Table column widths

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Biddy - 19 Aug 2007 23:22 GMT

I have a large table (multipage) with 6 columns. I created it by joining up
other (same column) tables. When I added some header bits from somewhere
else, my coulumn widths started changing - seemingly with minds of their own
[sigh, what's new?] - so that there's, say, 3 pages of this and that width
columns, then two pages of other widths. I keep trying highlighting the
vertical lines and dragging, and sometimes this works, but sometimes _other_
columns also change width. This is almost impossible to explain; I hope
someone out there has had a similar experience so they'll know what I'm on
about...!

Thanks

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Doug Robbins - Word MVP - 20 Aug 2007 01:15 GMT

Select the whole table and then use the Table>Properties dialog to set the
column widths to the desired values.

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Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

>I have a large table (multipage) with 6 columns. I created it by joining up
> other (same column) tables. When I added some header bits from somewhere
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Thanks

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Biddy - 24 Aug 2007 16:56 GMT

Hi Doug
Thanks for this and sorry for the late reply (I've been on another job.) I
resurrected an old copy of this table and tried this, but it didn't want to
obey me! But it is definitely something I should have tried, and will
remember this for next time. (There WILL be a 'next time'!)

Meantime a friend said "have you got any Track Changes on?" - and I
discovered that I had, and after I killed that things seemed much better. But
still your way would have been more efficient after that, if it had worked.

Again thanks for responding.

> Select the whole table and then use the Table>Properties dialog to set the
> column widths to the desired values.
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> >
> > Thanks

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pjlksa - 23 Aug 2007 05:26 GMT

I have come across this before at least twice and I have come to the
conclusion that if your table columns are taken or were originally formatted
in a variety of Word versions or with Windows ME then they are incompatible.
You either accept them as being a little bit crooked or redo the whole table.
Unfortunately cutting and pasting does not work, you have to retype
everything. ME has been the biggest culprit in my experience.

Good Luck

> I have a large table (multipage) with 6 columns. I created it by joining up
> other (same column) tables. When I added some header bits from somewhere
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Thanks

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Stefan Blom - 24 Aug 2007 12:14 GMT

If what Doug suggested doesn't work you could try converting the table to
text and then convert it back to a table.

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Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

>I have come across this before at least twice and I have come to the
> conclusion that if your table columns are taken or were originally
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
>>
>> Thanks

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Biddy - 24 Aug 2007 17:04 GMT

Hi Stefan

Thanks for the response and sorry for my rather late reply. A friend also
suggested this (T2T and back again) but I didn't try because I was unsure
about what the delimiters would be on the way back. But mainly I didn't try
because this same friend also asked whether I had Track Changes on - and I
did, though I hadn't known that (not showing on screen). When I turned that
off, Word started to do what I was asking! But how long will it last ...?!

> If what Doug suggested doesn't work you could try converting the table to
> text and then convert it back to a table.
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
> >>
> >> Thanks

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Stefan Blom - 28 Aug 2007 11:49 GMT

I was not aware of this issue. Thank you for the feedback. :-)

Note that older versions of Word have "TRK" activated (in black text) on the
status bar when Track Changes is enabled. If you are using Word 2007, you
can right-click the status bar and choose to display the Track Changes
status.

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Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

> Hi Stefan
>
[quoted text clipped - 45 lines]
>> >>
>> >> Thanks

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Biddy - 24 Aug 2007 17:00 GMT

Hello pjlksa

Thanks for this. You might be interested to know that turning off Track
Changes (which I didn't know was on) seemed to help. I've got the columns the
way I want now - but will that last ...???!

> I have come across this before at least twice and I have come to the
> conclusion that if your table columns are taken or were originally formatted
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> >
> > Thanks

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