InDesign

TOPIC APPEARS IN:

Create tables

You can create tables from scratch or by converting them from existing text. You can also embed a table within a table.

For a video on creating and formatting tables, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0081.

Create a table from scratch

The table you create fills the width of the text frame.

  1. Using the Type tool , place the insertion point where you want the table to appear.
  2. Choose Table > Insert Table.
  3. Specify the numbers of rows and columns.
  4. If your table contents will continue on more than one column or frame, specify the number of header or footer rows in which you want the information to be repeated.
  5. (Optional) Specify a table style.
  6. Click OK.

The row height of a table is determined by the specified table style. For example, a table style may use cell styles to format different parts of the table. If any of these cell styles include paragraph styles, the leading value of the paragraph styles determines the row height of that area. If no paragraph style is used, the document’s default slug determines the row height. (The slug is based on the leading value. In this context, a slug is the approximate height of the highlighting in selected text.)

Create a table from existing text

Before you convert text to a table, make sure that you set up the text properly.

  1. To prepare the text for conversion, insert tabs, commas, paragraph returns, or another character to separate columns. Insert tabs, commas, paragraph returns, or another character to separate rows. (In many instances, text can be converted to a table without having to be edited.)
  2. Using the Type tool , select the text you want to convert to a table.
  3. Choose Table > Convert Text To Table.
  4. For both Column Separator and Row Separator, indicate where new rows and columns should begin. Choose Tab, Comma, or Paragraph, or type the character, such as a semicolon (;), in the Column Separator and Row Separator field. (Any character you type appears in the menu the next time you create a table from text.)
  5. If you specify the same separator for columns and rows, indicate the number of columns you want the table to include.
  6. (Optional) Specify a table style to format the table.
  7. Click OK.

If any row has fewer items than the number of columns in a table, empty cells fill out the row.

Embed a table within a table

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Select the cells or table you want to embed, and then choose Edit > Cut or Copy. Place the insertion point in the cell where you want the table to appear, and then choose Edit > Paste.

    • Click inside the table, choose Table > Insert Table, specify the number of rows and columns, and then click OK.

  2. Adjust the cell inset as necessary. (See Change cell inset spacing.)

If you create a table within a cell, you cannot use the mouse to select any part of the table that oversets the cell boundary. Instead, expand the row or column; or place the insertion point in the first part of the table, and use keyboard shortcuts to move the insertion point and select text.