SmartDoc fields are certainly great at displaying narrative text, but they also offer a number of ways to display more structured data. An example is the Table feature which allows you to organize information in your SmartDoc, and complete with shading and resizing of rows and columns - all of the tools you need to make your data understandable and visually compelling.

When should I use a Table in my SmartDoc?

Tables are particularly good for displaying more structured or categorized data, especially when there are a number of types of information that are distinct from one another. A few guidelines for when to use tables:

When you want to compare or highlight individual values, but not entire series of values
When precise values are required or should be emphasized
When the information to be communicated involves more than a single unit of measure or category
When overall trends are not necessarily important or needing to be emphasized

Using SmartDoc Tables

Adding a new Table

Tables are added through the slash-command menu. Here are the steps:

Type a / character at the start of a new line or after a space
Type all or part of the word table or scroll to the item with your mouse (it's in the Advanced section)
Click Insert Table

The Table will be added to your SmartDoc, and your cursor will be focused in the upper-left cell of the control - you're ready to add your content. Also, the Table will default to a 2x2 configuration to get you started.

Here's how it will look:

Adding rows and columns

Chances are you'll need something other than a 2x2 grid to hold all of your data. No problem, just click on a cell's 3-dot (...) menu to access the following options to expand your table:

Add row before - Adds a row above the current cell's row
Add row after - Add a row below the current cell's row
Add column before - Adds a column to the left of the current cell
Add column after - Adds a column to the right of the current cell

Deleting rows and columns

Rows and columns are just as easy to remove. Click on a cell in the target row or column, click on the cell's 3-dot (...) menu and you have the following options:

Delete column - Deletes the current cell's column
Delete row - Deletes the current cell's row

Note that these options are colored in red to remind you that they remove elements from your table. You can also use Control-Z to undo your change and get your row or column back (with data, of course...).

Resizing columns

To resize any of your columns, just hover over their border to display a grabber. Click your mouse button and hold it down; you'll be able to adjust the size of the column. It looks like this:

Header rows & columns and shading

Notice that the default table is configured as a Header Row, which applies bold formatting and a shaded gray background. You have several options for configuring rows and columns as "header" types, which apply this formatting to them - or removes it if toggled off.

The controls for these settings are toggles, meaning they switch header display mode on or off for the selected cell's row or column. You have the following choices in the Table menu:

Toggle header column - Toggles header display mode on or off for the selected column(s)
Toggle header row - Toggles header display mode on or off for the selected row(s)
Set Background Color - Sets the background color for the selected cell or cells

If you select any of these options and just have a single cell highlighted, you will apply the effect either to just that cell (for background color) or to the selected cell's row or column.

You can select multiple cells to apply these effects to many cells (or their respective rows and columns) all at once. Just do one of the following:

Highlight a cell, hold down the Shift key, and then expand the selection to the desired cells with your arrow keys.
Use the mouse to highlight multiple cells

Once you have the cells highlighted, you can click on the displayed 3-dot (...) menu which appears in the lowest-right cell to access the header and shading options for the entire selection.

Merging and unmerging cells

If you're familiar with spreadsheet applications, you know that most of them allow you to merge multiple cells together to reflect appropriate relationships between cells and their data. SmartDoc has this same capability, allowing the Table feature to support a wide range of configurations to best represent your information.

Merge cells

Here are the simple steps to merging cells:

Select the cells you want to merge, either with the keyboard or mouse
Click the displayed 3-dot (...) menu
Select Merge cells

The results will look something like this, depending on the number of cells merged:

Unmerge (Split) cells

To unmerge cells that were previously merged, just do this:

Highlight the merge cell
Click the displayed 3-dot (...) menu
Select Split cell

The cells will return to their original configuration - with one caveat... all of the data from the previously merge cells will be placed into the cell that is in the uppermost left-hand corner of the group of unmerged cells.

Embedding content in a Table

You can put just about anything you want inside a Table - use your creativity to arrange things just the way you want them!

Now you would never do this in the real world, but here's a view into what you can put inside a Table (umm - everything!)

Deleting a Table

If you don't need your Table anymore you can easily remove it from your SmartDoc. Just do the following:

Click on the Table
Select any cell's 3-dot (...) menu
Click Delete Table (the very last option)

The Table is immediately deleted. Decide you want it back? Just click Control-Z on your keyboard to undo the delete and get the whole Table back - content and all!