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Microsoft Word 2007 looks different from previous versions. Because of the new appearance, many users comfortable with older versions feel lost upon venturing into the new program. This article shows you how to accomplish some common operations with tables in Word 2007.
In earlier versions you could insert a table into a document by clicking Table|Insert|Table. You could then click the Table menu for more options that let you bend and twist the properties of your table at will.
For Office 2007, Microsoft didn't want to clutter up the new Ribbon with all the possible commands Word has to offer. As a result, many option menus now appear when you select or are close to an object in your Word document. In other words, to find the table options you want, click within the table. Similarly, graphic options are displayed once you select a graphic. The ribbon changes its offerings depending on what you're doing.
So you won't find a Table menu in Word 2007. But when you click on the Insert tab of the ribbon, you see that one of the choices for insertion is a table. Click the table icon, then either click and drag your table out or use one of the other menu options to refine the table parameters.
Once you insert the table into your document and your cursor is within the bounds of the table, the ribbon changes to offer up all the table options. Note in the image below that the ribbon now has a new main Table Tools virtual tab, with both Design and Layout sub-tabs. Within these two tabs are all the table options. But you must have a table selected, or click your cursor within a table to have the additional tabs displayed.
Some features remain the same. Tables still have the Selection Handle, a cross-arrow marker that appears in the upper left corner of a table when you hold your cursor over that area. Click it to quickly select and move your entire table.
The Reshaping Handle also remains in the new version, though few people know what it is or how useful it can be! When you hold your cursor over the table, notice the tiny square in the lower right corner. You can grab that handle and drag it to reshape your table as needed…both horizontally and vertically.
These two handles are handy for placing two tables side-by-side. First insert one table and reshape it so it is less than the width of your page. Select it and press Ctrl + C to copy the table to the clipboard. Click somewhere away from the first table and use Ctrl + V to paste your copy on to the page. Using the Selection Handle, move the second table up into place beside the first table.
Another everyday Word table task is finding the total of a column. The sum is easily determined once you insert a Formula that totals the desired numbers. Word offers formulas for several common functions. To find them, place your cursor in the desired cell. In versions other than 2007, you would click Table|Formula.
In 2007, once you place your cursor in the desired total cell, click the Layout tab on the newly displayed Table Tools tab of the ribbon. At the end of that ribbon is the Formula icon. Click it.
In all versions, a formula dialog box will display. The default formula is to total or "Sum" the above numbers, but you can click the Paste Function drop down to find other common formulas, such as average, count, minimum, and maximum.
Another "hidden" command in Word 2007 is the Borders and Shading dialog box. If you click within a table, there are a few choices for drawing borders on the displayed Table|Tools|Design tab. A Border drop down icon offers several common border options. But where did they hide the Borders and Shading dialog box?
There are several ways to find the Borders and Shading dialog box in Word 2007. When you click the Borders drop down, the Borders and Shading option is located at the bottom of that menu. In the above image, the cursor is hovering over a tiny square with an arrow. That is the Launcher. Anytime you click a Launcher, the master dialog box for that Group of icons will appear, among them in this case, the familiar Borders and Shading dialog box.
There is a trick to remember in any version of Word. If you select an item and right click, a mini menu is displayed. The right click menus display common tasks for a given object and more times than not, it offers your desired command. Notice in the image below, while the cursor is within a table cell, I can access many common commands for both tables and text.
Finally, if you find yourself constantly hunting for that Borders and Shading dialog box (or any other command you use often), right click the command. In most cases, at the top of the list there is an option to Add to Quick Access Toolbar (the QAT…most often pronounced "cat"). The command icon is then added to the top of the document.
Don't let the new 2007 user interface intimidate you. Anything you need to do is still there…and more. It can be a bit tricky finding where Microsoft stuffed your favorite commands, but if you really get lost, open the Help menu and type 2003 COMMANDS in the search box.
There is an interactive tool that allows you to click the old command and find its location in Word 2007. See my free video, linked at the bottom of this article, for more details about using this 2007 interactive guide.
And if all else fails, before you pull your hair out, feel free to jump into my Office 2007 user group and beg for help. You'll find it here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MSO_2007/
If you have ongoing trouble finding commands in Office 2007, I suggest you check out this free video lesson: Tips for Learning Office 2007
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=738
Additionally, Word's AutoText seems to cause a lot of confusion in 2007 due to the revamp of that feature. If you're struggling with it be sure to check out this article: AutoText…Word 2003 vs. 2007
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=836 .
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