Custom AutoFormats?

[Sam L Elowitch]

Is there any way to customize AutoFormats for tables, so that a table can be
assigned an entire range of attributes (cell width and height, borders and
shading, etc.) with a single command?

-Sam

 

[Beth Rosengard]

Hi Sam,

Well, I just did it using the standard means for creating formatted
AutoCorrect entries:

Create your table and format it as you like. Select the entire table but be
sure not to select any external paragraph marks. (Turn on Show/Hide
formatting so you can see what you're doing.)

Go to Tools>AutoCorrect and you should see part of your selected table in
the "With" pane. Also, Formatted Text should be checked.

Enter whatever you like in the "Replace" pane and click Add. That's it!

--
Beth Rosengard
Mac MVP

Mac Word FAQ: <http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/WordMac/index.htm>
Entourage Help Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/toc.html>

 

[Sam L Elowitch]

But I want to alter only the format/design of the other tables, not their
content. The other tables have the content I want but not the formatting I
need. Is there any way to apply only the stylistic attributes such as row
and column width, shading, etc.?

-Sam

 

[Beth Rosengard]

Hi Sam,

Are you saying that you want to take a table that already exists (including
content) and apply formatting to it via automation rather than manually? As
far as I can tell it's possible, but not easy, and involves using macros.
Read the following article. It's about Word 2002 for the PC but I suspect
this hasn't changed in later versions of Word.

<http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/CustomTableFormats.htm>

Sorry.

--
Beth Rosengard
Mac MVP

Mac Word FAQ: <http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/WordMac/index.htm>
Entourage Help Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/toc.html>

 

[John McGhie [MVP - Word]]

Sam:

There are three mechanisms that can do this:

* Table Styles
* AutoText
* Macros

I do not remember whether Table Styles came to Word X or not: look them up
in the Help under "Table Styles". If they are there, that's the mechanism
designed for the purpose. If they're not there, that gives you a good
incentive to upgrade, doesn't it

A Table Style is actually a prescription that drives the Table AutoFormat
mechanism. You define all of the aspects of a table and save it as a style.
You then point to a table and apply the style. AutoFormat them formats the
table to look the way you want it.

An AutoText is the simplest and most flexible way. Format a table the way
you want it, then save it as an AutoText. Next time you want one, insert
the AutoText and add/subtract/paste rows, columns, or cells as required.

I use a macro, which either formats an existing table to my taste, or
creates a standard table preformatted to my standard. The macro has the
benefit that it enables you to apply other styles within the table, which is
the way most professional writers want to work. It has the downside that
you need to know a bit of VBA to customise it to your tastes.

Email me if you want a copy of the macro.

Cheers

Is there any way to customize AutoFormats for tables, so that a table can be
assigned an entire range of attributes (cell width and height, borders and
shading, etc.) with a single command?

-Sam

--

Please respond only to the newsgroup to preserve the thread.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. GMT + 10 Hrs
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]