Creating tables

Tables are an efficient way to present information. It will save the writer the time and space needed to explain the relationships between discrete data points and allow the reader to access a more comprehensive body of information. Writer offers a range of tools board and features to expedite the process of creating information-rich documents.

Insert new table

To create a table,

1. Click More > Insert tab.
2. Under Pictures & Tables, click Table.
3. Select the number of rows and columns required for the table. A table with a defined size will be created.
   

Insert a quick table

You can insert a quick table into your document by typing the number of rows (m) and the number of columns (n) in the formula =table(m,n) and hitting Enter. For example, if you want a table that has three rows and four columns, type =table(3,4) and hit Enter.

Insert spreadsheet as a table

To insert a table as a spreadsheet,

1. Click More > Insert tab.
2. Under Pictures & Tables, click the drop-down near Table and choose Insert New Spreadsheet.
   

Paste spreadsheet as a table

You can easily copy/paste data from Zoho Sheet within your Writer documents.

While pasting the data from Zoho sheet, you can link the source sheet to the table directly. 

To link the source sheet to your table,

1. Copy/paste the sheet data from Zoho Sheet in your Writer document.
2. Click the icon near the Table pasted from Zoho Sheet and choose the "Link data with the source" option. 
   
3. Click the icon near the table to update the table data, to unlink the table from Sheet, or to open the source sheet right away. You can also change the cell range, as required.
4. Update the table data by clicking on the Update option. Any changes made to sheet data will be updated in the table every time you click on the Update option.
   

Convert text to table

For example, if you have a long list of items that have to be formatted as a table, but currently it is written as a list. Use the 'convert text to table' option to simply convert this list into a table. Also, if you do not have the time to create a table and make entries in it, type the entries as text and then convert it to a table in just a few clicks.

To convert a piece of text into a table,

1. Separate text with lines or paragraphs (for rows) and commas, tabs, or dashes (for columns).
2. Select the text that you want to convert to a table.
3. Click More > Tools.
4. Under Editing, click the Text to table option. Choose the required settings on how you want the table to appear.
5. Click OK. The text will be placed within a table.
   

Table operations

Add or delete rows and columns

To add/delete rows and columns,

1. Click on the table.
2. Click the gear-shaped icon near the inserted table. The Table Options panel will appear on the left side of the screen.
   
3. Go to the Layout tab. Under the Rows and Columns header, you will find options to add or delete rows and columns.
   

Split cells

You can split a cell if you want two separate entries in it.

To split cells in a table,

1. Click the cell you want to split.
2. Click the gear-shaped icon near the inserted table to open the Table Options panel.
   
3. Under the Layout tab, click the Split Cells icon.
   

Merge cells

If you want to enter a word or title covering multiple rows or columns, you can merge cells and do it.

To merge cells,

1. Click on the table and select the cells you want to merge.
2. Click the gear-shaped icon near the inserted table to open the Table Options panel.
   
3. Under the Layout tab, click the Merge Cells icon.
   

Table layout

Set row height and column width

You can adjust the row height and column width of your table if it looks too packed or imprecise.

To change row height and column width,

1. Click the gear-shaped icon near the inserted table to open the Table Options panel.
   
2. Enter the dimensions for row height and column width under Layout > Rows and Columns.
   

Distributing rows and columns

If you want columns of equal size across your table, you can use this option.

To distribute columns equally across a table,

1. Click the gear-shaped icon near the inserted table to open the Table Options panel.
   
2. Click Distribute Rows or Distribute Columns under Rows and Columns header.
   

Set cell margins

Cell margins surround the text within a cell at the left, right, top, and bottom sides. You can customize cell margins to adjust the placement of the text within a cell.

To customize cell margins,

1. Click the gear-shaped icon near the inserted table to open the Table Options panel.
   
2. Change the cell margins under the Cell Properties header. Also, click Custom Margins option and set dimensions to the table cells based on your requirements.
   

Create table header row

If the table moves to more than one page in a print layout, enable the "Use first row as header" option to automatically repeat the table header at the beginning of every new page.

