Adobe InDesign - Manual (Page 500)

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 a cell, choose Table > Insert Table, specify the number of rows and columns, and then click OK.
2. Adjust the cell inset as necessary. (See Format text within a table.)
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.
Importing tables from other applications
When you use the Place command to import a Microsoft Word document that includes tables, or a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, imported data is
an editable table. You can use the Import Options dialog box to control the formatting.
You can also paste data from an Excel spreadsheet or a Word table into an InDesign or InCopy document. The Clipboard Handling preference
settings determine how text pasted from another application is formatted. If Text Only is selected, the information appears as unformatted tabbed
text, which you can then convert to a table. If All Information is selected, the pasted text appears in a formatted table.
If you’re pasting text from another application into an existing table, insert enough rows and columns to accommodate the pasted text, select the
Text Only option in Clipboard Handling preferences, and make sure that at least one cell is selected (unless you want to embed the pasted table
into a cell).
If you want more control over formatting the imported table, or if you want to maintain spreadsheet formatting, use the Place command to import
the table. If you want to maintain a link to the spreadsheet, select the Create Links When Placing Text And Spreadsheet Files option in File
Handling preference settings.
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