Simple Tab Question

S

Steve

The default has tabs every 1/2" but I got rid of all of them, and I made one
on my own - at 2.75" from the left margin. I'm typing a letter, and that's
where I put my address, date...

Anyway, when I finished the letter, I clicked the tab to type in the
"sincerely yours" but it doesn't work. And I noticed that the black L on the
top ruler (the tab) isn't there...(and there's no 2.75" tab listed in the tab
editing window).

The tab only appears when I'm up at the top of the letter.

I did use some numbered indents and bullet points in the letter. They don't
cancel out the tab, do they? (it's a 6 page letter).

So how the heck do you set a tab that STAYS there during the ENTIRE document?

Thanks.
 
J

Jezebel

If you simply define a tab, it applies only to the paragraph you're in. If
you want it to apply throughout, you make it part of the style definition.
 
S

Steve

Jezebel said:
If you simply define a tab, it applies only to the paragraph you're in.
Click to expand...


actually I went back to another letter I wrote last month - one page - and I
was able to tab at end of that letter. So why not this one?

you want it to apply throughout, you make it part of the style definition.
Click to expand...

huh?


Suzanne S. Barnhill said:
Tab stop settings are a paragraph/style setting. The ideal approach is to
define paragraph styles for the components of your letter; in this case, you
would use a 2.75" indent (not a tab) for the Complimentary Close. For more,
see http://home.earthlink.net/~wordfaqs/Letterhead.htm
Click to expand...


I will. But why is this so complicated? On typewriters you tabbed to the
middle, on word processsors, you tabbed to the middle.

Why does this have to be different?



My original question:
 
S

Steve

I think I figured out what's going on.

As I said, my only tab is 2.75" from the left margin, and that always worked
at the end of the few letters I typed in the past.

But if you copy text from another source (internet, notepad), which I had
done, and paste it into the Word document, well, you lose the tab.

Yea, that makes sense...But wait, there's more...

I copied some text from notepad - nothing special, just a couple of
sentences - and yes, the 2.75" tab disappeared, but it ADDED one at 2.88".

Now can someone please explain that?
 
S

Steve

Jezebel said:
No. You've committed yourself to the view that it's inexplicable, so
explaining it to you would be a waste of time.
Click to expand...

aw, come on Jez! Don't leave me hanging (indent) here!

Heck, if Word was designed with logic in mind, why are these boards filled
with so many questions?

I'd really like to know why Word would move a tab on its own, for no reason.
 
J

Jezebel

I'd really like to know why Word would move a tab on its own, for no
reason.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I mean: you're begging the question. Word doesn't do anything
on its own, and it doesn't position tabs for no reason.
 
S

Steve

Jezebel said:
Exactly what I mean: you're begging the question. Word doesn't do anything
on its own, and it doesn't position tabs for no reason.
Click to expand...


1. Open Wordpad and type up about 5 lines of text.
2. Open Word, clear all tabs (including all default tab stops, enter 0 in
the field), and make one tab at 2.75" from the left margin.
3. Tab to the spot, type a street address, hit return, tab again, type a
city, hit return a couple of times...
4. Go to the wordpad document, copy the text, and paste it into the word
document.

If the tab does stay there, try copying text from this reply, or an internet
web page.

When I do that on a Word document that I have saved, already set up with my
settings and address, the tab will either disapper or move to 2.88.

If I open a new Word document and set it up the way I want, the tab stays
right where it should.

Go figure.
 
D

Daiya Mitchell

Or to any paragraphs you have selected when you set the tab.
actually I went back to another letter I wrote last month - one page - and I
was able to tab at end of that letter. So why not this one?
Click to expand...
Your cursor was at the end of a paragraph. You hit enter from that
paragraph, and the enter carried along the formatting from the previous
paragraph, including the tab. Does that make sense?

You might have carried the tab in all your text from the very beginning of
the letter.

Has anybody pointed you here:
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/SettingTabs.htm
 
S

Steve

Daiya Mitchell said:
Your cursor was at the end of a paragraph. You hit enter from that
paragraph, and the enter carried along the formatting from the previous
paragraph, including the tab. Does that make sense?
Click to expand...


No, because I always hit enter at the end of every paragraph to put an empty
space between paragraphs.

See my post of Jan. 28.
 
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