[vip_students] MSWord 03: Creating a document with columns
- From: "\(NCBI\) Paul Traynor" <paul.traynor@xxxxxxx>
- To: <vip_students@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2011 08:43:51 -0000
When you have information to organize on a page in Microsoft Word you may find
columns let you create a better looking document than text that flows the full
width of the page. Columns not only help you to organize text in a newspaper
style format where text runs through a series of narrow columns but they also
work well with documents such as step by step training documents and even some
reports and brochures. In this column I will show you how to organize text in
columns in Word including how to create a document that looks like it is
formatted in columns but, in fact, uses tables instead. I'll also show you how
you can get the look of columns using linked text boxes that work best in some
other situations. I'll show you which of the techniques you should use and
when.
Column Basics
(Description of what columns do)
Columns in a Word document allow you to divide the page vertically into two or
more sections so that text you type into them runs down the first section
(column) until it is full and then it snakes over to start again at the top of
the second section (column). When this is full, the text snakes up and begins
to fill the third column, if there is one. If not, a new page is begun and the
text begins to fill the first column of the new page.
(What kind of situations you can use columns in)
These newspaper style columns are the tool to use for newsletters but they also
work well for training documents. You will often find you can get more text on
the page if you use columns and it looks neater and more professional. In
addition, text is more easily read when in columns because the column widths
are shorter so the lines of text are correspondingly shorter too.
(Use the columns feature to create a newspaper type document in Word.)
Note: Columns are only visible in Print Layout view so you will need to switch
to this view before you can view and work with them.
1. While in MS Word, choose View, Print Layout. You will know if this is
already the default view because when you go into the view menu, "Alt + V" and
arrow down, "print view" will be checked, if it is then leave it alone and
press the escape key to exit the menu.
Note: When you create a document using columns you can do this as you type the
document or you can type it first and arrange it into columns later on.
2. To format a document with columns, choose Format, "alt + O" then arrow down
to columns and press enter.
3. When you open the columns dialogue box, the first entry will be to select
the number of columns to use, press up or down arrow to make a selection.
Typically, on an A4 sheet of paper, you will use two or three columns. Use two
columns for training materials and, for newsletters you can use either two or
three columns, in this example we will use "2".
Notes: Colum's can also be entered via the keyboard on a need only basis if you
like to do it this way.
4. Press the tab key once and you will have a checkbox indicating that you can
have a line between each of the columns, leave this unchecked if you don't want
a line between your columns.
Note: the line is black and a fixed width and can't be altered.
5. Press the tab key again and you will now be in a "spin box". Here you decide
what size/width you wish your columns to be. Make a selection using the up or
down arrows.
6. Press tab again and you are still in the Width/Spacing section only now a
new spin box which allows you to indicate what widths you require between the
columns. Use the arrow keys to make your own choice.
Note: I would suggest leaving the previous two spin boxes alone as by default
word sets them itself and is usually fine for what you might want in a set of
columns. You can change this however because when you tab to the next element
it is a checkbox which is checked by default and indicates to word that you
wish to have equal columns. Uncheck this box if you want to make your own
choices.
Tip: If you use Left justified type, then the right margin of the text will
have a ragged edge. If the spacing between the two columns is too narrow, the
readers eye will be encouraged to read across the two columns instead of
reading down. This is particularly the case when there isn't a neat edge to
give them a visual indication that they've reached the end of the line.
7. Now press the tab key to the next dialogue element which is a combo box and
which allows us the choice to begin our columns at the beginning of the top of
our page or from where the cursor is placed by us.
Note: This is an extremely important setting, particularly in the situation
where you want a heading to span the full width of the page and the columns to
begin under the heading. In this situation, place your cursor where you want
the columns to start and then choose Format, Columns and configure your column
settings.
From the Apply to list choose "This Point Forward" using the arrow keys and
the columns will begin at the cursor position, after the heading.
8. When you are done, tab over to and click or press spacebar on Ok to confirm
your settings.
For anyone who likes to have the ruler showing you will see the column markers
on the ruler line. To view the ruler, choose View, "alt + V", then arrow down
to Ruler and press enter key.
(Entering Text)
If you haven't yet entered the text, you can now start typing in the column.
When you reach the right edge of the column, the text will scroll around and
begin a new line well before it reaches the right side of the page. When you
fill the first column of text the text will snake back up from the bottom of
the first column to the top of the second.
(Managing text in columns)
When you want to finish a column of text before you reach the bottom of the
page, press Enter once and then choose Insert, Break, Column Break and click
Ok. The text will then jump to the top of the next column even though it hasn't
reached the bottom of the first.
To insert a column break using the keyboard, press "Control, Shift + enter".
When you're working with columns and if you need to move between columns you
can either click with your mouse or use these keyboard shortcuts. To move to
the next column, choose Alt + Down Arrow and to move to the previous column,
press Alt + Up arrow. These commands will only work where you already have text
in the column � so, if the second column is empty, pressing Alt + Down arrow
won't work.
Give it a try and see how you get on.
Paul.
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