PowerPoint.Advanced.Presentation.Techniques [Electronic resources]

Creating a New Table

A table is a great way to organize little bits of data into a meaningful picture. For example, you might use a table to show sales results for several salespeople or to contain a multi-column list of team member names.

There are four ways to create a new table in PowerPoint as follows:

Use a layout placeholder.

Use the Insert menu.

Use the Table button on the Standard toolbar.

Use the Tables and Borders toolbar to draw a table.

Each method has its fans, so I'll explain all of them and you can take your pick.

Using a Slide Layout Placeholder

Table is one of the six types of content available from the multi-type placeholder on a slide layout. One way to insert a table, then, is to change to a layout containing that placeholder and then click the Table icon, as shown in Figure 6-1.

Figure 6-1: Click the Table icon in a slide layout.

There is also a separate Title and Table slide layout, near the bottom of the list of layouts in the task pane. It provides a slide title and one big table that fills the rest of the slide. Select that layout for a slide and then double-click the table placeholder, as shown in Figure 6-2. (Notice that it's a double click here, whereas with the multi-type placeholder you use a single click to activate.)

Figure 6-2: The Title and Table placeholder is suitable for a large table.

Either way, when you activate the placeholder, the Insert Table dialog box appears (see Figure 6-3). You enter the number of rows and columns you want and click OK.

Figure 6-3: Specify the rows and columns desired for the table to be inserted.

Because you started with a placeholder, the resulting table will be fit into that placeholder area. The rows and columns will be squashed as needed to make that happen.

Inserting a Table with the Insert Menu

The Insert menu method (Insert⇨Table) opens the same Insert Table dialog box as does the placeholder method described in the preceding section.

If AutoLayout is enabled (and it is by default), the slide's layout will change to one that includes a placeholder for a table, and the table will be placed in it. Table 6-1 details the AutoLayout modifications that occur when you add a table to an empty slide that uses various layouts.

If PowerPoint changes to a different layout, the AutoLayout icon appears next to the inserted table. Click the icon to open its menu and then choose Undo AutoLayout, if desired. You can also undo the AutoLayout by issuing the Undo command immediately after the insertion (Edit⇨Undo, Undo button on toolbar, or Ctrl+Z).

If AutoLayout did not change the layout, or if you undid it, the inserted table appears centered on the slide vertically and horizontally, ignoring all existing content on the slide, as in Figure 6-4 where it has been inserted on a blank slide. You will probably want to move and resize the table to place it exactly where you want it.

Figure 6-4: Without AutoLayout active, an inserted table appears centered on the slide.

Inserting a Table with the Table Button

Here's an alternative to the menu method. The Insert Table button on the Standard toolbar opens a drop-down grid when you click it. You then drag your mouse across the grid to specify the number of rows and columns you want, as shown in Figure 6-5, and PowerPoint inserts a table based on that specification. Other than the method of specifying rows and columns, this method is identical to the Insert menu method. The same issues apply regarding placeholders versus free-floating tables, as described in the preceding sections.

Figure 6-5: Another way to insert a table is to drag across the desired number of rows and columns from the Table button.

Drawing a Table

I've saved the most fun method for last. Drawing a table enables you to use your mouse pointer like a pencil to create every row and column in the table in exactly the positions you want. You can even create unequal numbers of rows and columns. This method is a good one whenever you want a table that is non-standard in some way-different row heights, column widths, different numbers of columns in some rows than others, and so on.

First, you'll need to display the Tables and Borders toolbar, as shown in Figure 6-6. To do so, click the Tables and Borders button on the Standard toolbar or choose View⇨Toolbars⇨Tables and Borders. Table 6-2 describes the buttons on that toolbar; you'll learn more about many of them in the remainder of this chapter.

Figure 6-6: The Tables and Borders toolbar.

After displaying the Tables and Borders toolbar, you'll notice that the mouse pointer is a pencil and the Draw Table button is selected on the toolbar. PowerPoint is ready for you to draw the table. If for some reason the mouse pointer does not appear as a pencil, click the Draw Table button to enable it.

Use your mouse "pencil" to drag a rectangle delineating the outside border of the table. You can draw it anywhere on the slide. The result will be a single-cell table, as shown in Figure 6-7.

Figure 6-7: First draw the outside border of the table frame.

Now draw the row and column borders, still using the mouse as a pencil. When you begin to drag vertically or horizontally, PowerPoint will lock into that and keep the line exactly vertical or horizontal and straight. You can create entire rows and columns or partial ones. When you are done, press Esc to turn the mouse pointer back to a normal arrow again.

Figure 6-8 shows an example of a table created by drawing. If you need to make some changes to your drawing (for example, erase or move some lines), see Editing a Table's Structure later in this chapter.

Figure 6-8: This table, created with the Draw Table feature, is free from normal conventions regarding row and column numbers and sizes.

Moving Around in a Table

Each cell is like a little text box. To type in a cell, click in it and type. Pretty simple! You can also move between cells with the keyboard; Table 6-3 lists the keyboard shortcuts for moving the insertion point around in a table.