Configuring Cells

After you add a table or layout grid object to your template, you can customize the object by configuring properties for individual cells, such as alignment, padding, row and column span for the cell, and the rotation angle of an object that you place in the cell.

When you configure a table object, you can also specify properties for the borders and shading of an individual table cell. For more information, refer to Configuring Borders and Shading.

ClosedTo set alignment and padding for a cell

  1. Right-click the cell that you want, point to Select, and then click This Cell. Alternatively, hold down the Shift key while you click the cell that you want.

    To select two or more adjacent cells, hold down the Shift key while you click a cell, and then drag the pointer through the adjacent cells that you want.

  2. Open the table or layout grid Object Properties dialog. To do this, double-click the object. Alternatively, right-click the object, and then click Properties.

  3. In the navigation pane, click Cell Alignment to display the Cell Alignment property page.

  4. Set the alignment and padding properties that you want.

ClosedTo set alignment and padding for all cells in a row or column

  1. Right-click a cell in the row or column that you want, point to Select, and then click This Row or This Column. Alternatively, use one of the following methods: 

  2. You can also select two or more adjacent rows or two or more adjacent columns, as follows: 

    • To select two or more adjacent columns, hold down the Shift key while you click the top or bottom cell in the first or last column that you want, and then drag the pointer through the columns that you want until each of the columns is entirely selected.

    • To select two or more adjacent rows, hold down the Shift key while you click the right-most or left-most cell in the first or last row that you want, and then drag the pointer across the rows that you want until each of the rows is entirely selected.

  3. Open the table or layout grid Object Properties dialog. To do this, double-click the object. Alternatively, right-click the object, and then click Properties.

  4. In the navigation pane, click Cell Alignment to display the Cell Alignment property page.

  5. Set the alignment and padding properties that you want.

ClosedTo specify row or column span for a cell

  1. Right-click the cell that you want, point to Select, and then click This Cell. Alternatively, hold down the Shift key while you click the cell that you want.

  2. Open the table or layout grid Object Properties dialog. To do this, double-click the object. Alternatively, right-click the object, and then click Properties.

  3. In the navigation pane, click Cell Alignment to display the Cell Alignment property page.

  4. Use the up and down arrows to specify the number or rows or columns that you want the cell to span.

ClosedTo specify the rotation angle of an object in a cell

  1. Double-click the object to open the Object Properties dialog. Alternatively, right-click the object, and then click Properties.

  2. In the navigation pane, click Cell Alignment to display the Cell Alignment property page.

  3. In the Rotation area, use the Angle list to specify the degrees by which you want the object to be rotated. You can select a preconfigured angle or enter the angle that you want to a tenth of a degree.

You can also rotate objects by using the Rotate dialog, which you can open from the Arrange menu. For information about other methods that you can use to rotate objects, refer to Rotating Objects.