Creating Tables

Table - is made up of rows and columns of cells that you can fill with text and graphics as well as items for quick
analysis. It might be helpful to think of a table as a grid that is made up of columns and rows.

Cell - the intersection of a column and a row in a table

Row (s) – the horizontal blocks of cells in a table.
Columns – the vertical blocks of cells in a table.

Columns

cell cell cell cell

cell cell cell cell

Rows

cell cell cell cell

cell cell cell cell

Inserting Table

In Microsoft Office Word 2010, you can insert a table by choosing from a selection of preformatted
tables — complete with sample data — or by selecting the number of rows and columns that you want. You
can insert a table into a document, or you can insert one table into another table to create a more complex
table.

a) Use Table Templates

You can use table templates to insert a table that is based on a gallery of preformatted tables. Table
templates contain sample data to help you visualize what the table will look like when you add your data.
1. Click where you want to insert a table.
2. On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click Table, point to Quick Tables, and then click the
template that you want.

3. Replace the data in the template with the data that you want.

b) Use the Table menu

1. Click where you want to insert a table.
2. On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click Table, and then, under Insert Table, drag to select
the number of rows and columns that you want.
c) Use the Insert Table command
You can use the Insert Table command to choose the table dimensions and format before you insert the
table into a document.
1. Click where you want to insert a table.
2. On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click Table, and then click Insert Table. The Insert
Table dialog box is displayed.

3. Under Table size, enter the number of columns and rows.

4. Under AutoFit behavior, choose options to adjust the table
size.

Insert Table dialog box

d) Draw a table
You can draw a complex table — for example, one that contains cells of different heights or a varying number
of columns per row.
1. Click where you want to create the table.
2. On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click Table, and then click Draw Table.

The pointer changes to a pencil.

3. To define the outer table boundaries, draw a rectangle. Then draw the column lines and row lines
inside the rectangle.

4. To erase a line or block of lines, under Table Tools, on the Design tab, in the Draw Borders group,
click Eraser.
5. Click the line that you want to erase. To erase the entire table, see Delete a table or clear its
contents.
6. When you finish drawing the table, click in a cell and start typing the table’s data.
Formatting a Table
After you create a table, MS Word offers you many ways to format that table. If you decide to use
Table Styles, you can format your table all at once, and even see a preview of what your table will look like
formatted in a particular style before you actually apply the style.
You can create a custom look for tables by splitting or merging cells, adding or deleting columns or
rows, or adding borders. If you're working with a long table, you can repeat the table headings on each page
on which the table appears. To prevent awkward page breaks that disrupt the flow of your table, you can also
specify just how and where the table should break across pages.

Use Table Styles to Format an Entire Table

After you create a table, you can format the entire table by using Table Styles. By resting your pointer
over each of the preformatted table styles, you can preview what the table will look like.
1. Select the table that you want to format.
2. Under Table Tools, click the Design tab.
3. In the Table Styles group, rest the pointer over each table style until you find a style that you
want to use.

Note: To see more styles, click the More arrow .

4. Click the desired style to apply it to the table.

Adding Borders
a) Adding Borders to a Table using the Border button in the Design tab – Table Styles group or Home
tab-Paragraph group.

Steps:

1. Select or highlight the table element (cell, row, or column) that will be affected by the custom border
changes.

2. Click the Line Style button in the Design tab – Draw Borders group then choose a Line Style in the Line
Style Drop-down List.
Line Style button

Line Style Drop-down List

Cont: Adding Borders to a Table

3. Specify which border should be applied with the selected line style by clicking the Border Button in the
Design tab – Table Styles group or in the Home tab-Paragraph group.

Border Drop Down List

4) Click one of the predefined border sets.

b) Adding Borders to a Table using the Borders and Shading Dialog box

Steps:
1) Select/Highlight the table.
2) Right click on the table then select Borders and Shading command in the shortcut menu. The Borders and
Shading dialog box is displayed.

3) Click in the Borders tab. Select a line

style for the table’s border under
Style then select which border(s)
should be applied with the chosen
border style by clicking the
corresponding buttons of the borders
in the Preview area.

4) In the Apply to: box , Table must be

selected among the choices.

5) Click OK.
Remove Borders From the Whole Table
1. Select/Highlight the table.
2. Click the Design tab or Home tab.
3. In the Table Styles group/Paragraph group, click Borders, and then click No Border.

Add Shading to a Table

a) Using the Shading button in the Design tab – Table Styles Group or Home tab-Paragraph group

Follow these steps:

1. In the table, select the table element (cell, row, or column) that you want to shade.
2. Click the Shading button, then select a color from the color palette.

b) using the Borders and Shading Dialog box

1) In the table, select the table element (cell,

row, or column) that you want to shade.

