A Microsoft Office (Excel, Word) forum. OfficeFrustration

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » OfficeFrustration forum » Microsoft Word » Tables
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read  

Word tables: let us make rows same width



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #11  
Old November 15th, 2005, 03:31 PM
Joe Lewis
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Word tables: let us make rows same width

I'm extremely grateful for all the attention my post has received, but I
don't seem to have explained myself clearly. Imagine two rows. The top row
has only one cell and is a tiny bit wider than the other row. My problem is
getting the two rows to be exactly the same width.

I have tried splitting the rows into two tables and using Table Properties
to set them to the same "preferred width"; I can state my preference, but
Word seems to have a different control that overrides my preference. I wish I
could display that control and edit it, but I can't.

I can also keep rows together in one table and then use
Table|Autofit|Distribute Columns Evenly. But this still does not allow me to
make my own decision about the width of the table.

Stefan Blom was kind enough to give me the link to the MVP note about the
shortcomings of Table Properties
(http://word.mvps.org/faqs/tblsfldsfms/TablePropPrbs.htm). This lets me
control the cell width, but there seems to be no command to control the table
width or row width.

You're probably wondering how I can get into this fix in the first place.
Well, I do a lot of copying rows from one document to another, then combining
them into tables. That's how I wind up with a table with one row too wide or
too narrow. I'm accustomed to isolating my row and having Table Properties
tell me that a row is 99.7% or 101.4% wide. And if I try to adjust it to
100%, it just doesn't seem to work.

I can get close enough so that nobody else will notice, but it's frustrating
and wastes a lot of time.

Again, I'm very grateful for the attention and helpful suggestions, most of
which I find I have tried.

Maybe my documents are so corrupted that Word can no longer handle them,
though it cheerfully opens and saves them day after day. (I got so frustrated
with my footnote numbering problem that I paid Microsoft the $35 to look into
it for me, though I doubt they'll give me a usable answer. But that belongs
on a different discussion board.)

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:

I think the issue is that Joe wants a table in which either of two columns
consumes exactly half of a set width. In another row with three columns,
each column would be allocated exactly one third of the same total width.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"Tony Jollans" My Forename at My Surname dot com wrote in message
...
Sorry, Joe, but you've lost me. You cannot manage table width

independently
of cell width - if you change the table width the width of at least one

cell
must also change.

Is there some problem with either or both of the methods I have given you
for precisely setting cell widths?

--
Enjoy,
Tony


"Joe Lewis" wrote in message
...
I can join the tables, then use Table|Autofit|Distribute Columns Evenly

to
ensure that both tables are the same width. But this leaves me with all
columns of the same width, and that's not what I want. I want to manage

the
table width independently of the cell width, as if I were using HTML. It
seems like a reasonable request: I just want to be able to align two

rows
so
they're the same width, without affecting the columns.

"Tony Jollans" wrote:

The exact behaviour of Preferred Widths is a bit difficult to get used

to in
non-standard situations. However, to precisely set cell widths you can

..

(a) use the old Column Width dialog.
To get this go to Tools Customize Commands (tab)
Select "All Commands" under Categories
Scroll down to find TableColumnWidth
Click and Drag it to your favourite toolbar

(b) Press and hold Alt while dragging the cell edge.

--
Enjoy,
Tony


"Joe Lewis" wrote in message
...
Imagine a table with two rows of three cells each. The cells in row

1
need
to
be different widths than those in row 2. If the rows are not quite

the
same
width, there's no way to make them the same width. You can split the

rows
into two tables, use Table Properties to set them to the same

"preferred"
width, but this does not always set them to an exact width.

Frustrating!

----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to

the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click

the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button,

follow
this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader

and
then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.




http://www.microsoft.com/office/comm...id=7466fab8-31
1e-489a-a5b3-2afd5ef3b49c&dg=microsoft.public.word.tables







  #12  
Old November 15th, 2005, 03:47 PM
Joe Lewis
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Word tables: let us make rows same width: Solution

I think the solution is to us Table|Autofit|Fit to Window. There's a great
article at http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/P...cle.asp?ID=536.
I'm going to try it. Thanks to everyone for their helpful suggestions!


"Joe Lewis" wrote:

Imagine a table with two rows of three cells each. The cells in row 1 need to
be different widths than those in row 2. If the rows are not quite the same
width, there's no way to make them the same width. You can split the rows
into two tables, use Table Properties to set them to the same "preferred"
width, but this does not always set them to an exact width. Frustrating!

----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.

http://www.microsoft.com/office/comm...ic.word.tables

  #13  
Old November 15th, 2005, 04:20 PM
Tony Jollans
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Word tables: let us make rows same width

I appreciate it can be a bit fiddly but if nothing you've got so far helps
the only other thing I can say is that sometimes adjusting measurements in
small increments can fail (not just in tables) and it may be worth trying to
make a bigger adjustment away from what you want before making an (almost)
equally big adjustment back.

--
Enjoy,
Tony


"Joe Lewis" wrote in message
...
I'm extremely grateful for all the attention my post has received, but I
don't seem to have explained myself clearly. Imagine two rows. The top row
has only one cell and is a tiny bit wider than the other row. My problem

is
getting the two rows to be exactly the same width.

