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Word 2007: Are Table Styles safe to use now?

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AndyM:
superboyac, I wonder what the data looked like originally, the data you imported.  Because when I look at the example you posted, my first thought is Word.  This just looks like a natural for a Word table, right from scratch.  And the fact that these are not one-line records would make tabs the wrong tool here imo.  Plus as soon as you want borders around the cells, tabs stop being convenient.

The stuff they talk about in the article, I have run into that sort of problem.  In general the bulk of the problems seem to happen when you are copying and pasting cells (as opposed to just the text).  When there are no merged cells (problematic in both Word and Excel and worth avoiding), I usually don't have problems moving/adding/deleting/copying/sorting whole rows or columns.  Tried a table within a table once or twice, never again.  Merging tables has at times caused major headaches.

I do serious and extensive version saving/backup while I'm working and check carefully that things are ok before I press on.  Mutters heard often from my corner:  "shouldn'ta done that, sure glad I saved a version just before I tried it."

AndyM:
...  So is that what you would do?  Use html export from IQ, and then paste in Word and apply a table style? ...
-superboyac (May 28, 2010, 12:20 PM)
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Unless they work in Word 2007, not a table style!!!  If it doesn't import as a table, import it as tabbed data.  Then turn it into a table (Table>convert>...).  Once it's a table, then apply paragraph styles column by column (usually everything in a single column has the same basic format).  Select a cell's contents, make it pretty, name a style after it.  Select the whole column (and any other suitable columns) and apply that paragraph style.   

btw, Word stores paragraph formatting in the endPara mark (the pilcrow).  If you have the cursor in the paragraph, with nothing selected, then any paragraph style you apply will automatically be applied to the whole paragraph (same as if you selected the entire paragraph including the endPara mark).  If you select part of the paragraph, which also includes the scenario where you select everything except the endPara mark, then the style will be applied as a character style, not what you want.  (Remember the difference between including and not including the endPara mark when you select and copy.  When pasting into another document this will determine whether or not the style also gets pasted.  Experiment.)

The thing about table cells:  they are paragraphs without endPara marks.  I think the little shaded square that appears at the end of cell text, when you show formatting marks, serves the same purpose.

You can use end para marks in a table cell, but I usually use line breaks if I want to force a newline.  That way everything, both sides of any line breaks, is still all in the same paragraph.

AndyM:
Another advantage to processing text in Word compared to Excel is that the Search & Replace in Word is more powerful.  Many of the tricks to massage imported data require clever Search&Replacing.

But I do find Excel easier to use to parse or concatenate strings.  And if your data includes dates, a pass thru Excel can save grief and time.

Armando:
ARmando!  i totally missed your long post above.  Thanks, it's good to know how you do things.  So is that what you would do?  Use html export from IQ, and then paste in Word and apply a table style?

Could you maybe post a screenshot of a finished product table you've inserted using this method?  I'd appreciate it.
-superboyac (May 28, 2010, 12:20 PM)
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Hi Aram,
Sorry for the delay.
I think it's very straight forward.

Either use what Pierre suggested in his previous post (

The other way is :

1- Select the content
2- Edit>>Copy and choose Tab-delimited format.
3- Paste this into Word (paste special > unformatted text)
4- Select the text and Table >>  convert it to a table (tab delimited)
-PPLandry (May 27, 2010, 10:11 PM)
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Or

Export to HTML and copy to Word. This works even better now as the "multiple empty columns to the right of the page" problem is now fixed (it was a problem with how Word interpreted HTML).

Then do exactly as AndyM suggested :

Once it's a table, then apply paragraph styles column by column (usually everything in a single column has the same basic format).  Select a cell's contents, make it pretty, name a style after it.  Select the whole column (and any other suitable columns) and apply that paragraph style.
-AndyM (May 28, 2010, 12:45 PM)
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I could provide you with a screenshot, but... You'd only see a Word table with some formatting. Nothing special.

In any case I don't think you'll run into any problem.

Let us know.

kfitting:
AndyM... going back to your advice on using tabs instead of tables.  How would one format text so each "cell" could have multiline text in it?  I dont see how tabs allow you to do this.

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