Tables won't break across pages.

[Jim Wood]

I've got a series of Word documents that are composed largely of tables...
this for annotation in what becomes a wide margin. Under Word in Office 2000
I never had a problem, except that Widow/Orphan control didn't seem to work
in tables. No big deal, this could be managed manually.

But now, using Word for Office 2003/XP, I cannot get a table to break across
page transitions. Only 'complete' table cells can be accommodated on a page,
otherwise contiguous cells break apart and slip to the next page, leaving a
big white space on the previous one.

Am I missing something? I'm almost ready to reinstall Office 2000!

 

[Hélène]

Table Properties, Row tab, check "Allow row to break across pages" box.

 

[Jim Wood]

Thanks, Hélène,

But that box is already checked... defaults that way, I think. I even tried
unchecking the box and the rechecking it again... no dice. I have to split
the table manually to fit as many cells on one page as I can, then live with
the white space on the previous page. Something here is different than with
Office 2000.

-Jim

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Make sure the text in the relevant cells is not formatted as "Keep with
next."

 

[Jim Wood]

Thanks, Suzanne,

But I thought of that, too. This one really has me baffled. (I think) I've
tried everything!

Jim

 

[John Batterham]

Jim,

Did you create these documents in Word 2000 or Word 2003, or doesn't it
matter on your computer?

Have you looked at whether you have chosen apply formatting to the whole
table within the Modify Style of the particular style you are using for this
table, rather than some of the other single row or cell options?

 

[yamie]

I am having a similar problem. How do I verify that the text is not formatted
as "keep with next?"

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Click in each paragraph in the affected cells (one at a time) and go to
Format | Paragraph. On the Line and Page Breaks tab, make sure "Keep with
next" is not checked.

 

[Jim Wood]

Boy,

Do I ever feel the dummy. I was using tables to create a running 2-column
page, with text entered in the right column, and only brief
headings/annotations in the left. Well, well, lo and behold, it was cells in
the left column that were marked 'keep with next.' I must have done that
once for some reason, then when I copied and pasted parts of the table
(including lots of empty cells for later writing) the formatting 'multiplied.'

I will sit in the corner for a while.

--Jim

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Isn't this always the way? As soon as you swear up and down that you haven't
done something, or that you've tested for A, B, and C, they come back to
bite you!

 

[Linda Wilson]

I have tried everyone's suggestions about making sure the cells/ rows are not
linked with next, and the box is checked in the tables tab, but my row still
won't split. Any other suggestions? My table is only on column wide. I
have also selected the whole document to turn off the check box. Help?

 

[Linda Wilson]

I appear to have solved my own problem and thought I'd share with others if
they get stuck. I removed the check box for Specified row height and that
appeared to do the trick. I don't know if it will work every time, but will
give it a go.

 

[Stella]

I've had the same problem and none of the things mentioned in these postings
applied to my setup. More suggestions please!

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Make sure that the table wrapping is set to None (Table tab of Table
Properties).

 

[Amy McGuire]

I've followed all the suggestions in this thread, and I'm still having
problems with my document. I cannot break the rows of my table over pages.
Any other suggestions?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

You might find some help in the articles at
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/KeepTableOn1Page.htm and
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/ControlPgBrksInTables.htm

 

[tnmenon]

I tried all the suggestions, still my table rows don't break across pages.
It does, when I remove the page footer (text). Can any one help, please?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If you like, send me the problem document (with a problem description), and
I'll take a look.

 

[cbemoras]

This may sound crazy, but I had a similar problem one time and I decided to
try to see if it had something to do with the header. I had an object placed
in the header and changed the layout from square to in line with text and for
some reason the table in the document was now working. Just the other day I
had a problem with a table and had to change the header object from in line
with text to square to get it to work. Makes no sense, but it worked.