Word table insert row issue 1

[MIC74]

Greetings,

I have attached a Word document, which is the offending document in my problem description below. Please feel free to take a look and witness the problem in all its glory!

I have a customer who insists on using a table in Word to keep track of some data. I had him try Excel, but he just didn't like it.

So, assuming we must use Word, here is my issue:

When we insert a new row in the table, the text box in the new row appears way too high, and the font gets reduced down to a tiny size. We have tried all the usual things like clearing table formatting, specifying font size document wide, all of that. No matter what we do, we get this tiny little text box in new rows aligned way too high, and this keeps happening regardless of formatting, alignment, or font settings.

Any idea why this would be happening? He used to have Word 2000, and had no problems. We are now using this document in Word 2010.

Interestingly, the same exact issue happens if we open the document in Open Office.

Any ideas? We bought Office thinking that Open Office was the problem, and sure enough, there's the same problem in Word!

 

[fumei]

I can not get to that site, so I can not see your file.

I have some questions though.

" we insert a new row in the table, the text box in the new row appears way too high"

How are you inserting the new row?
How are you inserting the textbox? What KIND of textbox???
Are you using explicit Styles for the cells?

< 60 working days until retirement

 

[xlhelp]

Highlight your Table and change the Style to Normal.

Format; Styles and Formatting...; under "Show:" choose available Styles and switch to Normal. You have some unusual style attched to it.

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I should live a long time - I eat a lot of preservatives.

 

[fumei]

That is possibly true, and certainly making everything Normal may solve this.

Select the table.
Choose Clear Formatting from the Styles dropdown.

< 60 working days until retirement

 

[xlhelp]

< 60 working days until retirement

I am jealous... I have <120 working days

Canadian eh! Check out the new social forum Tek-Tips in Canada.
I should live a long time - I eat a lot of preservatives.

 

[fumei]

That is not all that much different. It is going to be weird as it gets down to the last few days. And I will be dropping out of this and other forums, as I do not have Internet at home. Nor do I plan on getting access.

< 60 working days until retirement

 

[xlhelp]

Happy retirement when it comes and happy star gazing.

I can only asnwer Q's on the forum when I am working from home. Blocked at work.

I guess that's enough hijacking of the thread for today.

Canadian eh! Check out the new social forum Tek-Tips in Canada.
I should live a long time - I eat a lot of preservatives.

 

[macropod]

When we insert a new row in the table, the text box in the new row appears way too high, and the font gets reduced down to a tiny size.

There are two reasons for this:
1. Your table rows all have an empty paragraph before the line containing the text. When you insert a new row, you don't automatically get those empty paragraphs added to each row; and
2. The cell alignment is formatted to 'top' forcing the text added to the new rows to the top of each cell.

Now for the cure:
1. Do a Find/Replace, with:
Find = ^p
Replace = nothing
and choose 'Replace All.

2. Apply the Normal Style to the Whole document. For this use Ctrl-A then select the 'Normal' Style from the 'Style' dropdown on the 'Formatting' toolbar.

3. Modify the 'Normal' Style. Choose Format|Style|Modify|Format|Paragraph and make the before and after spacing 3pt (or something different if you prefer), then click OK, followed by Format|Font and set the point size to 10, followed by OK, OK, Apply.

Cheers
Paul Edstein
[MS MVP - Word]

 

[fumei]

Modify the 'Normal' Style. "

Ack! Paul??? Really?

< 60 working days until retirement

 

[macropod]

Hi Gerry,

For the OP's document, that should do just fine.

Cheers
Paul Edstein
[MS MVP - Word]

 

[MIC74]

Update!

Macropod's solution worked. I had thousands of mini paragraphs all over the place inside all the rows. I did everything except modify the "Normal" style, because I didn't see the options described to do that. None the less, my problem is solved!

 

[macropod]

Hi MIC74,

Sorry - I missed the 'We are now using this document in Word 2010'. In Word 2010, You can modify a Style by right-clicking on a suitable paragraph and changing its formattingto suit your requirements(eg the last paragraph in your document), then choosing 'Styles' and 'Update (Stylename) to match selection'.

Another option would be to modify the table itself, by setting a suitable 'fixed' or 'at least' row height and formatting the cell vertical alignment to 'center'.

Cheers
Paul Edstein
[MS MVP - Word]

 

[MIC74]

Macropod-

Thanks again for the solution! The customer has Word 2010, but on my test system it's Word 07.

Anyway, I added the 3pt space before and after like you suggested, and that aligned things perfectly.

Thanks again!

 

[xlhelp]

Ah,....well....I might as well ---->*

Canadian eh! Check out the new social forum Tek-Tips in Canada.
I should live a long time - I eat a lot of preservatives.