WD98: Merge Cells Before Split Setting Causes Unexpected Results

 Last reviewed: February 16, 1998
Article ID: Q180998
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you split cells with the "Merge cells before split" setting turned on (default setting), Word will merge any information within the selected cells into one cell and that information will be distributed equally within the split cells of only the first row you select.

WORKAROUND

To keep the information in the existing cells while splitting the cells:

  1. Select the cells to split.

  2. On the Table menu, click Split Cells.

  3. Click to clear the "Merge cells before split" check box.

  4. Click OK.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

For example, if you have the following table in a document 

   ------------------------------------------------------------
   |                   |                   |                  |
   | Item 1            | Item 2            | Item 3           |
   |                   |                   |                  |
   ------------------------------------------------------------
   |                   |                   |                  |
   | Item 4            | Item 5            | Item 6           |
   |                   |                   |                  |
   ------------------------------------------------------------
   |                   |                   |                  |
   | Item 7            | Item 8            | Item 9           |
   |                   |                   |                  |
   ------------------------------------------------------------
and the "Merge cells before split" check box is clear, you get the following results when you select rows 1 and 2 and click Split cells on the Table menu: 

   ------------------------------------------------------------
   |         |         |         |         |         |        |
   | Item 1  |         | Item 2  |         | Item 3  |        |
   |         |         |         |         |         |        |
   ------------------------------------------------------------
   |         |         |         |         |         |        |
   | Item 4  |         | Item 5  |         | Item 6  |        |
   |         |         |         |         |         |        |
   ------------------------------------------------------------
   |                   |                   |                  |
   | Item 7            | Item 8            | Item 9           |
   |                   |                   |                  |
   ------------------------------------------------------------
However, if the "Merge cells before split" check box selected, items 1 through 6 are first merged into 1 cell and they are then split into cells, making them all appear in the first row, as in the following example: 

   ------------------------------------------------------------
   |         |         |         |         |         |        |
   | Item 1  | Item 2  | Item 3  | Item 4  | Item 5  | Item 6 |
   |         |         |         |         |         |        |
   ------------------------------------------------------------
   |         |         |         |         |         |        |
   |         |         |         |         |         |        |
   |         |         |         |         |         |        |
   ------------------------------------------------------------
   |                   |                   |                  |
   | Item 7            | Item 8            | Item 9           |
   |                   |                   |                  |
   ------------------------------------------------------------

Additional query words: incorrect wrong error splitting
Keywords : kbtable macword98
Version : MACINTOSH:98
Platform : MACINTOSH
Issue type : kbbug
Solution Type : kbfix

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Last reviewed: February 16, 1998
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