Setting Tabs

[Steve Fox]

I'm trying to set a right tab with Word X. Nothing I've tried, based on
how it's done in previous versions, works. Word Help has nothing on it,
so here I am, begging....

 

[Elliott Roper]

I'm trying to set a right tab with Word X. Nothing I've tried, based on
how it's done in previous versions, works. Word Help has nothing on it,
so here I am, begging....

I never use tabs, so I never knew how horrible it was.

If you turn on rulers, you can create a tab stop by clicking in the
horizontal ruler. At the left of the ruler there is a tiny square with
an icon for left, centre or right. The setting of that determines what
flavour of tab you get next time you click in the ruler. Clicking on it
cycles through three of the available five options.
You can delete a tab by dragging it off the ruler. If you double click
on a tab on the ruler, a monstrous panel leaps out. Using this you may
select a tab stop on the left subpanel - the values may be read off the
ruler and matched with the numbers you see in it - and then change the
tab flavour in the top right sub-panel. The bottom right of the panel
gives you options for tab leaders, and at the very bottom is an
ill-thought-out dialog for clearing tabs. You don't get to see the
effect (if any of your document is visible behind the billboard sized
control panel) until you dismiss the panel. Grrr!

I tried setting keyboard shortcuts to set each tab flavour without
clicking the little square on the left of the ruler, but they only seem
to work once.

What a mess! What were they thinking of?
There has to be a better way. I hope this helps until a real expert
steps in. It can't really be this bad.

I think I'll continue avoiding tabs till then. I'd use styles for
simple indents and lists, then tables for anything more complex.

 

[Clive Huggan]

Steve,

It's difficult to understand exactly what the problem is yet, when you only
say "I'm trying to set a right tab" and "Nothing I've tried ... works". Does
that mean you can't place a right tab *anywhere*? Or just at the right
margin tab? If the latter, will Word X let you drop it in further to the
left and drag it to the right-hand margin? Do you experience the problem
with the insertion point ("cursor") in only one paragraph? When you click on
the ruler to drop one in, exactly what happens? Is it only right tabs? What
update do you have installed?

If you post this info back, it will be possible for someone in X to imagine
the problem, hence to provide the answer. (I'm not necessarily going to be
that person -- I'm in Word 2001 and in an Australian time-zone -- but you
never know.)

In addition to Elliott's excellent advice, BTW, you can also place an
inserted tab very accurately by holding down the Option key before moving
it. But that may not be in your field of interest right now if you can't
place the darned thing!

-- Clive Huggan
* Please post all comments to the newsgroup for the benefit of others who
may be interested.
* Remove "the" from my address above if you need to send an e-mail to me
directly, but please note that e-mails with an attachment will be
automatically rejected.
* If anyone is still reading down this far, here's a question: is it time
for you to back up your Normal template and all your Word settings (to a
medium other than your hard drive)?
============================================================

 

[Steve Fox]

Elliott,

I'm just trying to set a tab for now. Can't d it. I'll deal with how
to get rid of them later, I guess.

Anyway, I tried what you suggest in the first paragraph: when I click in
the ruler, nothing happens no matter which type of tab appears in that
little box to the left. I tied this at least two dozen times. That's
the puzzle.

As I said, if I can ever get a tab, I'll deal gladly with the problem of
removing it.

Steve

 

[Steve Fox]

Clive,

Sorry to be so obtuse, but my problem IS pretty basic, as I wrote: I do
not know how to set ANY tab. None of the techniques borrowed from
previous versions work. There is nothing in Word Help that tells you
how to do it (I find this appalling). No idea how I might "drop and
drag," as you mention. What do I drop? To be even more responsive to
your first paragraph, when I click in the ruler, after selecting the
type of tab I want from the little box to the left, exactly NOTHING
happens. I have installed the update for 10.1 something, which
includes, I believe, SR1.

Steve

 

[Elliott Roper]

Elliott,

I'm just trying to set a tab for now. Can't d it. I'll deal with how
to get rid of them later, I guess.

Anyway, I tried what you suggest in the first paragraph: when I click in
the ruler, nothing happens no matter which type of tab appears in that
little box to the left. I tied this at least two dozen times. That's
the puzzle.

As I said, if I can ever get a tab, I'll deal gladly with the problem of
removing it.

I never cease to be amazed how little bits of Word just 'drop off'.
Yesterday my formatting palette decided that every style I selected
should deliver a style called 'blue'. You can bet it matched the air
round my computer. This is professional quality software? I don't think
so. A quit of Word fixed it. That's what you expect of kiddie freeware.

I'm at a loss to suggest how you should proceed. You might try the
usual magic potions, such as renaming Normal.dot or deleting Word
Settings (10). Or you could sacrifice a goat, but the next full moon is
August 12.

You will find Normal.dot in
/Applications/Microsoft\ Office\ X/Templates/Normal
and Word Settings (10) may be found at
~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Word\ Settings\ \(10\)

Renaming them (with every office application quit) will cause new ones
to spring up ini their place, with all your shortcuts and styles
screwed up, next time you start Word. But you did say you were
desperate.

One less magical method might be to waken the tab palette. I guess
double clicking on a non-existent tab on the toolbar is not going to do
it for you. Try Format->Tabs... (It would be interesting to learn if
that is greyed out) then fill in the obvious fields and see if a tab
appears in the ruler.