Sorting Merged Cells

[mcarpeneto]

In WORD 2002 SP3, when I try to sort a table with merged cells, I get a
message that WORD cannot sort a table with merged cells.
First, does anyone have any ideas for a workaround?
Second, Does anyone know how to identify merged cells?

Thanks

 

[StevenM]

Mcarpeneto,

Do a: Table > Convert > "Convert Table to Text"
Then a: Table > Convert > "Convert Text to Table"

When you do this, you need to take care that whatever you separate the text
with is not in your text. You can use commas, as long as commas do not
otherwise appear in the text in your table. Then when you convert back, you
need to use the same symbol. If your text has commas in it, then try using
something like @ or / with "other".

Another fix would be to cut and paste your table to Excel and back. They
both should accomplish the same thing and allow you to sort your table.

-Steven Craig Miller

 

[mcarpeneto]

Thanks for your ideas, Steve. I tried them both; although they did not do
the trick, trying your suggestions did lead me to the solution. The
following is what I discovered about the REAL problem with the "Cannot sort
a table containing merged cells" warning.

When I got the message, "Cannot sort a table containing merged cells," my
first thought was to take Microsoft at its word (no pun intended), and I
assumed that a WORD table could not be sorted if it contained more than one
merged cell. What I came to realize, as I tried to find the merged cells
that were causing my problem, was that Microsoft had not worded its warning
correctly.

WORD can sort a table with merged cells. You just have to make sure that the
merged cells can clearly be identified as belonging to only one row. For
example, picture a table with rows 1, 2 and 3 and columns A, B and C. If you
merge cells 1A and 2A, 1B and 2B, and 1C and 2C, you will end up with a new
row 1, and the old row 3 will become the new row 2. WORD can sort this table
because the merged cells clearly belong to row 1.

Now picture again our original table with rows 1, 2 and 3 and columns A, B
and C. Suppose that you only merge cells 1A and 2A; and, you leave 1B, 1C,
2B and 2C as separate cells. WORD cannot sort this table because the Table
Sort routine does not know whether to consider the merged cell as cell 1A or
cell 2A, or both cells 1A and 2A; consequently, the sort routine causes the
misleading warning message to appear.

I think that the correct warning should read something like, "Cannot sort a
table containing separate rows that share a merged cell." If the correctly
worded message were used, finding the offending cell or cells becomes much
easier to spot visually, and a potential solution to the merged cell
roadblock in a particular table becomes easier to find.

I hope that this explanation helps someone else resolve a table sorting
problem similar to mine.