Insert a row or column by dragging, Delete rows, columns, or tables, Change the alignment of a table within a frame – Adobe InDesign CS5 User Manual
Page 302: Navigate within a table
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USING INDESIGN
Tables
Last updated 11/16/2011
Insert a row or column by dragging
When adding columns, if you drag more than one and one-half times the width of the column being dragged, new
columns are added that have the same width as the original column. If you drag to insert only one column, that column
can have a narrower or wider width than the column from where you dragged. The same behavior is true of rows,
unless the Row Height for the row being dragged is set to At Least. In this case, if you drag to create only one row,
InDesign will resize the new row, if necessary, so that it’s tall enough to contain text.
1 Position the Type tool
over the border of a column or row so that a double-arrow icon (
or
) appears.
2 Hold down the mouse button, and then hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac
OS) while dragging down to
create a new row, or to the right to create a new column. (If you press Alt or Option before holding down the mouse
button, the Hand tool appears—so make sure you begin dragging before you press Alt or Option.)
Note: Dragging to insert rows or columns doesn’t work at the top or left edges of a table. These fields are used to select
rows or columns.
Delete rows, columns, or tables
•
To delete a row, column, or table, place the insertion point inside the table, or select text in the table, and then
choose Table
> Delete > Row, Column, or Table.
•
To delete rows and columns by using the Table Options dialog box, choose Table
> Table Options > Table Setup.
Specify a different number of rows and columns, and then click
OK. Rows are deleted from the bottom of the table;
columns are deleted from the right side of the table.
•
To delete a row or column by using the mouse, position the pointer over the border of the bottom or right side of
the table so that a double-arrow icon (
or
) appears; hold down the mouse button; and then hold down Alt
(Windows) or Option (Mac
OS) while dragging either up to delete rows, or to the left to delete columns.
Note: If you press Alt or Option before holding down the mouse button, the Hand tool will appear—so press Alt or Option
after you begin dragging.
•
To delete cell contents without deleting cells, select the cells containing the text you want to delete, or use the Type
tool
to select the text within the cells. Press Backspace or Delete, or choose Edit > Clear.
Change the alignment of a table within a frame
A table assumes the width of the paragraph or table cell in which it is created. However, you can change the size of the
text frame or table so that the table is wider or narrower than the frame. In such a case, you can decide where you want
the table to be aligned within the frame.
1 Place the insertion point to the right or left of the table. Make sure that the text insertion point is placed on the table
paragraph and not inside the table. The insertion point becomes as tall as the table in the frame.
2 Click an alignment button (such as Align Center) in the Paragraph panel or Control panel.
More Help topics
Resize columns, rows, and tables
Navigate within a table
Use the Tab or arrow keys to move within a table. You can also jump to a specific row, especially useful in long tables.