The Table frame is a specialized frame that although available
in all document types is especially suited to the Word Processing
environment.
The Table frame is not a full document type. It can only be used
as a frame within another document. The Table frame does have its
own specific PartBar and MenuBar, though.
Tables help you create interesting page layouts. They are used
to organize text, numbers, or graphics in side-by-side columns.
Using the Table frame you create a grid with columns and rows. It
is different from the spreadsheet in that it does not have all the
spreadsheet's numerical functions, yet a table can be more specifically
catered to your word processing needs. Cells can be merged or split,
and data is entered directly into all the cells of the table.
There are essentially two ways to create a new table frame. You
can create an In-Line Table Frame or
a Floating Table Frame. Remember,
you can always copy or cut a table from one document or sheet to
another.

The word processing document above has both an in-line and a floating
table frame inserted in the document. Notice that as the table is
active, the table frame PartBar and MenuBar are visible.
Reminder: When selected, the table frame is like any other
graphic item. You can fill it with color, border it with a pen color,
and rotate it in any direction.
In-Line Table Frames
An in-line table frame is inserted directly into
the flow of text in a full-screen word processing document. The
table frame gets treated like a character and as such is affected
by indentation and alignment. However, text styles, size, and font
properties do not affect an in-line table frame.
In-line table frames are useful if you want the table to stay in
the same position relative to the text. When inserted in-line, text
inside the full-screen document wraps around the table borders.
To Create a New In-Line Table Frame
- Position the insertion-point (blinking bar) where you want
to place the new in-line table frame.
- From the Frame menu, select Insert Frame, then select Table
Frame.
- An Insert Table dialog box is displayed.
- Select the number of rows and columns you wish the table to
have.
- Click OK to enter the table at the insertion point position.
Floating Table Frames
A floating table frame is placed in a special graphics layer that
exists above the full-screen word processing document. A floating
table frame is not directly tied to the text flow, thus it does
not move with the text in the full-screen word processing document.
The floating table can be moved anywhere within the document, though,
by selecting it and using the mouse. You can also specify how text
in the full-screen word processing document wraps around the floating
table frame.
To Create a New Floating Table Frame
- Show the ToolBar, if it is not already displayed. To show the
ToolBar, select Show ToolBar from the Window
menu.
- From the Frame Tool , select Table Frame. The cursor
changes to a cross-hair.
- Draw the frame in the workspace.
- The table created has four rows and four columns. If you want
to change this, go to the Table menu after the table
is created, and either Insert or Delete Rows
and Columns.
- Text in the full-screen word processing document flows around
the floating table frame.
Text Wrap
- To specify how the text wraps around an object or frame, select
the object. You know the object is selected when there are "handles"
around the object.
- Select Text Wrap from the Arrange menu. Or
select the Text Wrap button from the displayed graphics PartBar.
A Text Wrap dialog box with the different wrapping styles is displayed.
Proceed to choose how you want the text to wrap around the object
or frame.

Table Frame MenuBar
At the very top of the Gobe Productive document window is the MenuBar.
The MenuBar displays the appropriate menus for the currently active
environment. Each document type has its own special menu items.
However, the first five menu items in the MenuBar are common to
all Gobe Productive documents. For more information about these
common menus see the Menu Bar topic in The Basics section. The menu
items that are specific for the table frame are the Table and the
Format menus.

Table menu: Contains commands specific to a table, such
as merging and splitting cells, inserting and deleting rows and
columns, and distributing rows and columns evenly.
Format menu: Contains commands for formatting text and
inserting special document fields such as page numbers, formulas,
line breaks, etc...
To Distribute Rows and Columns Evenly
From the MenuBar you can change the cells in the table. For example,
if you want your table to contain cells that are all the exact same
width or height, you can ask Gobe Productive to distribute your
cells evenly.
- Select the cells in the table that you want to change.
- To make all the rows and cells the same height, go to the Table
menu and select Distribute Rows Evenly.
- To make all the columns and cells the same width, go to the
Table menu and select Distribute Columns Evenly.
To Insert or Delete Rows and Columns
- To insert or delete a row or column, you can either select the
whole row or column, or just have the insertion point (the blinking
bar) in the row or column of interest.
- To delete a row or column from the table, go to the Table menu
and select Delete Row or Delete Column. The whole row or column
is immediately deleted.
- To insert a row or column, there are two methods. You can either
go to the Table menu and select Insert Row or Insert Column; or
you can select the appropriate tools from the PartBar. The inserted
row is placed above the selected cell. The inserted column is
placed to the left of the selected cell.
Table Frame PartBar
The PartBar is the most dynamic element of the Gobe Productive
suite. Located between the FormatBar and the Workspace, the PartBar
changes to display the applicable tools for the table when the table
is active.
Most of the tools on the table frame PartBar are the same as for
a word processing document, but it also contains specific tools
for the table frame.
 |
Environment Icon: This icon indicates
that a table frame is active. |
 |
Alignment Buttons: These buttons control the alignment
of text (left, center, right, justified). |
 |
Line Spacing: These buttons increase and decrease
the spacing between lines of text. Click the increase button
(right) to increase the line spacing one-half line at a time.
Click the decrease button (left) to decrease the line spacing
one-half line at a time. Click the edit text field to enter
a value directly (lines or points). |
 |
Check Spelling: This button starts the spell checker,
and displays the SpellBar. The SpellBar is a special addition
to the PartBar exclusively used for spell checking. |
 |
Show/Hide Invisibles: Invisible characters are characters
that are normally not shown in a document. Spaces,
Tabs and Breaks are examples of invisible
characters. This button shows you these invisible characters
if they are presently not displayed in your document. If the
invisible characters are shown, this button hides them. |
 |
Vertical Alignment: This tool controls the vertical
text/number alignment of the selected cells. When selected,
a popup menu displays the different alignment choices: Align
Top, Align Center, Align Bottom. |
 |
Insert Column: This tool inserts a column in your
table. The new column is inserted to the left of the currently
selected column. You can also insert a column in the table by
selecting Table from the MenuBar and then selecting
Insert Column. |
 |
Insert Row: This tool inserts a row in your table.
The new row is inserted above the currently selected row. You
can also insert a row in the table by selecting Table
from the MenuBar and then selecting Insert Row. |
 |
Merge Cells: If two or more cells are selected, then
you can merge these cells to become one large cell. You can
select cells from a row, from a column, or from both. You can
also merge cells by selecting Table from the MenuBar
and then selecting Merge Cells. |
 |
Split Cells: This tools is used to split a cell into
several cells. If this tool is selected, a Split Cell dialog
box is displayed. Here you can enter the number of rows and
columns you wish the selected cell(s) to be split into. You
can select cells from a row, from a column, or from both, and
then proceed to split them. You can also split cells by selecting
Table from the MenuBar and then selecting Split
Cells. |
|