Inserting Tables into Topics

• Select Table>Insert>Table.

  OR

• Make sure the Text Format toolbar is open (View>Toolbars>Text Format). Then click the face (not the down arrow) of the Insert Table button.

  

The Insert Table dialog opens.

Select the General tab and modify the options as necessary.

Table Size:

• Number of columns Enter the number of columns for the table.
• Number of rows Enter the number of rows for the table.
• Number of header rows Enter the number of header rows for the table. A header row can be used to hold titles for the different columns in the table.
• Number of footer rows Enter the number of footer rows for the table. A footer row can be used to hold footnote information about the table.

Table Caption:

• Text Enter a caption (or title) for the table. This caption can be placed above the table or below it.
• Above table Select this option if you want to place the caption above the table.
• Below table Select this option if you want to place the caption below the table. However, due to an issue with Internet Explorer, this option places the caption above the table in outputs based on Internet Explorer.

Summary: You can enter a summary for a table. This adds the "summary" attribute to the <table> tag and is used to help make your output more accessible to individuals with disabilities. See About Accessibility.

AutoFit Behavior:

• AutoFit to contents Automatically sets the column widths to the same width as the table content.
• AutoFit to window Automatically sets the table width to the same width as the output window.
• Fixed column width Sets the column widths to the width that you specify. Select the down arrow next to this field and set the width in the popup.

Align: Aligns the entire table either to the left, right, or center of the topic.

Table Style: You can select to use either a table style sheet or a <table> style from a regular topic style sheet. Whichever one you choose will control the look of the table that you insert. When you add a table style sheet to your project, it is stored in the Resources\TableStyles subfolder in the Content Explorer.For more information see About Styles and Style Sheets.

• Table Style Select this option if you want to use a table style sheet to control the look of the table. You can then select an existing table style sheet from the drop-down list.

  

• If you do not yet have a table style sheet that you want to use, click the face of this button to open the Select Table Style Template dialog. This lets you create new table style sheet. If you click the down arrow next to the button, you can select Print Style. This opens the Select Table Style dialog, which you can use to specify another table style to be used specifically for printed output. However, it is recommended that you use a medium instead of the "Print Style" option. See About Style Sheet Mediums and Creating Table Styles for Print Output.

  

• Style Class Select this option if you want to use a regular topic style sheet to control the look of the table. You can then select the main <table> style tag from the drop-down, or you can select any class that you have added under that tag. You can create classes for the <table> tag in the Stylesheet Editor; those classes will then become available in this drop-down field.

  

To add a table style to the Insert Table dialog:

1. In the Insert Table dialog, the face of the Create New Table Style button , not the down arrow. The Select Table Style Template dialog opens.
2. In the Template Folders area, select a folder.

3. In the Templates area, select one of the templates from the folder. You can see a preview of how the table will look in the Preview area below.

   Note: To learn more about table templates, see About Templates.

4. (Optional) You can type a new name in the New Style Name field.
5. Click OK. The style is added to the Insert Table dialog.

Text to Table: These options are enabled if you have selected text before opening the dialog to insert the table. This lets you create the table and quickly place all of the selected text into table cells.

• None Select this option if you want to create a table but not include any of the selected text. In other words, that text is removed and replaced with the new table.
• Paragraphs Select this option if you have selected multiple paragraphs and want to convert them into a table. Each paragraph will be placed in a separate table cell.
• Commas Select this option if you have selected text separated by commas and want to convert it into a table. Each segment of text between a comma will be placed in a separate table cell.
• Tabs Select this option if you have selected text separated by tabs and want to convert it into a table. Each segment of text between a tab separator will be placed in a separate table cell.
• Other Select this option if you have selected text separated by a specific text string (e.g., semicolons) and want to convert it into a table. After selecting this option, enter that text string in the field to the right. Each segment of text between the text string that you specify will be placed in a separate table cell.

Select the Borders tab and modify the options as necessary.

• Outer Borders Click in any of the individual fields (Left, Right, Top, Bottom) to specify the settings for the table border. If you click the down arrow to the right of all the fields, the settings will be applied to all of the border fields. When you click the down arrow or in one of the individual fields, a small popup displays. Use the lower-left area of the popup to enter a number for the thickness of the border. Use the lower-middle area to select a unit of measurement (e.g., point, pixel, centimeter) for the number you entered. See About Units of Measurement. Use the upper-right area to select a color for the border. And use the lower-right area to select a line type (e.g., solid, double, dashed) for the border. When you are finished, click OK in the small popup.
• Cell Border Collapse Select whether you want to collapse the cell borders in the table. If you collapse the cell borders, the row and cell borders of a table are joined in a single border. If you do not collapse the cell borders, the row and cell borders of a table are detached.
• Cell Border Spacing Use this area to increase or decrease the amount of spacing for a cell border (in pixels).

Click OK. The table is added. Now you can click in any cells of the table and add content (e.g., text, images, hyperlinks) as necessary. You can also change the look and feel of the table directly in the document (see Local Formatting). However, it is recommended that you change formatting in the table style rather than directly in the document (see About Styles and Style Sheets).

Click the down arrow (not the face) of the Insert Table button.

A drop-down gird with a series of horizontal and vertical squares is displayed.

Hover over the grid. When you do this, the squares change color to indicate how many rows and columns will be included in the table. As soon as you click, the new table is inserted.

The table initially looks very plain because it has no properties or style sheet associated with it. Therefore, you will likely want to open the Table Properties dialog at some point to specify settings and/or apply a table style sheet to it. See Editing Tables and Editing Table Properties.