How to resize just one column of a table

[Norm Dresner]

In Word 97, I could use (IIRC) alt+mouse to resize a single column of a
table without changing the width of the other columns. In Word 2000 this
facility seems to have been removed and, worse, the manual setting of the
column size via the Preferred Width is known to be broken. What am I
missing?

Also, when I move a column from one location to another, say drag column 2
to be between what were columns 4 & 5 so that it becomes the new column 4,
Word 2000 changes the width of the moved column -- but (IIRC) not the
others. What's up here?

TIA
Norm

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

You can still do it in Word 2000. See
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/TableBasics.htm for a summary of
the various ways to size columns with the mouse.

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

 

[Norm Dresner]

As I read that, it says that every time I resize a column that some other
column's width -- or all column widths -- will change. What I want to do is
simply to resize one column and have every other column remain the same
width,

Norm

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

This is exactly what happens if you use the "Simple click and drag"
technique on the column markers or "Shift+click and drag on the cell
borders."

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

 

[Norm Dresner]

Okay, it does it sometimes. Other times it seems to give me a strange
selection that looks to me to be unrelated to anything I've done.

Aha. A little more experimentation says that I have to
a) press and hold the shift key [I was doing this]
b) move the mouse to the cell border [ditto]
c) click [ditto]
d) wait for the dotted line that indicates a column border move to
appear [I wasn't always waiting]
e) move the column

If I move the mouse before the dotted line appears, I get the strange
results. Not that this is a particularly slow machine [Dell Dimension 2300
1.8GHz P4 with 3/4 GB RAM], but the waiting for the dotted line to appear is
the key.

Thanks for getting me started in the right direction.

Norm

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

My experience in Word 2002 is that the point where you get the mouse pointer
that indicates you can resize a column (upright parallel lines with arrows
pointing left and right) is not exactly over the column boundary (assuming
you have gridlines displayed) but just slightly to the left of it. When
you're hovering right over the column boundary, you're getting the angled
arrow pointer that shows you can click to select the cell to the right.

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

Okay, it does it sometimes. Other times it seems to give me a strange
selection that looks to me to be unrelated to anything I've done.

Aha. A little more experimentation says that I have to
a) press and hold the shift key [I was doing this]
b) move the mouse to the cell border [ditto]
c) click [ditto]
d) wait for the dotted line that indicates a column border move to
appear [I wasn't always waiting]
e) move the column

If I move the mouse before the dotted line appears, I get the strange
results. Not that this is a particularly slow machine [Dell Dimension 2300
1.8GHz P4 with 3/4 GB RAM], but the waiting for the dotted line to appear is
the key.

Thanks for getting me started in the right direction.

Norm

This is exactly what happens if you use the "Simple click and drag"
technique on the column markers or "Shift+click and drag on the cell
borders."

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

newsgroup

so
all may benefit.

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