WORD 97, Creating Separate Columns

[dw85745]

I need to prepare a document such that I want to compare items in Column-1, with Column-2 and vice-versa.


I've been doing this by Tabbing, and it works, but thought there might be an easier way if I could set up two INDEPENDENT columns so I could eliminate the tabs after each line in the first column to get to the second column.


I've looked at WORD-97 tables, but numerous options and none appear to be what I'm after --OR-- I'm not understanding the relationship between the view provided and what I'm looking for.



Thanks.

[AlanCantor]

It sounds like the job can be done by creating a table with two columns. You can press Tab to navigate from from one cell to the next (or Shift + Tab to go in the opposite direction.)



After entering text in the cell in the last row and last column, press Tab, and Word will automatically add another row of cells.

[Charles Kenyon]

References:

• 4. Use Tables and Tabs to Arrange Text in Microsoft Word (Shauna Kelly)
• Tables

Tables can have borders but they do not have to have borders.

Here is a reference that may be closer as far as controls. It is a Word Document from the Legal Users Guide to Microsoft Word.

[AlanCantor]

I think Charles is on the right track in answering your question when he says tables "do not have to have borders."

I would put it slightly differently: by default, the borders in Word tables are visible. But borders can be made invisible. The table, the cells, and everything the cells contain are there; but you cannot see the borders because they have been "painted" the same colour as the page, i.e., usually white:

Here's a 2 x 4 table reproduced twice: the top table has black borders, the bottom table has white borders.

There's a setting in Word -- I don't remember on which menu it appeared in the 97 version -- that makes table borders visible, regardless of their colour. The feature is called "gridlines" (if I recall right!)

[Charles Kenyon]

Hi Alan,

Tables without borders have no borders. A white border is still a border even if does not print.

The "border" in Word jargon is the visible line in the printed table that is between/around cells in a table. A white border on a dark printing background will print as the absence of that color.

00 deleteme 1.png

Here is a temporary link to the file with those tables.

It is also possible to have viewing of gridlines turned on in Tables. Those will show on the screen even if there is no border.

[AlanCantor]

Thanks, Charles. I learned something new today about Word tables. Borderless tables... who knew?

[dw85745]

Alan and Mr. Kenyon:


Thanks for responding.


Where my confusion is in Word-97, is what Table Option do I select to get just a simple two column table, such that one can tab to each column and be positioned on the left of the column.


Word-97 offers a Table of Contents which is two columns. Text is in 1st and Left aligned. Right just shows numbers and is Right aligned. All other Table options presented are NOT the simple two column text as described above, unless somehow they can be adapted ???.

[AlanCantor]

The OP is using Word 97. Were borderless tables available in ancient times?

[dw85745]

Alan:
I'm Not even to that point.
I just found out how to insert a simple two column textual table as described.
How I missed it ???


1. I was attempting to use: Main Menu > Insert > Index and Tables (which brings up many choices)
2) Using Main Menu > Table (allows one to put in the simple table, I had ignored this thinking it was for Formatting a table). MY BAD!

[AlanCantor]

Where my confusion is in Word-97, is what Table Option do I select to get just a simple two column table, such that one can tab to each column and be positioned on the left of the column.

It's been a long time since I used Word 97. There was a menu called "Table" but I don't recall how tables were created. My vague recollection is that there may be a command on the Table menu called, perhaps, "Insert table…" which opens a dialog box in which you specify the number of rows and columns you want to create. When you close the dialog box, the table appears at the cursor position.

Word-97 offers a Table of Contents which is two columns. Text is in 1st and Left aligned. Right just shows numbers and is Right aligned. All other Table options presented are NOT the simple two column text as described above, unless somehow they can be adapted ???.

The "Table of Contents" is not a table. The formatting in a Table of Contents is accomplished by setting tab stops in clever ways, not by using a Word table.



Another way you might accomplish what you're trying to do is to use tab stops rather than wrapping content in a Word table. Overall, though, I think it will be easier to use a table – but first you'll need to sort out how to create and modify tables.

[AlanCantor]

Glad you sorted it out!


Your message has a nostalgic note for me. I haven't heard the term "main menu" applied to a word processing program since the late-1980s or early-1990s. My recollection is that two word processors, Mark of the Unicorn's FinalWord II, and Borland's Sprint, sported a main menu. The Sprint main menu was especially well done. I wonder whether this ancient technology could still serve as a model for how to organize hierarchical information in an efficient, easy-to-use, easy-to-remember, and discoverable way. I still have muscle memory of how to operate the Sprint main menu. Despite having used ribbons since their introduction 16 or 17 years ago, I still don't quite remember which ribbon contains which commands.

[dw85745]

Started coding in 1969, and moved to PC's in 1983.

I'm not much of a third party user as most programs I use are my own.
I do use the MS Office suite from time to time but rarely -- that's why the 1997 version.
Does everything I need, but forced to climb the WORD learning curve because of this project (legal).

I always refer to the top menu as the Main Menu.
AND YES I AGREE, all the short cuts (e.g. ribbons in this case), work for the experienced user but Not so much for the novice.
AFAIK Word-97 ribbon just allows indents and tabs unless another component allows one to bring up another ribbon.


Thanks for your assist, and my apologizes if I wasted any of your time.

[AlanCantor]

Although newer versions have bells-and-whistles that older versions, like Word 97, lacked, every version released during the past 25+ years has almost the same basic formatting and styling capabilities.

And because Word 97 has menus and toolbars -- ribbons weren't introduced until 2006 or 2007 -- you may discover that you can figure out what you want to do better than you could with ribbons.

For example, Word 97 has a Tables menu. If you want to insert, modify, format, or delete a table, the commands are probably in the Tables menu. Simple.

In versions of Word that have ribbons, there is no Tables ribbon... unless you've already added a table to the document. To add a table, you must use the "Insert" ribbon. Huh?

Once you've inserted a table into a document and you want to do something to it, you must do two things: 1. Ensure the cursor is within the body of a table. 2. Figure out which of TWO Table ribbons contains the command you want.

A common, table-related task that cannot be done with the Tables ribbon is insert a table!

[dw85745]

Most interesting. Will Stick with Word-97.

For example, Word 97 has a Tables menu. If you want to insert, modify, format, or delete a table, the commands are probably in the Tables menu. Simple.

The Main Menu > Table, only seems to allow one to Insert a simple two column text table. (The one I was trying to create per my first post).


So Far, I haven't found a way to Format that Table.
For example, Select it and Change it from Two columns to N number of columns.
Main Menu > Format > ???? (nothing)



As previously stated: Main Menu > Insert > Index and Tables, seems to have various Default Tables to choose from (because so many options, hard to figure out which one will work without creating each one, probably a 8 hour job to try ALL).


Weekend coming, so will see if I can figure out and post this thread.







Regards.

[Charles Kenyon]

If working on a legal project in Word 97, I would recommend downloading the Legal Users Guide to Microsoft Word from my site. It was written for Word 2000/2002 but most of the controls are the same as Word 97.

It is not available on the Microsoft site but you can get it from my UsersGuide site. Here is the direct link to the zip file.https://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/Legal%20Users'%20Guide%20to%20Word/Legal%20Users%20Guide%202002.zip This is in Word .doc format.