To create a table header row,

1. Click the gear-shaped icon near the inserted table to open the Table Options panel.
   
2. Under the Rows and Columns header, enable the "Use first row as header" checkbox.

Setting Multiple Table Rows as Headers  

Handling row breaks across pages

The information in each table row can either be split across pages or stay together in one page.

To enable/disable row breaks across pages,

1. Click the gear-shaped icon near the inserted table to open the Table Options panel.
   
2. Enable/disable the Allow rows to break across pages check box, based on your requirements. For example, if the table moves to more than one page, you can disable this option, so that the content in each table row stays together in one page, thus providing better readability.
   

Table utilities

Writer allows you to split your table to two or more tables, convert rows to columns and vice versa, convert your table to text, convert tables to charts, and much more. Here's how you do it.

Split tables

To split the table,

1. Select your table.
2. Right-click on any cell where you want to split your table.
3. Click More options > Split table.

Break rows and tables 

Transpose tables

Sometimes, data can be more meaningful or easier to analyze when presented in a different orientation. Transpose tables allow you to reorganize data from rows to columns or vice versa. This can be helpful when you want to perform calculations, create charts, identify trends in your data, or present data in a different format without having to rearrange each cell manually. 

1. Place the cursor on your table.
2. Right-click on your table, click More options > Transpose table.
   
   

Convert table to text

Convert table to chart

Transform your table into charts in Writer.

To convert a table to chart,

1. Select your table.
2. Right-click on your table, click More options > Convert table to chart.

Handy mouse clicks to work with tables

When you work with tables, especially the ones that are long, you will find these handy mouse clicks make things around tables easier than ever.

1. Clicking on the individual cells will let you both select/deselect them.
2. To select an entire column of cells, position the mouse at the top of the row that needs to be selected. A bottom headed arrow mark will appear. Click on it to select the entire row
3. Toselect an entire row of cells,place the cursor at the leftmost margin of the table whose columns are to be selected. A right-headed-arrow mark will appear. Now, click on it for the entire column to be selected.
4. Toselect multiple random cells,select the first cell, press Ctrl and then select other cells.
5. To resize an entire table, place your cursor on the tiny-square-box at the bottom-right corner of the table. Clicking on it will enable you to drag the table both in the horizontal and the vertical direction, thereby allowing you to resize the entire table.

Move table

Drag and drop a table anywhere in your document.

To move the table,

1. Click on the table.
2. Click icon and drag to move your table anywhere within your document.
   
   

Table Sorting

You might need to sort the table to enhance and understand the data in a better way. For example, when you have to review the list of employees joined and prefer to view the names in alphabetical order or by the department. You can use the sort table option and sort according to the entries in any specific column of the table. Sorting in ascending order arranges text in alphabetical or sequential order from lowest to highest. (A –> Z or 0 –> 9). If you are sorting in descending order, the data is arranged from highest to lowest (Z –> A or 9 –> 0). 

To sort a table,

1. Select the table.
2. Click the gear-shaped icon near the inserted table to open the Table Options panel.
3. Click Sort Table under the Rows and Columns header of the Table Options panel. The Sort Table pop-up will open.
4. You can sort in either ascending or descending order. Choose a column and sort it based on numbers or text. Enable the 'Consider first row as table header' checkbox to sort the column data excluding the header.
5. Once the above changes are done, click Sort.

Table design

Table themes

To change the theme and color of your table,

1. Select your table and click on the Table icon near the inserted table. The Table Themes panel will open.
2. Choose the required theme from the available list. You can mouse hover on each theme and have a view on how your table looks before you apply them. Also, you can just customize the table color from the color palette, if you require.
   

Borders and Shading

Usually, a border is applied to a text or page to make sure that those elements stand out in your document. Similarly, you can add borders and shades to a table or a particular cell in a table to make it look unique.

Quickly customize your table border from the Table Options panel.

To apply borders and shades to your table,

1. Select the existing table or create a new table from the Insert Panel. 
2. Click the gear shaped icon near the inserted table to open the Table Options panel.
   
3. In the Table options panel, under the Borders and Shadings header, you will find options to apply borders and background to your table. You can either apply these settings to the entire table or a particular cell, based on your needs. Refer below to find the border options for tables in Writer.

