Tables, graphics and page layout
Inserting and formatting tables, working with pictures and shapes, columns, headers and footers, and building an automatic table of contents.
Module contents
Text alone rarely does the job. This topic covers everything a document contains besides paragraphs.
Tables
A table is a grid of rows and columns whose intersections are cells. Each cell holds text, numbers or even a picture, and behaves like a small independent page.
Creating a table
- Insert → Table and drag over the grid, for small tables
- Insert → Table → Insert Table, and type the number of rows and columns
- Draw Table, to draw the borders by hand
- Convert Text to Table — turns text already typed, separated by tabs or commas, into a table. The separator is called the delimiter.
Moving about
Tab moves to the next cell; Shift+Tab to the previous. Pressing Tab in the last cell creates a new row, which is the quickest way to extend a table. (This is why Tab cannot be used to indent inside a cell — use Ctrl+Tab.)
Editing structure
- Insert rows above or below, columns left or right
- Delete a row, a column, the cell contents, or the whole table
- Merge cells — combine several cells into one, used for a heading spanning the width
- Split cells — divide one cell into several
- Split table — break one table into two
- Row height and column width — dragged, typed exactly, or set by AutoFit to contents or window
- Distribute rows/columns evenly — makes them equal
Formatting
- Borders and shading — line style, weight, colour; cell background colour. A table with no borders is a useful invisible layout grid.
- Alignment within a cell — nine combinations of horizontal and vertical
- Text direction — rotate text vertically in a cell
- Cell margins and spacing
- Table Styles — ready-made colour schemes
- Repeat Header Rows — makes the heading row reappear at the top of every page when a table runs over several pages. Without it, page 2 of a long table is unreadable.
- Sort — arrange rows by the values in a chosen column, ascending or descending
- Formula — a table can total a column with
=SUM(ABOVE), and also do AVERAGE, COUNT, MIN and MAX. Useful for a small total, but a spreadsheet is the right tool for real calculation.
Pictures and graphics
| Object | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Pictures | Insert an image from a file or from an online source |
| Shapes | Lines, arrows, rectangles, circles, callouts, flowchart symbols |
| Icons | Simple line symbols |
| SmartArt | Ready-made diagrams — lists, processes, cycles, hierarchies, organisation charts |
| Chart | A graph, with its data edited in a small embedded spreadsheet |
| WordArt | Decorative text |
| Text Box | A movable frame holding text independently of the main flow |
| Equation | Mathematical notation, with a symbol palette |
| Symbol | Characters not on the keyboard — ₹, ©, α, ≤ |
| Screenshot | Capture from another window |
Handling a picture
- Resize — drag a corner handle to keep the proportions; dragging a side handle stretches and distorts the image.
- Crop — trim away part of the picture.
- Rotate — by the handle above, or by an exact angle.
- Text wrapping decides how text behaves around the picture, and is the setting that causes most difficulty:
| Wrapping | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| In line with text | The picture sits in the text like a very large character and moves with it |
| Square | Text flows round a rectangle enclosing the picture |
| Tight | Text follows the picture's actual outline |
| Through | Text fills concave parts of the outline too |
| Top and bottom | Text stops above and resumes below |
| Behind text | The picture sits under the text — used for watermarks |
| In front of text | The picture covers the text |
- Position — either in line (moving with the text) or floating (anchored to a place on the page). A floating picture shows an anchor symbol indicating the paragraph it is attached to; delete that paragraph and the picture goes too.
- Corrections and effects — brightness, contrast, colour, artistic effects, borders, shadow.
- Compress Pictures — reduces the file size of a document containing photographs, often dramatically.
- Group — combines several shapes so they move and resize as one.
- Order — bring forward or send backward when objects overlap.
Columns
Layout → Columns sets one, two or three columns, or a custom arrangement with a specified width and spacing and an optional line between. Applying columns to selected text automatically inserts section breaks around it, which is how a newsletter can have a full-width headline above two columns of text. A column break (Ctrl+Shift+Enter) forces text to the top of the next column.
Headers and footers
A header is text repeated at the top of every page, a footer at the foot. Typical contents: page number, total pages, document title, chapter name, date, author, logo.
