Word for Windows: Paragraph Formatting Within Table Cells

ID: Q80917

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 1.0, 1.1, 1.1a, 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c, 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c

SUMMARY

When you insert a table in a Microsoft Word for Windows document, each cell in the table assumes the paragraph formatting of the paragraph where the insertion point is located when you insert the table. This behavior may produce unexpected results in the display of text in the table. To check the formatting specified for the paragraph containing the insertion point, choose Paragraph from the Format menu.

MORE INFORMATION

A common example of this problem occurs when the paragraph containing the insertion point is formatted with a non-zero left or right indent. If you insert a table at this point, each cell contains indents, and the contents of the cells may align unexpectedly. When you apply an indent to table cells, the indent is measured from the boundary of each cell, not from the document margin.

With the ruler's indent scale active, you can view the ruler to check for paragraph indents before you insert the table. You can also check for indents in individual cells after you insert the table. If more than one cell in the table is selected, the ruler reflects the indents for the top-left cell of the selection, and the triangular indent markers are unavailable, signifying that they do not apply to the whole selection.

For a more precise view of the indents choose Paragraph from the Format menu, and consider the follow conditions:

If the left indent is less than the cell width and the combined indents are greater than the width of the cell, any text in the cell appears in a one-character wide column, positioned at the left indent.
If the left indent is larger than the width of the cell, no text displays, regardless of the value of any other indents.
If the indent values are smaller than the width of the cell (but not zero), the indents are made from the left and/or right cell boundaries (just as normal paragraphs are indented from the left and/or right margins).

Word for Windows Version 2.0

If you use the Format Paragraph command to set left and/or right paragraph indents for an existing table cell and the indents you specify narrow the cell or paragraph to less than approximately .7-inch, you receive the following error message:

   This indent is too large.

If you attempt to set a first-line indent beyond the end of the cell or paragraph (as determined by the right indent), you receive the same error message.

You do not receive any error messages if you use the ruler to set the same paragraph indents.

Word for Windows Versions 1.x

In Word for Windows version 1.x, you can specify any left, right, or first-line paragraph indent value(s) within an existing table cell, regardless of its relationship to the cell width and regardless of whether you set the indents using the ruler or the Format Paragraph command. No error messages appear in reference to conflicts in table cell indentations. In Word version 1.x, the error message "Indentation too large" appears only in reference to settings that conflict with page margin and width settings.

Workaround

You can quickly reset all paragraph indents affecting a table by using the following steps:

1. With the insertion point positioned in the table, select the whole

   table by pressing ALT+Keypad 5 (with NUM LOCK off).

2. From the Format menu, choose Paragraph.

3. Type 0 (zero) in all three Indent boxes, and choose the OK button.

While paragraph indents are probably the most common cause of misalignment in table cells, other paragraph formatting can affect table cells. For more information on table formatting, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   paragraph and line and spacing and table and row and winword

Reference(s):

"Microsoft Word for Windows User's Guide," version 2.0, pages 49, 162-170, 322-324

"Microsoft Word for Windows User's Reference," version 1.x, page 367

KBCategory: kbusage KBSubcategory: kbformat Additional query words: winword2 word6 1.x 2.x 6.0 6.0a 6.0c errmsg

Keywords          : kbformat 
Version           : 1.x 2.x 6.0 6.0a 6.0c
Platform          : WINDOWS

Last Reviewed: February 6, 1998