Are Table Styles still not worth using?

[Hans]

Shauna Kelly, on her very helpful site, describes why she avoids using Table
Styles (see http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/tablestyles/index.html). She
writes explicitly about Word 2002 and ends the piece by wondering if the
problems she described will be fixed by 2007.

I am struggling to create a table style without success (I cannot get the
font to override the Normal font). Can I conclude that 2007 works similarly
to 2002, in which case Microsoft has STILL not figured this out? How can I
get my table style to apply the font I want? I've SET it correctly in the
style definition, but it won't display...

Thanks...

 

[Stefan Blom]

The trick is *not* to modify the font of the Normal style; instead, change it
indirectly, by changing the document default font, which you can access in the
Manage Styles dialog box. To open the dialog, click the Manage Styles button in
the Styles pane (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S).

 

[Stefan Blom]

I'm not sure how well this works for documents that should be backward
compatible with Word 2003, though.

 

[Stefan Blom]

See also the relevant portion of the article at
http://blogs.msdn.com/microsoft_off...tyles-doc-defaults-style-sets-and-themes.aspx.

 

[Pamelia Caswell via OfficeKB.com]

I say a definite yes. Table styles are worth using. Stefan has sent you to
information about how to set them up in W2007/10, and the Word Team blog
explains why the problem exists.

Even in W2003, you can take advantage of table style efficiencies by NOT
setting font formatting in the table style and by using paragraph styles on
table text instead.

Efficiencies, you say? I once listed 16 steps in formatting ( borders, text
alignment, background colors, etc.) a text-rich table in a business proposal.
It took 6 to 8 minutes to do each one. With table styles it takes less than
a minute to do each one--and that includes applying the paragraph styles.
If you are working to a deadline, that's a lot more time you can devote to
content.

Pam