Options that matter:
- Different First Page — so a title page carries no header
- Different Odd and Even Pages — for a document to be printed double-sided and bound
- Link to Previous — when unlinked at a section break, each section can have its own header, which is how chapter names appear in the header of their own chapter
Page numbers are inserted as fields — placeholders that Word evaluates. That is why the numbering is automatically correct after text is added, and why numbering can be made to restart at 1 after a preliminary section.
Page breaks and section breaks
- Page break (Ctrl+Enter) — starts a new page, and keeps that position when text above changes. This is the correct way to begin a chapter on a fresh page; pressing Enter until the text falls onto the next page breaks the moment anything above is edited.
- Section break — starts a new section, which may then have its own page settings. Types: Next Page, Continuous (same page), Even Page, Odd Page.
A section break is the answer whenever page formatting must change part-way through — one landscape page for a wide table, different margins for an appendix, or numbering that restarts.
Table of contents
- Apply Heading 1, Heading 2 and Heading 3 styles to the headings.
- Place the cursor where the contents should appear, usually a page of its own.
- References → Table of Contents and choose an automatic table.
- After editing the document, Update Table — choosing update page numbers only or update entire table.
The whole feature depends on heading styles. Headings that merely look bold produce an empty table of contents.
Related automatic features, all built the same way: caption (a numbered label on a figure or table), table of figures, cross-reference, footnote and endnote (Ctrl+Alt+F), bookmark and hyperlink (Ctrl+K).
Step by step
2 proceduresFollow these at the machine. Each numbered step is one action.
Building a formatted mark list table
Task
Create a table of five subjects with columns Sl. No., Subject, Marks, Grade, a single merged heading cell reading "Semester 1 Results" across the top, shaded heading row, and a total of the marks.
Insert the grid
Insert → Table → Insert Table. Enter 4 columns and 8 rows — one merged title row, one column-heading row, five subject rows, and one total row.
Merge the title row
Select all four cells of row 1 by dragging across them, then right-click and choose Merge Cells (or Layout → Merge Cells).
Type
Semester 1 Results, press Ctrl+E to centre it and Ctrl+B for bold.Enter the column headings and data
In row 2 type
Sl. No.,Subject,Marks,Grade, pressing Tab to move from cell to cell.Continue with the five subject rows. Tab moves forward, Shift+Tab back; in the very last cell Tab would add a new row, so stop before that.
Shade the heading rows
Select rows 1 and 2. Table Design → Shading and pick a light colour. Keep it light — dark shading behind dark text is unreadable when photocopied.
Align the columns sensibly
Select the Marks column and the Sl. No. column and centre them (Ctrl+E); leave Subject left-aligned.
Numbers read best centred or right-aligned in a column; text reads best left-aligned. Mixing them arbitrarily makes a table hard to scan.
Total the marks
In the last row type
Totalunder Subject, then click the cell beneath the Marks column.Layout → Formula. Word proposes
=SUM(ABOVE). Accept it, and the total of the marks column appears.Note that this is a field: if a mark is later changed, right-click the total and choose Update Field — it does not recalculate by itself as a spreadsheet would.
Finish the borders
Table Design → Borders → All Borders to make the grid visible, and optionally set a thicker outside border via Borders and Shading.
If the table might run over a page, select row 2 and switch on Layout → Repeat Header Rows.
Result
An 8 × 4 table with a merged shaded title row, shaded column headings, aligned columns, and a =SUM(ABOVE) total.
NoteWord's table formulas are fields and must be updated by hand. If the numbers will change often, build the table in Excel and paste it in.
Inserting one landscape page in a portrait report
Task
A portrait report needs page 7 to be landscape so a wide table fits, with the rest of the document unchanged.
Understand why an ordinary setting will not do
Orientation is page formatting, and page formatting applies to a whole section. With only one section in the document, changing orientation changes every page.
The table therefore needs a section of its own — which means two section breaks, one before it and one after.
Insert the first section break
Click at the very beginning of the content that is to become page 7. Choose Layout → Breaks → Next Page (a section break, not a plain page break).
Insert the second section break
Click at the end of that content — immediately before the text that should return to portrait. Insert another Next Page section break.
The wide table now sits alone in its own section, section 2 of three.
Change the orientation of that section only
Click anywhere inside the middle section and choose Layout → Orientation → Landscape.
Only that section rotates. Switch on View → Navigation or the ¶ marks (Ctrl+Shift+8) to confirm the breaks are where you intend.
