Tables acting differently

[Christopher Glenn]

Using V10 in WinXP.

I'm not sure why (I have one idea, see bottom), but when I create a
table (table>insert), things are acting differently than before.

When I start to enter text, it won't wrap at the cell boundary but
continues without a line break. If I slide the column divider over,
all the text is there. If I use a hard return, the first letter on
the second line in the cell is capitalized, as if it were the
beginning of a sentence.

Related, when I try to center the second column (percents), the
"center" is way off to the right of the cell (even worse if I right
justify).

How do I "reset" to what Word did originally?

I recall the last time I did tables in Word that I was working from a
word document sent to me. I copied a table from that document and
pasted it into mine, then of course re-did the text and numbers (e.g.,
I find it easier to paste a 'template' table than create from
scratch).

Something about that table was strange, because since then, the
behavior has changed as described above.

*I think.* *It could have happened regardless of this pasting.*

 

[Gennie]

Hi Chris
Believe it or not, the "problems" you are experiencing are caused by
Word trying to be helpful!

To fix the column widths altering:
Go to Table > Select table and then go back to table menu and choose
the table properties. Click on the Options box and deselect the
option to automatically resize to fit contents. You may have to
adjust your columns a bit to fit the page but once you have set the
width and switched off that setting they won't move again unless you
make them move.

To fix the justification in your cell - this could have been set with
a decimal tab in the table, or a style, rather than using the cell
alignment options. Cell alignment is added as direct formatting on top
of your chosen style. Try resetting the contents of that column back
to normal style (select the column and do shift control N) and then
try reformatting it from scratch until you get the effect you want, or
you could set up a style with the correct alignment and apply it to
the contents of that column. Right alignment is far better than
centred for figures, particularly if those numbers have decimal
points, or if you are using a proportionally spaced font.

The capitalisation is an autocorrect setting. Every time you put in a
hard return, Word assumes you are starting a new sentence. Go to Tools

Autocorrect and deselect the option to capitalise the first letter

of sentences.

Genine

 

[Christopher Glenn]

Well, Genine, the Shift+Ctrl+N fixed *everything.* With just this,
the cell contents wrap instead of extending "under" the next column,
and centering works (these are all whole percents; the client wants
them centered).

Interestingly, the column width suggestion actually did nothing at
all.

Thank-you.