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Create a Table: Draw Table

Another way to create a table is to click the Table button and then click the Draw Table command on the menu.

Your mouse pointer changes to a pencil shape to let you draw the outside border of a table yourself. Then you can draw in dividing lines to make rows and columns that do not have to be all the same.  The ribbon changes to the Table Tools: Design tab where you can click the Draw Table button to turn off drawing and get the regular pointer back.

This method is very cool when you know just what you want and you want cells of different sizes.

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Table Task Methods

There are several ways to do most tasks that affect a table: 

• Drag or click with the mouse
• Key combo
• Ribbon button
• Command on a button's menu
• Right click menu command

As you work, you will probably find that you prefer one type of action, but please try out others as you run across them. The more experienced you become, the more likely you are to use key combos. They are fast... when you remember which keys to use.

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Parts of a Table

Word is a bit inconsistent about how it refers to columns in a table. In a spreadsheet, columns are labeled with letters, but in some places in Word, columns are referred to with numbers.

Columns: Named with letters starting at the left
Pointer shape to select:

Rows: Named with numbers starting at the top
Pointer shape to select: 

Cells: Named in the form ColumnRow. So, cell B2 is in column B and row 2.
Pointer shape to select: 

Grid lines: Lines that divide the space into cells. Even lines that don't print will show in Word as light gray. But, of course, you might choose to have gray lines in print, too. Look at the Print Preview to be sure if the lines will print the way you want.

End-of-cell and End-of-row marks: Word uses a special symbol  (a circle with 4 lines sticking out) to show where the contents of a cell stops and also where a table row stops. This symbol is one of the characters in a normal font, but it is not on the keyboard. The symbol uses the same font and font size as the default cell text. Some fonts give the symbol quite a different look, like . Sometimes you will want to select the symbol along with the text, just like you sometimes want to include the paragraph symbol in a selection. And sometimes not! You cannot drag inside a cell to select the end of cell symbol. You must select the whole cell using the pointer shape or use the Select Cell command from the list on the Select button or in the right click menu for the cell.

Check your understanding: What value shows in cell B2 in the illustration above of end of cell marks?
     Answer  5

Handles: There are two handles for a table

•  Table Select/Move handle: Appears at the top left of the table when your mouse hovers over the table or when the cursor is in the table. Click the handle to select the whole table. Drag this handle to move the table on the page

• Table Select/Resize handle: Appears at the bottom right of the table when your mouse hovers over the table or the cursor is in the table. Drag this handle to resize the whole table. The rows and columns will resize along with the table as a whole. The text in the cells does not resize.
  

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Table Tools Tab

The Table Tools tab appears whenever your cursor is in a table or you selected a whole table or part of a table. Unlike most other context tabs on the ribbon, Table Tools has two subtabs: Design and Layout.

Table Tools: Design

The Design tab has tools that let you apply a table style to the table as a whole. You can select which special types of rows and columns you want, like a header row or a Totals row. Of course you can change the shading or borders afterwards as you wish.

Table Tools: Layout

The Layout tab has tools for editing parts of an existing table. The Select button gives options for selecting the whole table or just a cell or row or column. The Rows & Columns tab groups has buttons that make it easy to add or delete rows or columns. Other buttons let you merge or split cells, set the height or width of cells exactly, align text inside the cell, and more.

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Special Buttons:

Draw Table and Eraser:

Word 2007, 2010: Design tab
Word 2013, 2016: Layout tab

Once you have a table, you can use the Draw Table button to add lines to your table with the pencil shape to create more rows and/or columns. The Eraser button changes your mouse to the eraser shape . Click or drag on table lines to erase them.

Select:

The Select button on the Table Tools: Layout tab lets you select the whole table or just a row, column, or cell.

Word 2010: The Select command and submenu are also on the table's context menu.

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Context Menu

When you right click on a table, the context menu will include several commands that apply to tables. The list of commands depends on what is selected.

For example, when the whole table is selected, you see the command Delete Table. But if a row is selected, you see Delete Row and Merge Cells. If a cell is selected, you see commands Delete Cells and Split Cells.

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Table Properties Dialog

You can open the Table Properties dialog with the Properties button on the Table Tools: Layout tab or from the context menu for the table.

The Table Properties dialog has several tabs that have detailed choices for how your table looks.

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