	Select Sides	Choose all sides or any specific side to apply a border to your table/cell.
	Border Color	Set a unique color to your table/cell border.
	Border Width	Click to choose the width of the border. You can set the width up to 10px.
	Border Style	Apply line style to your table/cell border.
	No Border	To remove the border applied to the table/cell.

Table/Cell Background:

To apply a background to your table,

1. Select the existing table or create a new table from the Insert Panel. 
2. Click the gear shaped icon near the table to open the Table Options panel.
   
3. In the Table options panel, under the Borders and Shadings header, you will find options to background to your table.
4. Under the Background Header, click to apply a solid background color to your table.
5. You can also choose an image background for your table/cell. Click and upload an image from your desktop to add it as your table/cell background.
6. Click to remove the background applied to the table/cell.

You can click the Reset button anytime, to revert all the changes applied to the table/cell.

Table formulas

You can add formulas in the cells of a table and make it work like a spreadsheet. This helps you solve simple mathematical functions by inserting formulas into cells wherever you want.

To add formulas inside the table,

1. Click the cell where you want to add the formula.
2. Click the Formula icon near the inserted table to open the formula window.
   
   Alternatively, click the gear-shaped icon near the inserted table to open the Table Options panel. Choose the Formula option at the bottom of the panel.
   
3. You can enter the formula directly in the formula tab or choose from a list of functions by clicking the drop-down arrow in the Paste Function field. A list of available functions is below:
   

   FUNCTIONS	DESCRIPTION	EXAMPLE
   ABS	Calculates the absolute value of the expression given in paratheses	=ABS(-100) returns 100
   AND	Evaluates to 1 if all arguments are TRUE	=AND(SUM(ABOVE) > 100, AVERAGE(LEFT) >50)
   AVERAGE	Calculates the average of the arguments	=AVERAGE(ABOVE) returns average of values above the cell
   COUNT	Counts the number of items given as arguments	=COUNT(LEFT) returns number of items to the left
   INT	Rounds the argument down to the nearest integer	=INT(10.69) returns 10
   IF	Returns value with respect to a specific condition.	=IF(d2>5,(e2*10/100),(e2*5/100))
   MAX	Maximum value in the given range	=MAX(ABOVE)
   MIN	Minimum value in the given range	=MIN(B4-C4)
   MOD	Returns the remainder of the first argument divided by the second	=MOD(5, 2) returns 1
   NOT	Evaluates to 0 if argument is TRUE and evaluates to 1 if argument is FALSE	=NOT(10)
   OR	Evaluates to 1 if at least one arguments is TRUE	=OR(10>1, 1>10) returns 1
   PRODUCT	Returns the product of the numbers in the given range	=PRODUCT(LEFT)
   ROUND	Rounds the argument to the nearest integer	=ROUND(10.69) returns 11
   SIGN	Returns -1 if the argument evaluates to a number less than 0, 0 if the argument evaluates to zero, 1 if the argument evaluates to a positive number	=SIGN(-100) returns -1
   SUM	Sum of all the numbers in the range	=SUM(B1-C5)

4. After entering the formula, supply the parameters for the calculation:
   
   • Use cell references in the parentheses in the formula, such as B3 or F7.
   • Use a comma to separate references to individual cells.
   • To add the values in cells of A1 and G4, the formula would read: =SUM(A1,G4).
   • To use all values of cells in a designated range use a colon. The formula would read:
   • =SUM(A1:K1).You can use positional arguments (LEFT, RIGHT, ABOVE, BELOW) with the following functions
     
     • COUNT
     • MAX
     • MIN
     • PRODUCT
     • SUM

   For example:
   =SUM(LEFT) or =SUM(RIGHT) or =SUM(LEFT,ABOVE)

5. Choose the Number format and add prefix or suffix, if required. This helps to have better clarity with the results that you got using the formula.
6. Once the formula is complete, click OK. Press F9 or refresh the document for results.
   

• Table formulas work with the Mail Merge feature. You can insert data fields within the cells of a table. When the final document is merged with the appropriate data, the evaluation will be done automatically.
• The formulas in a table are preserved when importing or exporting Microsoft Word documents.

Delete Table

To delete a table,

1. Right click on the table. You will see a list of operations that you can do.
2. Select Delete Table to delete the entire table.