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Editing Table Properties

After a table is inserted into a content file (e.g., topic, snippet), you can easily change the properties of that table. This includes changing the number of columns and cells, the style associated with the table, alignment, borders, and more.

Closedhow to edit table properties
  1. Open the content file (e.g., topic, snippet).
  2. Right-click inside the table and select Table Properties.
  3. Select the General tab and modify the options as necessary.
    Closedtable size
    • Number of columns Enter the number of columns for the table.
    • Number of rows Enter the number of rows for the table.
    • Number of header rows Enter the number of header rows for the table. A header row can be used to hold titles for the different columns in the table.
    • Number of footer rows Enter the number of footer rows for the table. A footer row can be used to hold footnote information about the table.
    Closedtable caption
    • Text Enter a caption (or title) for the table. This caption can be placed above the table or below it.

    • Side Click in this field and select to place the caption either above or below the table.

    • Repeat If you want captions to repeat on tables that span multiple pages in print-based output, select Repeat from this field.

    • Continuation In this field, you can enter continuation text to the end of captions that repeat (other than the caption appearing on the first page where a table occurs). Typically this text would be something like "(continued)."

    Closedsummary

    You can enter a summary for a table. This adds the "summary" attribute to the <table> tag and is used to help make your output more accessible to individuals with disabilities.

    Closedautofit behavior
    • AutoFit to contents Automatically sets the column widths to the same width as the table content.
    • AutoFit to window Automatically sets the table width to the same width as the output window.
    • Fixed column width Sets the column widths to the width that you specify. Select the down arrow next to this field and set the width in the popup.
    Closedalign

    Aligns the entire table either to the left, right, or center of the topic.

    Closedtable style

    You can select to use either a special table stylesheet or the table style from a regular stylesheet. Whichever one you choose will control the look of the table that you insert.

    • Table Style Select this option if you want to use a table stylesheet to control the look of the table. You can then select an existing table stylesheet from the drop-down list.

    •  If you do not yet have a table stylesheet that you want to use, click the face of this button to open the Select Table Style Template dialog. This lets you create new table stylesheet. If you click the down arrow next to the button, you can select Print Style. This opens the Select Table Style dialog, which you can use to specify another table style to be used specifically for printed output. However, it is recommended that you use a medium instead of the "Print Style" option.

    • Style Class Select this option if you want to use a regular stylesheet to control the look of the table. You can then select the main table style from the drop-down, or you can select any class that you have added under that style. You can create classes for the table style in the Stylesheet Editor; those classes will then become available in this drop-down field.

    Closedtext to table

    These options are enabled if you have selected text before opening the dialog to insert the table. This lets you create the table and quickly place all of the selected text into table cells.

    • None Select this option if you want to create a table but not include any of the selected text. In other words, that text is removed and replaced with the new table.
    • Paragraphs Select this option if you have selected multiple paragraphs and want to convert them into a table. Each paragraph will be placed in a separate table cell.
    • Commas Select this option if you have selected text separated by commas and want to convert it into a table. Each segment of text between a comma will be placed in a separate table cell.
    • Tabs Select this option if you have selected text separated by tabs and want to convert it into a table. Each segment of text between a tab separator will be placed in a separate table cell.
    • Other Select this option if you have selected text separated by a specific text string (e.g., semicolons) and want to convert it into a table. After selecting this option, enter that text string in the field to the right. Each segment of text between the text string that you specify will be placed in a separate table cell.
  4. Select the Borders tab and modify the options as necessary.
    • Outer Borders Click in any of the individual fields (Left, Right, Top, Bottom) to specify the settings for the table border. If you click the down arrow to the right of all the fields, the settings will be applied to all of the border fields. When you click the down arrow or in one of the individual fields, a small popup displays. Use the lower-left area of the popup to enter a number for the thickness of the border. Use the lower-middle area to select a unit of measurement (e.g., point, pixel, centimeter) for the number you entered. See About Units of Measurement. Use the upper-right area to select a color for the border. And use the lower-right area to select a line type (e.g., solid, double, dashed) for the border. When you are finished, click OK in the small popup.
    • Border Radius These fields let you create rounded corners on the table. Click in any of the individual fields (Top-Left, Top-Right, Bottom-Right, Bottom-Left) to specify the settings for a particular corner of the table. If you click the down arrow to the right of all the fields, the settings will be applied to all of the fields. When you click that down arrow or in one of the individual fields, a small popup displays. This popup has two halves. You can complete only the left side of the popup if you like. This will create a curve that is equal horizontally and vertically. If you want a border to have more of a curve either horizontally or vertically, you can complete the fields in the right half of the popup as well, so that you have two values (e.g., 10px 15px) instead of one. For more information on using two sets of border radius properties, see css3.info/preview/rounded-border/. Use the lower-left area of the popup to enter a number for the amount of curve. The greater the number, the more curve that is applied.Use the area to the right of the number field to select a unit of measurement (e.g., point, pixel, centimeter). See About Units of Measurement. If you want to provide a second value for the rounded border, complete the same fields on the right half of the popup. When you are finished, click OK in the small popup.
    • Cell Border Collapse Select whether you want to collapse the cell borders in the table. If you collapse the cell borders, the row and cell borders of a table are joined in a single border. If you do not collapse the cell borders, the row and cell borders of a table are detached. If you use the border radius properties to create rounded borders, this must be set to "Do not collapse cell borders."
    • Cell Border Spacing Use this area to increase or decrease the amount of spacing for a cell border (in pixels).
    • Hide bottom ruling when table crosses a page break Set this field to True if you want to hide the bottom border when the table continues on another page. See Hiding the Bottom Border on Tables when Crossing Page Breaks.
    • Overflow This determines what happens if content overflows the table.
      • Visible The overflow is not clipped. It renders outside the table. This is default.
      • Hidden The overflow is clipped, and the rest of the content will be invisible. If you are using border-radius properties on the table, you must select this option for the rounded corners to be seen properly.
      • Scroll The overflow is clipped, but a scroll-bar is added to see the rest of the content.
      • Auto If overflow is clipped, a scroll-bar should be added to see the rest of the content.
      • Inherit The value of the overflow property is inherited from the parent element.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Click to save your work.