a new row.

You can always go to the Table menu also

This feature is the same in Word and Writer

Inserting rows & columns

• You may need to insert rows, columns or cells to your existing table, either above or below; or to the right or left

• Click on Table, Insert

• Make your selection

• This example shows inserting a row

Resizing

• Position the mouse over the border until a double-

headed arrow appears and drag to desired size

• Adjust the size of columns & rows by dragging

vertical or horizontal borders.

• Position the mouse pointer on a horizontal or

vertical border and wait until a resizing pointer

appears. Click and drag to desired size.

• This is not the most accurate way to resize!

The most accurate way to resize…

• Click in any cell

• Right click on the table

• Choose Cell, Column, or Row as needed

– Select Height for Row

– Select Width for Column

Viewing Table Properties

• Table Properties is different than Word

• Click on Table in the menu bar

• Click on Table Properties

• Or Right click in table

• Left click Table…

Table tab

• Name your table

• Set table alignment

• Set spacing above

and below table

Text Flow• Allow table to split across pages and columns

– Allows a page break or column break between the rows of a table.

• Allow row to break across pages and columns

– Allows a page break or column break inside a row of the table. This option is not applied to the first row in a table if the Repeat Heading option is selected.

• Keep with next paragraph

– Keeps the table and the following paragraph together when you insert the break.

• Repeat heading - Great feature!!!

– Repeats the table heading on a new page when the table spans more than one page.

– You can even select more than 1 row or just the first row!

• Text direction

– Select the direction for the text in the cells. You can also use a combination of the following StarOffice formatting options to specify the orientation of text in table cells:

• horizontal text

• vertical text

• right-to-left (vertical) direction

• left-to-right direction.

• Vertical alignment

– Specify the vertical text alignment for the cells in the table.

Columns

• Set column width

Borders

• Borders

• Line Style

• Line Color

• Cell spacing

• Shadow style

Background

• Fill color for

– Cell

– Row

– Table

Row tab

• Specify height for

one, many or all

• Scroll thru rows using

Previous and Next

Row buttons

Column tab

• You can set column

width for one, many

or all

• Scroll thru columns

using Previous and

Next column buttons

Cell tab

• Set vertical alignment

of the text in the cells

– Top

– Center

– Bottom

Example of different alignments in the

same table

Top

Center

Bottom

Mixed: Center, top, bottom, bottom

Deleting

• You can delete rows and

columns, from your

table

• You can even delete the

Table

• Click in the cell of the

row, column or cell to

be deleted

• Click on Table, Delete

• Make your selection

• Item is deleted

Selecting

• There are several ways you can select cells,

rows or columns.

• The easiest for beginners is to click in the cell

of the row, column or cell you want to select

• Click on Table, Select

• Make your choice

• The other way to select cells is to click

in one cell

• Hold down your left mouse and drag to

select

• To select a range of rows or cells:

–Rest your cursor at the top/bottom or

left/right of your table until a small

solid black arrow appears

–Click to select

–Or hold down your left mouse and

drag to select more than 1

cell/row/column

Merging Cells

• There may be situations where you

need or want to merge cells to make 1

cell

• Select the cells to merge

• Click on Table, Merge Cells

Convert existing text to a table

• Use commas, tabs, or other puncutation to separate the text that you want to convert to a table

• Select the text that is to be converted

• Click Table, Convert, Text to Table

• Select the appropriate option in the Number of columns, AutoFit and Separate Text

• You can also convert a table to text. The text that is to appear in each cell must be separated by paragraph marks, tabs, commas or any punctuation you specify (dash, colon, etc.)

Text to convert

Elton,John

Theresa,Pierce

Separate text at

Other: ,

Finished table

Formatting Tables

• You can change:

– Use AutoFormat

– Line style and color

– Background color

– Table alignment

– Position of text/image in cell

– Alphabetize

AutoFormat

• Table, AutoFormat

• It is best to only use AutoFormat on the

simplest of tables.

• Just like in Word, not all tables work

well with the preset formats

Borders

• Borders

• Line Style

• Line Color

• Cell spacing

• Shadow style

• The preview window will show your choices before you click OK

Important note!

• If you only click in a

cell and don’t select a

row or column

– The entire table will

receive the border

selection

• Writer does have a great

feature

– Set outer border without

changing inner lines

Background color

• You can set color by cell, row, column,

or entire table

• Select the cell/cells to shade

• Click on Table, Table Format

• Click on the Background tab

• If you want to set color for a column

– You WILL need to select that column first

– Column in not a drop down choice

Background

• Cell

• Row

• Table

Sorting• Select your table to be sorted

– This step is important• If you select only 1 column - it will only sort that column!

– This will make the AZ icon in the Table toolbar active

• Click the AZ icon to open the Sort Window

• Writer will recognize that you have a header row and will sort accordingly

• You can choose to sort by Row or Column

• You can change the column to sort by first

• Choose Ascending or Descending

• Click OK to sort

Columns• Depending on your margins, you can have as

many columns as you want.

– Realistically - 3 or 4 is probably the maximum for

best viewing/printing

• If you have existing text you want to put into

columns, select the text first

– Be careful - it may split your text to 2 columns

• Click on Format, then Columns – this will

open the Column dialog box

• There are 5 preset choices but you are not

limited to those

• You can choose the number of columns

• Select AutoWidth

• Or specify width & spacing of each individual column.

– You will need to uncheck AutoWidth to do that.

• You can set spacing between columns

• You can add a separator line

• This window also shows a preview

men to come to the aid of their country.

• You can override an automatic column break by inserting a manual break

• Move your cursor to where the break is to occur.

– If your cursor is in the middle of text - the break will put any text after the cursor to the next column

• Click Insert, then Manual Break

• Choose the Column Break option, click OK

•After you have determined your layout, you may

need to change margins to accommodate your

column settings

•You can set columns for certain sections of a

document. The entire document does not need to

be set in columns

Tabs

• Format, Paragraph,

Tabs

• Writer shows you

the tab symbol

– These are the same

symbols you see in

Word

• No bar tab

• Leader tabs are

available

Setting Tabs

• The default setting is .5”

– You will see the default tab stops in the ruler guide

• Type in the tab setting you want

• Select the type of tab

• Click New

– Your tab is now set

• You can use the Delete to delete individual tabs

• Or Delete All to remove all tabs

• Default tabs will stay at .5

Tab Symbols

• You will see these symbols in the “ruler”near the top of your page

• There are 5 alignment types for tabs –the default is left – aligns text to the right of the tab (normal setting)

Aligns text to the right of the tabLeft

Aligns numbers along a common decimal positionDecimal

Centers text around the tabCenter

Aligns text to the left of the tabRight

EffectTab type

Special character for Decimal Tab

• Writer allows you to choose a different character than the . For a decimal tab

• Set tab stop• Select Decimal• In the Character box, type in your

selection• Click New• Your tab will now align with your character

– Just like it would have with the .

Leader tabs

• Leader tabs display a row of dots from the insertion point to the next tab stop.

• Leader tabs can be left, right, center or decimal-aligned as well

• You must set:

– Type

– Position

– Fill character

• Click Set

Using a special character for leader tabs

• Writer has a great feature that allows you to set your own character for a leader tab if you don’t like the dots, dashes or underlines

• Just select Character• Type your selection• Click New