Drawing a table
- Select the Tables tool from the Tool palette, drag to draw a rectangle that is roughly the size of the final table, and then release the mouse button. The Table Properties dialog box displays.
The Table Properties dialog box
- Specify the number of horizontal rows in the Rows field, and specify the number of vertical columns in the Columns field.
- To specify the default cell type, click Text Cells or Picture Cells in the Cell Type area. Later, you can select specific cells and convert the content type if needed.
- If you want to create text cells that expand as you add text, use the controls in the Auto Fit area.
- If you have a preference for how to navigate through cells in a table when you press Control+Tab, you can choose a different option from the Tab Order drop-down menu.
- If you want to link text cells so imported text flows through the specified cells — similar to linked text boxes — check Link Cells. If you check Link Cells, you can choose the order in which to link the text cells from the Link Order drop-down menu.
Note: If you do not link cells in this manner, you can link them later using the Linking tool or the Link Text Cells command (Table menu). In addition, even if you don’t link the text cells, you can still use Control+Tab to jump from cell to cell while entering or editing data.
- If you intend to import data from Excel, check Link to External Data. For more information, see “Importing Excel tables.”
- If you want the table to remain the same size if you add or delete rows, check Maintain Geometry.
- Click OK.
Parent topic: Working with tables