Microsoft FrontPage 2003

Tables: Adjusting Basic Table Elements

Once you have created basic table elements, it is likely that you will want to adjust them. This document explains the difference between table and cell properties and then shows how to adjust a few basic table elements.

Comparing Table & Cell Properties
Adding Rows and Columns
Deleting Rows and Columns
Using the Mouse to Adjust Table Elements
Adjusting Row Height
Adjusting Column Width
Merging Cells
Splitting Cells
Adjusting Cell Spacing and Padding

Comparing Table and Cell Properties

When you adjust tables, you can adjust some properties that affect the entire table and other properties that affect only the cell you are working with. For example, if you want to align the entire table to the center of the page, you would adjust the alignment property of the entire table. If you wanted to align the text in a cell to the center of that cell, you would adjust the alignment property of that individual cell.

Because table properties and cell properties are often called the same thing, it is important to pay attention to which property you want to adjust. The following table summarizes some of the key differences:

Term	Table Property	Cell Property
Alignment	Aligns the entire table to the right, center, or left of the page	Aligns the text in a cell to the right, center, or left of the cell
Height	Adjusts the height of the entire table	Adjusts the height of the specified cell
Width	Adjusts the width of the entire table	Adjust the width of the specified cell

Adding Rows and Columns

You may add a row or column to a table you have already created.

Place the insertion point in a cell adjacent to the row/column to be inserted
From the Table menu, select Insert » Rows or Columns...
The Insert Rows or Columns dialog box appears.
Complete the Insert Rows or Columns dialog box as appropriate
Click OK
The rows or columns are inserted.

Deleting Rows and Columns

When you delete a row or column, all cells (and their contents) in the group are deleted.

Place the insertion point in the row or column to be deleted
From the Table menu, select Select » Row or Column
The Row or Column is selected.
From the Table menu, select Delete Rows or Columns, respectively
OR
Right click » select Delete Cells Rows or Columns, respectively
OR
Press [Delete]

Using the Mouse to Adjust Table Elements

WARNING: If you use the mouse to adjust row height or column width, FrontPage assigns a fixed pixel height/width to the cells, which can ultimately affect the table height and width.

If table width becomes fixed at greater than 600 pixels, it may cause the following:

Table content may be cut off when printing.
Fixed column width for one or more columns may force awkward spacing that is not intended in other columns.

Fixed row height may cause awkward or uneven spacing between rows. It is better to set and maintain a relative height and width by adjusting rows and columns using the Properties dialog box.

Adjusting Row Height

You can adjust row height either by clicking and dragging the border or by typing a value in the Cell Properties dialog box. Typing the row height into the dialog box is recommended to ensure uniform formatting across browsers.

Point to the left of the row you wish to adjust
Your pointer turns into a black arrow.
Click to select the row
From the Table menu, select Table Properties » Cell
OR
Right click the cell » select Cell Properties...
The Cell Properties dialog box appears.
In the Layout area of the dialog box, select Specify height
In the Specify height text box, type the desired height
HINT: Height can be expressed as a percent of table height or as a fixed numbers of pixels.
Click OK

Adjusting Column Width

You can adjust column width either by clicking and dragging or by typing a value in the Cell Properties dialog box. Typing the column width into the dialog box is recommended to ensure uniform formatting in other browsers.

Select the column you want to adjust
From the Table menu, select Table Properties » Cell
OR
Right click the cell » select Cell Properties...
The Cell Properties dialog box appears.
In the Layout area of the dialog box, select Specify width
In the Specify width text box, type the desired width
HINT: Width can be expressed as a of percentage table width or as a fixed number of pixels.
Click OK

Merging Cells

Select the cells to be combined
NOTE: To learn how to select cells, refer to Selecting Tables or Table Parts.
From the Table menu, select Merge Cells
OR
Right click the selected cells » select Merge Cells

Splitting Cells

Select the cell(s) to be split
NOTE: To learn how to select cells, refer to Selecting Tables or Table Parts.
From the Table menu, select Split Cells...
OR
Right click the selected cells » select Split Cells...
The Split Cells dialog box appears.
Complete the dialog box as appropriate
Click OK

Adjusting Cell Spacing and Padding

Cell spacing is the space between adjacent cells. Cell padding is the amount of blank space surrounding text or images in a cell. Adjusting either of these options affects the entire table.

The following graphics are examples of tables that use cell spacing and cell padding:

Table with
Cell Spacing
of 10

Cell 1	Cell 2
Cell 3	Cell 4

Table with
Cell Padding
of 10

Cell 1	Cell 2
Cell 3	Cell 4

Adjusting Cell Spacing

Place the insertion point in the table
From the Table menu, select Table Properties » Table
OR
Right click the cell » select Table Properties...
The Table Properties dialog box appears.
Within the Layout area, in the Cell spacing text box, type the desired spacing
Click OK

Adjusting Cell Padding

Place the insertion point in the table
From the Table menu, select Table Properties » Table
OR
Right click the cell » select Table Properties...
The Table Properties dialog box appears.
Within the Layout area, in the Cell padding text box, type the desired padding
Click OK