Fix the header and footer
By default a new section inherits the previous header and footer through the Link to Previous setting, which is usually what you want — the page number should continue.
If the rotated page needs a different header, double-click into it and switch Link to Previous off first. If the page numbering appears to restart, check Page Number → Format Page Numbers → Continue from previous section.
Verify
Scroll through pages 6, 7 and 8: portrait, landscape, portrait, with page numbers running consecutively and the table fitting inside the margins.
Result
Two Next Page section breaks isolate the page, then Orientation → Landscape is applied to that section alone, with header/footer linking checked.
NoteAlmost every 'this part of the document must be different' problem — margins, columns, orientation, restarted numbering — is solved by section breaks.
Practice problems
5 with solutionsWork each one on paper first. The full solution — not just the answer — is one click away.
Explain the terms merge cells, split cells and AutoFit in a table.
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Merge cells. Combines two or more adjacent cells into a single larger cell. The contents of the merged cells are kept, one below another. Its commonest use is a heading spanning the whole width of a table, or a label covering several rows.
How: select the cells → right-click → Merge Cells, or Layout → Merge Cells.
Split cells. The reverse: divides one cell into a specified number of rows and columns. Word asks how many of each. Used when a single column must be subdivided — for example splitting "Marks" into "Theory" and "Practical".
How: click the cell → Layout → Split Cells → enter the numbers.
Related: Split Table divides one table into two separate tables at the cursor's row.
AutoFit. Sets column widths automatically, in one of three ways:
- AutoFit Contents — each column shrinks or grows to exactly fit the widest entry in it, so no space is wasted.
- AutoFit Window — the table stretches to fill the full width between the margins, columns keeping their relative proportions.
- Fixed Column Width — switches automatic adjustment off, so columns stay exactly as set even when longer text is typed.
How: Layout → AutoFit.
Also useful: Distribute Rows and Distribute Columns, which make all rows or columns exactly equal.
What is a header and footer? Give four items typically placed in each.
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A header is text or graphics that appears in the top margin of every page of a document (or of a section); a footer does the same in the bottom margin. They are entered once and repeated automatically, so they never have to be retyped.
Typically in a header: the document or chapter title; the organisation's name and logo; the author's name; the date; a confidentiality marking such as "Draft" or "Confidential".
Typically in a footer: the page number; "Page 3 of 40"; the file name and path; a copyright line; the date of printing.
Important options.
- Different First Page — suppresses the header and footer on a title page.
- Different Odd and Even Pages — for double-sided printing and binding, so the page number always falls on the outer edge.
- Link to Previous — when switched off after a section break, each section can carry its own header, which is how a chapter name can appear in the header of that chapter only.
Why page numbers are inserted as fields. A page number typed by hand would be the same on every page. Word instead inserts a field, a placeholder it evaluates for each page, so numbering stays correct however much text is added or removed — and can be made to restart at 1 after the preliminary pages.
How to access: Insert → Header / Footer, or double-click in the top or bottom margin. Double-click in the body of the page to leave.
What is text wrapping? Describe five wrapping options and say when each is appropriate.
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Text wrapping determines how the text of a document behaves around an inserted picture or shape — whether it flows round it, stops for it, or ignores it entirely. It is set from Picture Format → Wrap Text, or from the small layout-options button that appears beside a selected picture.
Five options.
1. In line with text. The picture is treated as a single very large character sitting in the line of text. It moves with the surrounding words as text is added or deleted, and cannot be dragged freely.
Appropriate for: a small diagram or equation image that must stay exactly with the sentence that refers to it — the safest choice for academic work, because the picture can never drift away from its text.
2. Square. Text flows around the rectangular boundary enclosing the picture, leaving a neat margin on all sides.
Appropriate for: a photograph placed beside a paragraph in a report or newsletter — the standard choice for a floating illustration.
3. Tight. Text follows the picture's actual outline rather than its rectangle, so it hugs an irregular shape.
Appropriate for: a cut-out image with a transparent background, such as a logo or a photograph with the background removed.
4. Top and bottom. Text stops above the picture and resumes below it; nothing appears to the left or right.
Appropriate for: a wide chart, table image or map that occupies the full width — trying to squeeze text alongside would leave unreadably narrow columns.