2) Right click on the selected table element then

select Borders and Shading command in the
shortcut menu. The Borders and Shading dialog
box is displayed.

3) Click on the Shading tab and click the arrow

down button of the Fill box to display the
shading color palette.

4) Select a color from the color palette then click

Ok.

Inserting Rows and Columns

You can easily change the appearance of a table by inserting and deleting rows and columns, combining
cells, splitting cells and etc. Word provides easy-to-use row and column insert/delete commands.

a) Inserting Row(s) using the shortcut buttons in the Layout tab

1) Click on the row or highlight the row, where the row(s) to be inserted will be positioned.
2) In the Layout tab - Rows and Columns Group, click either the Insert Rows Above or Insert Rows
Below button (it depends on where you would want to insert the row(s))

Note: The number of the selected/highlighted row will also be the number of row(s) that is/are inserted.
b) Inserting Row(s) using the insert command in the shortcut menu

1) Click on the row or highlight the row, where the row(s) to be inserted will be positioned.
2) Afterwards, right-click on the selected row(s) then point to the Insert command in the shortcut menu and
choose either Insert Rows Above or Insert Rows Below from the choices.

Inserting Columns
a) Inserting Column(s) using the shortcut buttons in the Layout tab
1) Click on the column or highlight the column, where the column(s) to be inserted will be positioned.
2) In the Layout tab - Rows and Columns Group, click either the Insert Columns to the Left or Insert
Columns to the Right button (it depends on where you would want to insert the column(s))

Note: The number of the selected/highlighted column will also be the number of column(s) that is/are inserted.

b) Inserting Row(s) using the insert command in the shortcut menu

1) Click on the column or highlight the column, where the column(s) to be inserted will be positioned.
2) Afterwards, right-click on the selected column(s) then point to the Insert command in the shortcut menu
and choose either Insert Columns to the Left or Insert Columns to the Right from the choices.
Modifying the Table Structure (Merging Cells and Changing Height and Width)
Aside from inserting and deleting rows and columns, you can also merge cells and change cell heights and
widths to change cell formats.

Merging Cells
Merging cells means that you combine multiple cells into a single cell. The cells that will be merged must
be next to each other either horizontally or vertically.
Steps:
1) Select/Highlight the cells to be merged. Then do any of the following to merge the cells:
 In the Layout tab – Merge group, click the Merge Cells button.

 Right-click on the selected cells then click on the Merge Cells command in the shortcut menu.

 Click the Eraser Button in the Design tab – Draw Borders group , then click or drag the eraser
over the cell dividers.

Change Height and Width

a) The quickest and easiest way to change the cell height and width is to drag the row and column lines in
the Print Layout View. Make sure that the Horizontal and Vertical Rulers are displayed so you can measure
the row and column border movements.
Cont: Change Height and Width

b) Another way to resize a column is through the adjustment of the column according to the widest entry
inside the column. To do this, move the cursor to the column you want to resize and then double-click the
right border of the column.

c) If you want to change the cell formatting more precisely, you can use the Table Properties Dialog Box.
Click in the appropriate tab to adjust the row, column, and cell sizes and then type the measurement in
the corresponding Size Textboxes.

 To display the Table Properties Dialog Box, right-click on the table then select Table Properties
in the shortcut menu.

Modifying the Alignment of the Data On the Cell(s)

1. Highlight the cells containing the entries to be aligned, then do any of the following to align the entries:
a) Right-click on the selected/highlighted cells then point to Cell Alignment in the shortcut menu, then
click the appropriate/desired alignment from the options.

b) In the Layout tab – Alignment group, click the corresponding button of the desired alignment for the
table’s data/entries.

Alignment buttons for the table’s data/entries

Rotating Text in Table
You can rotate the text or organize the text positioning inside a table.

Follow these steps:

1. Select the text then do any of the following:
a) Click the Text Direction Button in the Layout tab – Alignment group.

b) You may also right-click on the selected data/entries then click Text Direction in the shortcut menu.
The Text Direction dialog box appears. Select a desired Text Direction in the Text Direction Dialog
Box.

Deleting Table or Its Elements

Steps:
1) Highlight the table or its element(s) that you want to delete then, do any of the following:
a) Click the Delete button in the Layout tab – Rows and Columns Group. Afterwards, choose the
element to be deleted from the choices/options.

b) Right click on the selected/highlighted elements then click either Delete Rows or Delete Columns in the
shortcut menu.

c) Press any of these keyboard shortcuts:

1) backspace
2) CTRL + X
3) Shift + Delete