I want to insert a new paragraph after a table. I can't just place the cursor after the last table row and press Enter because that just adds a new row to the table. And if I place the cursor in the para following the table and press Enter, all the hyperlinks can get messed up.

Isn't there an easier way to insert a new para after a table?



And and all help is appreciated.

Sorry. I don't understand "all the hyperlinks get messed up." What hyperlinks? Where are they in your document?

I'm a technical writer so I link related topics.

For example, I have a hyperlink in Section 1.1.3 that points to Section 4.2.2. And I have a table in Section 4.2.1 that I want to insert a new para after.

If I'm not mistaken, the only way to do it is to place the cursor in the 4.2.2 heading and press Enter. This causes 4.2.2 (and all subsequent sections) to become 4.2.3 and so on. Then I change the heading style of the newly opened to section to normal, which reverts 4.2.3 back into 4.2.2.

I'm afraid this will mess up the hyperlinks, which can be quite numerous.

Isn't there a way to add the para after the table without affecting subsequent sections?

Sorry for being so slow.
I am assuming that by "Section" you are not talking about a Word section but an identifiable part of your document with a Heading.

By hyperlink do you mean a link inserted by using Insert Cross-Reference? Or are you inserting an actual hyperlink?

Every Table has a paragraph after it. What happens when you put the insertion point there and either press Enter or start typing?

No need to apologize. Yes, a section begins with a heading and includes para tags. (I work using a set of styles with almost no local formatting.)

I know that when you first insert a table, a following para is also included. But many times I delete the empty para only to decide in later revisions that I need to insert new content. So I need to insert a new para directly after an existing table.

I'll chime in here, since I work in corporate proposals with what seems like a similar heading ("section") structure.

In my experience, creating the new paragraph as a new heading and then restyling it to, for instance, body text, will indeed revert the headings and cause no link problems; word manages the links well. However, I can understand your concern with a large doc.

Therefore, how about this: with hidden characters showing (the paragraph sign (pilcrow) button selected from the Paragraph group on the Home tab, or simply press Ctrl+Shift+Alt+S, which toggles this view on and off with repeated applications), simply select a paragraph mark at the end of a body text or other non-heading paragraph, copy it, and paste it at the front of the heading where you were pressing enter previously to get the new paragraph. You will get an empty text paragraph, as long as you have selected Paste options in the Word options/Advanced to have "Keep source formatting" for pasting from within the document.

Best,
Ulodesk

Thanks. I'll give it a try. If nothing else, at least I now know the name of the para tag (pilcrow).

Hi rphox2003 did you find a better solution than Ulodesk's? Although is a very smart solution, it still messes up the links.

P.S.: Im a tech writer also, and have the exact same problem. Thanks for posting your question.

Hi, Wordhostage. I would be interested to know how the links get messed up. Is is not possible to select all and update links? In my experience, Word is generally pretty good at doing so. Also, it is unlcear to me why inserting a body text or similar non-heading/auto-numbered style paragraph would affect the links. Usually, such mysteries have solutions.

Actually the links aren't the problem, as you point out Ctrl+A+F9 takes care of the links.
What gets 'messed up' when adding a paragraph is the bookmark to were the link was pointing.
So the link may be pointing to the right bookmark, but now the bookmark got displaced for the added paragraph.
For instance, I got a table and immediately a heading after it which I have bookmarked and somewhere else I have a link pointing to it.
When I copy & paste the para tag as suggested, a paragraph is added between the table and the heading, but now if you click on the link it will take you to the new paragraph and not the heading; even after updating all the links in the document.
By the way, the c&p the para tag it's a pretty nifty solution in itself. Solves one mystery.

I really don't have time use Ulodesk's suggestion, so I've been taking the easy way.

I created a style with a very small font size and no pre- or post-lines. Then I leave the empty para that Word automatically puts after each table and attach that style so the space following the table is negligible. That leaves an empty para for future updates, doesn't add much white space, and leaves cross-refs alone.