Creating Tables

You can insert a table into topics, and then use the element toolbar to add or remove columns and rows.

You can include a table within a figure element and use the figure number as the table number. The app uses a single number sequence for figures with tables and figures with images. When working with a table, you can use the icons in the element toolbar to add rows and columns, justify cells, and add a title and footer. When the cursor is in a table, the context menu includes commands allowed for that location.

  1. Insert the cursor where you want to place the table.
  2. To create a table without a title (which includes a number and description,) do one of the following:
    • Click Insert and select Table to automatically add a two-column table.
    • Click Insert and select Table, then Table with # Columns, where # is the number of columns.
    • Click Insert and select Table, then Numbered Table, to create a numbered table.

      The numbered table includes 3 columns, a title, and a description. You can add or remove columns later if required.

    The in a command is the number of columns to create in the table.

  3. If you want to link to the table or use it as a content reference, select the entire table and click in the toolbar, enter an ID, and press Enter.

    The ID must start with an alphabetical character, underscore, or colon. It can contain alphanumeric characters and the only special characters allowed are underscores, colons, periods, and hyphens. If you enter an unsupported character, the Edit Element ID dialog box displays a warning and you cannot save the ID.

    The ID shows in searches when you want to create a hyperlink or content reference, so use an ID that clearly identifies the table.

  4. To enter content in a cell, insert your cursor at the paragraph symbol and enter the content. You can also use the Insert menu to add elements within table cells.

    The tab and arrow keys work in the table much the same way as in other word authoring apps:

    Key Action
    Tab Moves to the next cell, selecting any existing content. If the cursor is in the last cell of a row, moves to the first cell of the next row. If the cursor is in the last cell of the last row, inserts a new row at the bottom of the table.
    Shift + Tab Moves to the previous cell, selecting any existing content. If the cursor is in the first cell of a row, moves to the last cell of the prior row. If the cursor is in the first cell of the header row, the cursor remains where it is.
    Right Arrow Moves the cursor to the next character, image, or other element in the same cell. If the cursor is at the end of the content in that cell, moves to the beginning of the content in the next cell. If the cursor is at the end of the content in the last cell, moves to the next element after the table.

    If the cell is selected, moves to the next cell.
    Left Arrow Moves the cursor to the previous character, image, or other element in the same cell. If the cursor is at the beginning of the content in that cell, moves to the end of the content in the previous cell. If the cursor is at the beginning of the content in the first cell, moves to the element before the table.

    If the cell is selected, moves to the previous cell.
    Up Arrow Moves the cursor to the end of the content in the cell above the current cell. If the current cell is in the first row, moves the cursor to the element before the table.
    Down Arrow Moves the cursor to the end of the content in the cell below the current cell. If the current cell is in the last row, moves the cursor to the next element after the table.

  5. Use the table tools to design the table. You can use the topic toolbar or the context menu. The actions available depend on the location of your cursor. You can only perform some actions using the topic toolbar, and some only using the context menu.

    The in a command is the number of rows or columns selected when you start an action.

    Note: You cannot define the width of the table. When published, the table uses the full width of the page, regardless of the number or content of the columns.
    Action How To
    Add or delete the table title In the topic toolbar, click Title. This action deletes the title if it exists, or adds a title if the table does not already have one.
    Adjust column width Slide the column separators as required.

    You cannot manually adjust row height: the app determines the row height based on the content of the cells in the row.
    Distribute the column width equally
    1. Select the required adjacent columns. You can select any number of adjacent columns; you do not have to select all the columns in the table.
    2. Right-click and select Distribute Columns.
    Add rows or columns Use the icons in the element toolbar or the context menu for a cell.

    Action Description
    Insert # Column(s) Left Inserts the number of columns to the leftmost of the selected cells.
    Insert # Column(s) Right Inserts the number of columns to the rightmost of the selected cells.
    Insert # Rows Above Above Inserts the number of rows above the selected cells.
    Insert # Rows Below Inserts the number of rows below the selected cells.

    Delete rows or columns You cannot delete all the rows or columns in a table.
    1. Select the cells in the row or column to delete.
    2. Right-click and select the required option:
      Context Menu Description
      Delete # Column Deletes the selected columns.
      Delete # Rows Deletes the selected rows.
    Merge two or more cells
    1. Select the required cells in adjacent columns or rows.
    2. Right-click and select Merge Cells.
    Split a merged cell into separate cells
    1. Select the cell.
    2. Right-click and select Split Cell.
    Justify the text in a cell Select any number of cells and click the required icon in the topic toolbar:

    Icon Description
    Left-align the cell.
    Center-align the cell.
    Right-align the cell.
    Reset the justification to the default (left-justified).

    Set the vertical alignment for a cell Select any number of cells. The element toolbar shows the current alignment ( if you have not defined any specific alignment.) You can select any of these alignments:
    • Top
    • Middle
    • Bottom
    Add a footer In the element toolbar, click Footer. The app adds a box beneath the table where you can enter footer text.
    Move rows To convert the top body row to a header row:
    1. Select the top body row.
    2. Right-click and select Move Row to Header.
    To convert the last header row to a body row:
    1. Select the top body row.
    2. Right-click and select Move Row to Body.