Adobe InDesign CS5 - Manual (Page 297)

291 USING INDESIGN
Tables
Last updated 11/16/2011
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 ” on page 301.)
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.