When you're working with PowerPoint, usually your goal is to communicate something to an
audience. That "something" can be communicated in a list or a SmartArt graphic. Another way
is to present it is in an organized table.
I want to share our book store's sales figures over the last five years, from 2006-2010.
I think a table would be the best way to present that.
To insert a table, all you have to do is go to Insert, Table, then move your mouse over
the squares for the number of columns and rows you want. The table I need is going to
be pretty big - six columns by six rows. Now click, and you can start entering your data.
But first, why don't we reposition the table so it fits better on the slide? Just place
your cursor on the edge; click, hold, and drag it to the new location; then let go.
To adjust the size, use the sizing handles on the sides of the table or in the corners.
Now we can enter some of our text. You can click any cell to select it or use the arrow
keys on your your keyboard to navigate. Right now, I'm using the down arrow to make my way
down this column.
Adding more columns or rows to a table is easy. I'd like to try inserting one below
the row that starts with Mystery, so I'm going to right-click and go to Insert. My options
include inserting a column to the left or right of where my cursor is, or a row above
or below. If I click Below, a row appears under Mystery, where my cursor was just a
minute ago.
Alternatively, if you want to delete a row or column, all you have to do is select a
cell, right-click, and then Delete it.
Let's fast forward to the finished table, with all of the sales figures in place. Now
that the data's complete, I thought we'd take a look at the Layout tab and the Design tab
that appear whenever you have your table selected.
Notice how my table has a nice grey color that matches the slide? That's not an accident.
It's already using a Table Style that looks good with our current theme. To check out
the other styles, mouse over for a preview, or open the full menu.
Once you've chosen a style, you can customize the way it's laid out using the Table Style
Options here. For example, you can decide whether or not to display special formatting
for the header row or the first column. These will all have a different effect depending
on the Table Style you're using, so you might need to experiment to get the look you want.
You may have noticed that this table has a border on the top and bottom, but not in between
the cells. To add or change the border anywhere on your table, just select the cells, then
go to Draw Borders. You can select a line Style, line Weight, and a Color for your border.
Now go to the Borders drop-down menu, and choose where you want the border to go. I
want mine on the Inside or in between these cells. There we go!
You can make further adjustments to things like the size and layout of your table by
going to the Layout tab. The first thing I'd like to do is make the table a little bigger.
Instead of using the sizing handles like before, I'm going to adjust the measurements here,
then click Distribute Rows to make the rows even again. Next I'm going to combine these
two cells into one cell by first selecting them, and then clicking the Merge Cells command.
The last thing I'd like to do is select the entire table to change the text alignment
using these icons in the Alignment group. I think centered looks the best.
As you can see, the Layout tab gives you lots options for customizing your table, so it
works for you, and the information you want to share with your audience.