Select Table Column Shortcut?

[Guest]

Is there a shortcut command to select a single column in a table (without
going to Table Select Column). Thanks! No end to this stuff, eh?

 

[Herb Tyson [MVP]]

There is a TableSelectColumn command that can be assigned to a keystroke.
There is no built-in key assignment for it.

Or, using the mouse, move the pointer over the top of the column so that the
pointer is a heavy black arrow that points down, and click. That will select
the column. If you hold the mouse button and drag, you can select multiple
columns this way.

 

[Jay Freedman]

Is there a shortcut command to select a single column in a table (without
going to Table Select Column). Thanks! No end to this stuff, eh?

Hold the mouse above the top of the column. It will turn into a black
arrow pointing downward. Click to select the column. You can also hold
the Shift key and then click another column to select all columns in
between (for example, select columns 3 to 5 in a 7-column table), or
hold the Ctrl key and click several times to select columns that are
not consecutive.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so all may benefit.

 

[Guest]

Well, Alt+5 (numpad 5) works to select an entire table. Alt+Click works in
the older Word versions to select a single column, and Alt+Click+Click works
to select the entire table--again, in older Word versions. BUT, surely
there's a shortcut to select a single column in later Word versions???? When
you're at the bottom of a long table, going back to the top is a royal
pain... as is Table Select Column. Oh for the old typewriter and 10 carbons!

 

[Jay Freedman]

What Herb is telling you is that there is no shortcut key by default,
but that you can assign one. Go to the Customize dialog (Tools >
Customize in Word 2003, Office button > Word Options > Customize in
Word 2007), click the Keyboard button, choose the Table category
(Table Tools | Layout Tab in 2007), click the TableSelectColumn
command in the right-hand list, and assign a shortcut key to it.

Similarly, you can assign a custom toolbar button (but in 2007 it can
only be on the Quick Access Toolbar unless you're into Ribbon
programming in XML).

By the way, I remember the days of typewriters and multiple carbons.
You couldn't pay me enough to go back to that! Trying to fix a mistake
was a screaming horror.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so all may benefit.

 

[Herb Tyson [MVP]]

I have an antique Underwood (ca. 1917) that still works -- it's the one I
learned to type on in 1962 when my 5th grade teacher pronounced my
handwriting "hopeless." I remember eraser crumbs, correction fluid,
"Corrasible" bond, carbon paper, etc., having worked for a while in the late
60s and early 70s as a typing temp. when I was in college. Later, I typed my
own thesis and dissertation using an Olivetti electric. The graduate school
refused to accept any erasures or other corrections... so each time I made
an error, I had to retype the entire page.

There are aspects of those days I remember with fondness... none of them
involve the typing technology that existed. Just try selecting a column on a
1950s Royal typewriter and shrinking the font down to 8 points. Ain't
gonna happen.

With a little bit of effort, you can carve Word 2007 into something that
fits your working style. Alas, you won't be able to assign Alt+Click to
select a column, but, you can assign Ctrl+Alt+Up (and/or Down) to
TableSelectColumn, and maybe Ctrl+Alt+Left (and/or Right) to TableSelectRow.
There's a certain vertical/horizontal logic to those assignments.

20+ years ago when I was using XyWrite, I quickly accumulated an arsenal of
keystrokes that made sense to me. Later, when I moved to DeScribe and Word,
I made the same key assignments in those word processors. By working only
with customizable word processors, I haven't really had to change my work
habits much in the past 20 years. It helps to have a word processor that's
malleable.

--
Herb Tyson MS MVP
Author of the Word 2007 Bible
Blog: http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com
Web: http://www.herbtyson.com

 

[Stefan Blom]

To select the current column: Press Alt+Page Up, then press
Alt+Shift+Page Down.

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP


in message
news:[email protected]...

 

[Guest]

Thanks to everyone for their assistance. I didn't see the TableSelectColumn
and TableSelectRow commands under "Table"... I had to go to All Commands to
find them. Also, thanks to Herb for a trip down memory lane... I wouldn't
really want to go back to the dreaded typewriter. This is way too much fun!

 

[Herb Tyson [MVP]]

I gave up trying to use the built-in categories years ago. I guess they're
designed for people who aren't looking for the arcane or the obscure... my
specialty. ;-) I always head straight for All Commands.

I'm glad you now have a workable shortcut. It's frustrating when
conveniences are removed. In this case, it's nice that there was a way to
recapture the convenience, even if it's not the method you're used to.

Cheers,

--
Herb Tyson MS MVP
Author of the Word 2007 Bible
Blog: http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com
Web: http://www.herbtyson.com