How do I change text into table using tab setting?

[Guest]

I know what I can set tab settings and then type in the text, and Word will
put everything in a table format...but I want to do it the other way around.

I already have the text present, and I want to then set the tabs and have
everything transform into table format. Is this possible?

I want to do it only using TAB SETTINGS to define the columns.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

See http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/SettingTabs.htm. Note that this may
not do what you want. See also
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/TableBasics.htm

You can convert a table to text (separating with tabs) or text to a table
(separating at tabs), but you can't insert tabs automatically from the Table
menu.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

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[Jay Freedman]

I know what I can set tab settings and then type in the text, and Word will
put everything in a table format...but I want to do it the other way around.

I already have the text present, and I want to then set the tabs and have
everything transform into table format. Is this possible?

I want to do it only using TAB SETTINGS to define the columns.

Thanks for any help.

Hi Marianna,

You can select the text, go to Table > Convert > Text to Table, and
choose Tab as the separator character. But the tab *settings* won't
do; you must have actual tab characters in the text for this to work.

To see what's there, click the ¶ button on the toolbar to turn on
nonprinting characters. Each tab character appears as a small black
arrow pointing to the right, and each paragraph mark appears as a ¶
symbol at the end of the line. Each line should have the same number
of tab characters. Click the button again to turn off the nonprinting
characters.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
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