I have tried splitting the rows into two tables and using Table Properties
to set them to the same "preferred width"; I can state my preference, but
Word seems to have a different control that overrides my preference. I

wish I
could display that control and edit it, but I can't.

I can also keep rows together in one table and then use
Table|Autofit|Distribute Columns Evenly. But this still does not allow me

to
make my own decision about the width of the table.

Stefan Blom was kind enough to give me the link to the MVP note about the
shortcomings of Table Properties
(http://word.mvps.org/faqs/tblsfldsfms/TablePropPrbs.htm). This lets me
control the cell width, but there seems to be no command to control the

table
width or row width.

You're probably wondering how I can get into this fix in the first place.
Well, I do a lot of copying rows from one document to another, then

combining
them into tables. That's how I wind up with a table with one row too wide

or
too narrow. I'm accustomed to isolating my row and having Table Properties
tell me that a row is 99.7% or 101.4% wide. And if I try to adjust it to
100%, it just doesn't seem to work.

I can get close enough so that nobody else will notice, but it's

frustrating
and wastes a lot of time.

Again, I'm very grateful for the attention and helpful suggestions, most

of
which I find I have tried.

Maybe my documents are so corrupted that Word can no longer handle them,
though it cheerfully opens and saves them day after day. (I got so

frustrated
with my footnote numbering problem that I paid Microsoft the $35 to look

into
it for me, though I doubt they'll give me a usable answer. But that

belongs
on a different discussion board.)

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:

I think the issue is that Joe wants a table in which either of two

columns
consumes exactly half of a set width. In another row with three columns,
each column would be allocated exactly one third of the same total

width.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the

newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"Tony Jollans" My Forename at My Surname dot com wrote in message
...
Sorry, Joe, but you've lost me. You cannot manage table width

independently
of cell width - if you change the table width the width of at least

one
cell
must also change.

Is there some problem with either or both of the methods I have given

you
for precisely setting cell widths?

--
Enjoy,
Tony


"Joe Lewis" wrote in message
...
I can join the tables, then use Table|Autofit|Distribute Columns

Evenly
to
ensure that both tables are the same width. But this leaves me with

all
columns of the same width, and that's not what I want. I want to

manage
the
table width independently of the cell width, as if I were using

HTML. It
seems like a reasonable request: I just want to be able to align two

rows
so
they're the same width, without affecting the columns.

"Tony Jollans" wrote:

The exact behaviour of Preferred Widths is a bit difficult to get

used
to in
non-standard situations. However, to precisely set cell widths you

can
..

(a) use the old Column Width dialog.
To get this go to Tools Customize Commands (tab)
Select "All Commands" under Categories
Scroll down to find TableColumnWidth
Click and Drag it to your favourite toolbar

(b) Press and hold Alt while dragging the cell edge.

--
Enjoy,
Tony


"Joe Lewis" wrote in message
...
Imagine a table with two rows of three cells each. The cells in

row
1
need
to
be different widths than those in row 2. If the rows are not

quite
the
same
width, there's no way to make them the same width. You can split

the
rows
into two tables, use Table Properties to set them to the same
"preferred"
width, but this does not always set them to an exact width.
Frustrating!

----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds

to
the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion,

click
the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button,
follow
this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based

Newsreader
and
then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.





http://www.microsoft.com/office/comm...id=7466fab8-31
1e-489a-a5b3-2afd5ef3b49c&dg=microsoft.public.word.tables









  #14  
Old November 16th, 2005, 12:49 PM
Stefan Blom
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Word tables: let us make rows same width: Solution

I'm glad you got it sorted!

FWIW, http://word.mvps.org/faqs/tblsfldsfm...ableToPage.htm also
describes how to fit a table to the width of the page; that method
preserves the relative sizes of column widths, too.

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP


"Joe Lewis" wrote in message
...
I think the solution is to us Table|Autofit|Fit to Window. There's a

great
article at

http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/P...cle.asp?ID=536.
I'm going to try it. Thanks to everyone for their helpful

suggestions!


"Joe Lewis" wrote:

Imagine a table with two rows of three cells each. The cells in

row 1 need to
be different widths than those in row 2. If the rows are not quite

the same
width, there's no way to make them the same width. You can split

the rows
into two tables, use Table Properties to set them to the same

"preferred"
width, but this does not always set them to an exact width.

Frustrating!

----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to

the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion,

click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button,

follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader

and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.


http://www.microsoft.com/office/comm...ic.word.tables





 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Word 97 in Windows XP to maintain formatting Charlie''s Word VBA questions General Discussion 21 October 24th, 2005 09:49 PM
How do I create a Word form like corel WP merge documents? dlee_at_mmsgov General Discussion 2 October 8th, 2005 06:29 AM
Please add an outlining feature like WordPerfect's. zaffcomm General Discussion 1 September 20th, 2005 07:21 PM
Can Wordperfect templates be converted to Word template docs Terrill New Users 2 September 14th, 2005 09:14 PM
is word perfect compatible with office word? Noreen General Discussion 1 May 11th, 2005 11:17 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 08:07 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 OfficeFrustration.
The comments are property of their posters.