I have scoured the Word 2003 "Help" pages and online but cannot find anything that tells me how set a default of ‘No Borders’ for a table.
I use these a lot and it is a total pain having to go Table – Insert, then Format – Borders and Shading. Surely there is a way of setting the Borders – None as a default?
Help! Thank you very much in anticipation.

Hello, Ink Monitor. I'm not sure that this is an option in 2003, and I no longer have 2003 at my disposal. However, you can certainly change your table-insertion routine to replace your borders with none. I can think of two ways, each of which requires recording (not writing from code) a simple macro. If you have never done this, relax; it's a breeze.

The first way is to insert your table the normal way, specifying the number of rows and columns in the pop-up dialogue. This leaves your cursor in the first cell of the table. Now you're going to start recording your macro. You might need to look this up, but if memory serves, you want Tools/Macros/Record a macro. In the macro dialogue, give your macro a name with no spaces, such as NoBorder, then click on Keyboard and create a keyboard shortcut. To the left of the box in which your keyboard combination will appear when you press it, Word will tell you if that combination of keys is already assigned. For instance, if you press Ctrl+B (holding down Ctrl and pressing B; you don't touch the plus key), Word will tell you that this is allready assigned to making selected text Bold. However, if you choose, say, Ctrl+Shift+/, it would say "Unassigned." You can then click on the Assign button below.

Now your cursor will look like a cassette tape (remember those?), and you go through the series of steps you will want to happen when you press your shortcut. In this case, you'll use (I think) Tables/Select/Table; then, press Alt+O,B (hold down Alt and press O then B) to open the Borders dialogue, and select None, and click on Okay to close the dialogue. Then go to (I think) Tools/Macros/Stop recording macro.

Now, in your document, you can insert a table and then press your key combination and and presto! no borders. two steps, not one, but nomore fussing with the dialogue

The second way, would be to start recording your macro before you insert the table, so that the entire table insertion and border removal are accomplished at once. However, this would not allow you to determine the number of rows and columns each time; it would be whatever you set when recording the macro.

There is a way to make a macro stop at a certain point and then resume, but that's just outside my knowledge level. If you're lucky, someone like Paul Edstein, alias Macropod, will see this and provide another of his elegant, expert solutions.

Best,
Ulo

I'm talking from memory too, so I might be mistaken, but if you
Table > Insert > Table

You can check a box to set as Default. I think if you then click the Autoformat button in this dialog box, you can change the table style to Normal and it won't have borders.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kimberly I'm talking from memory too, so I might be mistaken, but if you

Thank you Ulo for your info. (PHEW! ), so I tried Kimberly's idea first and..........................................IT WORKED!!!!!!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! KIMBERLY, YOU'RE AN (Can I say that?)

JS

Good call, Kimberly. With my brain full of Quick Parts, I had forgotten about that in 2003. Thanks!

Ulo