5. Behind text. The picture sits underneath the text, which runs straight over it.
Appropriate for: a watermark, a background pattern, or a faint logo behind the body of a certificate. (The opposite, In front of text, places the picture over the text and is used for a stamp or an overlaid label, but hides whatever is beneath.)
In line against floating. In line with text is the only option that keeps the picture in the text flow; the rest make it floating, anchored to a position on the page. A floating picture shows an anchor mark against the paragraph it is attached to — and if that paragraph is deleted, the picture disappears with it, which surprises many users.
Distinguish between a page break and a section break, and give two situations requiring a section break.
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| Page break | Section break | |
|---|---|---|
| Effect | Moves the following text to a new page | Starts a new section, which may have its own page settings |
| Inserted by | Ctrl+Enter, or Insert → Page Break | Layout → Breaks → (Next Page / Continuous / Even / Odd) |
| Allows different page settings? | No | Yes |
| Types | One | Four |
| Used for | Beginning a new chapter on a fresh page | Changing margins, orientation, columns or numbering part-way through |
Both are far better than the alternative of pressing Enter repeatedly, which collapses as soon as text above is edited.
Situations requiring a section break.
1. One landscape page in a portrait document. Orientation is a property of a section, so a wide table needing landscape must be isolated between two Next Page section breaks; only then can that section be rotated while the rest stays portrait. The same applies to different margins for an appendix, or a different paper size.
2. Page numbering that restarts, or differs in style. A project report typically has preliminary pages (title, certificate, acknowledgement, contents) numbered in roman numerals i, ii, iii, and a main body numbered 1, 2, 3 starting from the introduction. This needs a section break between them, Link to Previous switched off for the header/footer, and the second section set to Start at 1.
Other cases: two-column text below a full-width headline (Word inserts Continuous section breaks for this automatically); a different header carrying each chapter's own name; and starting every chapter on an odd-numbered page for double-sided printing, using an Odd Page section break.
Practical tip. Turn on formatting marks with Ctrl+Shift+8 to see exactly where breaks lie. Invisible section breaks in the wrong place are a common cause of page settings that "refuse" to change.
Describe the steps to create an automatic table of contents, and explain why it must be built from heading styles rather than from manually formatted headings.
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Steps.
-
Apply heading styles. Give each chapter title Heading 1, each section Heading 2, each sub-section Heading 3. Select the text and click the style on the Home tab, or use Ctrl+Alt+1, 2, 3.
-
Adjust the appearance if wanted — right-click a style and choose Modify to change its font, size, colour and spacing. Every heading using it changes at once.
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Place the cursor where the contents should appear, normally a page of its own created with a page break.
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Insert the table. References → Table of Contents → Automatic Table 1 (or Custom Table of Contents to choose how many levels to show, and whether to show page numbers and dot leaders).
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Update after editing. Click the table and choose Update Table, or press F9, then choose Update page numbers only or Update entire table. Word also updates it when the document is printed if that option is set.
Why heading styles are essential.
A table of contents is generated by Word reading the document's outline. That outline exists only where heading styles have been applied. Applying Heading 1 records the fact "this text is a top-level heading" as a property of the paragraph. Making text 16 pt bold by hand records only "this text is 16 pt bold" — an appearance, carrying no meaning.
The consequence is direct: Word looks for paragraphs marked as headings. If none exist it finds nothing, and inserts an empty table or the message that no entries were found. It cannot infer intent from formatting, because plenty of text is bold and large without being a heading — a company name, an emphasised warning, the title of a figure.
What else the same structure provides, all of it lost with manual formatting:
- Navigation pane — a clickable outline for jumping between sections
- Collapsible sections in the body of the document
- Cross-references — "see Section 3.2" that stays correct when sections are renumbered
- Outline view — reordering an entire section, with its contents, by dragging one heading
- Automatic numbering of chapters and sections, renumbering itself when one is inserted
- Accessibility — a screen reader announces headings and their levels, letting a blind reader move through the document rather than listening to it end to end
- Correct conversion — a document exported to PDF, HTML or EPUB keeps its bookmarks and structure
The general lesson. Manual formatting describes what text should look like; a style declares what text is. Every automatic feature in a long document is built on the second, and none of them can be recovered later from the first. Twenty minutes applying styles at the start saves the hour spent renumbering a contents page before every reprint — and produces a document that stays correct.