Defining Reusable Tables
You can add your own tables to the menu of predefined tables that appears when
you click Tables in the toolbar or choose Insert > Table. Reusable tables have the table
style and structure of your choice and can contain content (header text, formulas,
and so on).
To define a reusable table:
1
Select a table.
2
Define a table style for the table.
The table style determines the formatting of borders, background, and text in the
table’s cells.
One way to define the table style is by following the instructions in “Modifying Table
Style Attributes” on page 115 and “Copying and Pasting Table Styles” on page 116.
Alternatively, you can apply your customized table structure and content to the
reusable table, but give it the table’s original default style instead of your own.
Step 7 describes how to use this option.
3
Define the table’s structure.
To resize the table, see “Resizing a Table” on page 51 and “Resizing Table Rows and
Columns” on page 65.
To define columns and rows, see “Working with Rows and Columns in Tables” on
page 59.
To split or merge table cells, see “Splitting Table Cells” on page 87 or “Merging Table
Cells” on page 86.
4
Add and format any content you want to reuse. See “Putting Content into Table
Cells” on page 78 for instructions. Any formulas you add should refer only to cells in
the table you’re defining.
5
Choose Format > Advanced > Capture Table.
6
Type a name for the table.
7
Select “Use the default style from the document” if you want the table to be styled
using the default table style in effect when the table is added to the spreadsheet.
Otherwise the table style used is the one you defined in step 2.
8
Click OK.
A copy of your reusable table can now be added to the current spreadsheet by
choosing it from the menu of predefined tables that appears when you click Tables in
the toolbar or choose Insert > Table.
To rearrange, rename, or delete tables on the menu, choose Format > Advanced >
Manage Tables. Double-click a name to change the name of a predefined table. Select
a table and click the up or down arrow button to move it up or down in the list of
tables. Click the Delete (–) button to remove a table. Click Done when you’ve finished.
The table and menu changes apply only to the current spreadsheet. If you want your
reusable tables and menu changes to be available in other spreadsheets, save the
spreadsheet as a template, using the instructions in “Saving a Custom Template” on
page 249.