• Why is Word's handling of tables so bad?

    From ingrid.workscape@gmail.com@21:1/5 to All on Sun Jul 1 14:10:45 2018
    On Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 2:48:29 AM UTC+12, trip_to_tokyo wrote:
    On Apr 8, 3:38 pm, "agbi...@hotmail.com" <agbi...@hotmail.com> wrote:
    Ok, I know this is a general point, but prompted by two specifics:

    1. Word often splits tables into two parts on separate pages, even if
    the table easily could fit onto one page. E.g., I could have a table
    with 10 or 15 rows but it still will split up. I've tried some of the paragraph formatting things I've read about, but no dice. My real
    point is, how hard is it to get this right?

    2. When I paste a table onto the middle of a page, it often goes right
    to the top (this happens with pasted pictures as well). What that
    means is that it's really hard even to select the table to move it
    down, since you can't access the little plus sign to grab it. When I
    try to do a cut/paste to move it down, it pastes back to the top of
    the page.

    I waste so much time on this nonsense that I'm thinking of using an alternate word processor. How can it be that umpteen versions into the program with all sorts of fancy new visuals I've still got to deal
    with this stuff? Sorry for the rant, and it anyone has any suggestions please let me know. I'm just frustrated here. Thanks!

    Use EXCEL instead.
    The problem is that excel is crap with scaling for printing. Word makes it much easier to just print something in the appropriate size whereas as soon as you pdf a table from excel it shrinks the whole table down.

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  • From dpb@21:1/5 to ingrid.workscape@gmail.com on Mon Jul 2 08:21:20 2018
    On 7/1/2018 4:10 PM, ingrid.workscape@gmail.com wrote:
    On Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 2:48:29 AM UTC+12, trip_to_tokyo wrote:
    On Apr 8, 3:38 pm, "agbi...@hotmail.com" <agbi...@hotmail.com> wrote:
    Ok, I know this is a general point, but prompted by two specifics:

    1. Word often splits tables into two parts on separate pages, even if
    the table easily could fit onto one page. E.g., I could have a table
    with 10 or 15 rows but it still will split up. I've tried some of the
    paragraph formatting things I've read about, but no dice. My real
    point is, how hard is it to get this right?

    2. When I paste a table onto the middle of a page, it often goes right
    to the top (this happens with pasted pictures as well). What that
    means is that it's really hard even to select the table to move it
    down, since you can't access the little plus sign to grab it. When I
    try to do a cut/paste to move it down, it pastes back to the top of
    the page.

    I waste so much time on this nonsense that I'm thinking of using an
    alternate word processor. How can it be that umpteen versions into the
    program with all sorts of fancy new visuals I've still got to deal
    with this stuff? Sorry for the rant, and it anyone has any suggestions
    please let me know. I'm just frustrated here. Thanks!

    Use EXCEL instead.
    The problem is that excel is crap with scaling for printing. Word makes it much easier to just print something in the appropriate size whereas as soon as you pdf a table from excel it shrinks the whole table down.

    No useful answers but I feel your pain! :(

    Just spent several hours over the weekend trying to format a proposal
    budget table in Word that original in table...none of the forumulas
    update correctly, trying to fix breaks something else, it puts stuff
    where it wants instead of your chosen location and on and on and on...

    Did move it to Excel finally last night which is almost as bad in a
    different way in the effort it takes to get consistent
    outlining/grouping for the desired effect, but at least the numbers work correctly.

    Fortunately, I don't have to worry about transporting to pdf format;
    these folks are old-timey and still want hard copy.

    It seems to me that every incarnation of both Word and Excel are steps backwards in user interfaces... :(

    --

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  • From kababoomboom@gmail.com@21:1/5 to All on Wed Mar 27 09:41:30 2019
    I was frustrated from how word was handling my tables in my 200 page report and googled "why are tables so f*ing bad in word?" and this was the top result. I guess I'm not alone haha.
    I have PTSD from this now... I will never be able to comfortably copy/paste or add tables to any word document from now on.

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  • From luismi98sanmartin@gmail.com@21:1/5 to All on Sat May 9 16:53:25 2020
    El miércoles, 27 de marzo de 2019, 17:41:31 (UTC+1), kababo...@gmail.com escribió:
    I was frustrated from how word was handling my tables in my 200 page report and googled "why are tables so f*ing bad in word?" and this was the top result. I guess I'm not alone haha.
    I have PTSD from this now... I will never be able to comfortably copy/paste or add tables to any word document from now on.

    Same here. I was perfectly happy with Word until I wrote part of my Master's thesis in it and started getting the same issues with the Tables. It got me to learn LaTeX and it's one of the best decisions I have made. Really recommend it! Just go on
    Overleaf and start playing around. Your life will change.

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  • From David A. Sylvester@21:1/5 to Suzanne S. Barnhill on Tue Aug 17 08:09:57 2021
    On Friday, April 8, 2011 at 11:37:01 AM UTC-4, Suzanne S. Barnhill wrote:
    I don't know whether you've read the articles at http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/KeepTableOn1Page.htm and http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/ControlPgBrksInTables.htm, but perhaps they would be helpful.
    Your #2 problem arises from the fact that, when you drag a table by its handle (the "little plus sign," which is actually the standard four-headed arrow Move symbol), it becomes wrapped. Unless you really need to wrap text around it, controlling its placement will be much easier if you change the wrapping to None (Table tab of Table Properties).
    If you need to wrap text around the table, then open Table Properties and click Positioning... on the Table tab. Set a precise position for the table relative to the page, margins, or the paragraph to which it is anchored (though that latter may be a bit mysterious since Word doesn't display anchors for wrapped tables).
    --
    Suzanne S. Barnhill
    Microsoft MVP (Word)
    Words into Type
    Fairhope, Alabama USA
    http://word.mvps.org
    <agb...@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:9fa839d5-f031-4d9b...@x1g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...
    Ok, I know this is a general point, but prompted by two specifics:

    1. Word often splits tables into two parts on separate pages, even if
    the table easily could fit onto one page. E.g., I could have a table
    with 10 or 15 rows but it still will split up. I've tried some of the paragraph formatting things I've read about, but no dice. My real
    point is, how hard is it to get this right?

    2. When I paste a table onto the middle of a page, it often goes right
    to the top (this happens with pasted pictures as well). What that
    means is that it's really hard even to select the table to move it
    down, since you can't access the little plus sign to grab it. When I
    try to do a cut/paste to move it down, it pastes back to the top of
    the page.

    I waste so much time on this nonsense that I'm thinking of using an alternate word processor. How can it be that umpteen versions into the program with all sorts of fancy new visuals I've still got to deal
    with this stuff? Sorry for the rant, and it anyone has any suggestions please let me know. I'm just frustrated here. Thanks!

    xI have absolutely no idea what you are taking about. I NEED.A DIFFERENT WRITING PROGRAM>... THSI IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!!

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