6. Using Tabs and Tables

Laying out your work neatly is very important in producing well presented professional looking documents.

As well as altering text alignment or justification practiced earlier, word processing packages have Tabular and Table features that help lay out information in columns.

 

Using Tabs

Tabs are used to space out your work in an orderly manner.  Tabs are helpful when you are writing letters to separate the sender’s address from the receiver’s address and, of course, if you want data to be presented in a tabular form.

 

 

Don't try to enter the text in columns. Enter the data row by row, pressing the Tab key after you have entered text. Only press the return key after the entry in the last column.

 

 

How to use Tabs! Click to Go Larger Screen

Tabs in Action!

1. Open a new blank Document.
2. Watch VIDEO 8 and follow the steps to add Tabs in the way shown in the video
3. Add in to your new document the data (names etc) shown in the video.
4. Save your file under a suitable file name..
   
   

 

 

 

 

Using Tables

It is often useful to display a table in a document that shows information neatly laid out in rows and columns. We might for example, use tables in Science to show the results of an experiment or a survey.

 

To do this we use the Table function common to most word-processing programs.

 

 

 

 

Inserting Tables in your Document! Click to Go Larger Screen

Using Tables

1. Open new blank Document file
2. Watch VIDEO 9 and follow the steps to create and complete a table in the way shown in the video
3. Save your file.

 

 

(The sound might be become separated from the pictures - don't worry you'll get the general idea of how to insert tables. You can also use the 'scrubber bar' to wind forwards & backwards through the movie.)

 

 

 

What you have to do!

1. Create a new blank document and after watching Video 8 insert the tabs and try an recreate the document shown in the movie.
2. Save the document with a suitable name!
3. Create another blank document and follow the steps in Video 9 to produce a similar looking table.
4. Save the document using a suitable name.
5. Tick off your Progress Grids

 

Mark off Tasks 8 and 9 in your progress grids.

 

What you should now be able to do!

• Know how to insert Tabs in a document.

• Know how to insert tables into your documents.

• Explain why its a good idea to use tabs and tables in your documents.

 

Continue to Exercise 7: Using Graphics