I have a table where certain cells are background shaded one of two colors. When I cut and paste a cell from one part of the table to another (an empty cell), the words are pasted, but the shaded background is left behind.



Can this be done? This is an ever-changing table; names will frequently be cut and pasted elsewhere.

*Alternate Option: I would expect the formatting to follow the cell in a SORT, but I don't know this. This is a three column table with about 25 lines, with people names in each cell. When I add/drop names, if I use the alphabetical RESORT option, it resorts across rows. I want this to resort by column, that is, the last name in column 1 is followed by the next alphabetical name in the first row of column 2. Is there a way to alphabetically sort in this manner? I tried newspaper columns but then there was lots I could not do (that tables can do).

Hi cglenn,

AFAIK, that's the way Word works - by design (other users might be upset if cutting & pasting data did as you want).

If there's a consistent pattern to the shading (eg alternate rows green or yellow, or a number like 1 or 2 in a cell determines the shading for the cell or row), a simple macro could be used to go through the table after the updating has been done and re-apply the correct shading.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Thanks Paul. While there is no pattern (it's a list of Farmville neighbors with some shaded green as good neighbors, others pink as bad neighbors and no shading for a few others), I could add a number 1 or 2 to the shaded cells. Having next to no experience with macros, it might take a little time for me to try and figure it out. If I have questions, I'll post in the appropriate macro area.