Lesson 6 Tabs and Tabbed Columns

1. Lesson 6 Tabs and Tabbed Columns

2. Objectives • Set tabs. • Set leader tabs. • Clear tabs. • Adjust tab settings. • Create tabbed columns. • Sort paragraphs and tabbed columns.

3. Tabs • Tabs are used to align text. • Tabs are a paragraph-formatting feature. • Word inserts a tab character () when you press [Tab]. • The position of the tab setting is called the tab stop. • Word’s default tabs are left aligned and set every 0.5 inch. • Default tabs appear as tiny tick marks at the bottom of the ruler.

4. Default Tabs

5. Tabs • Custom tab settings are indicated by tab markers on the horizontal ruler. • Each time you press [Enter] the tab settings are copied to the next paragraph. • Set tabs before you key text or select existing text and apply tab settings. • There are five types of tabs: • Left • Centered • Right-aligned • Decimal • Bar

6. Types of Tabs

7. Set Tabs using the Tabs Dialog Box • Open the Tabs dialog box by clicking the Home tab. Click the Paragraph Dialog Box Launcher and click the Tabs button. • Key the desired tab setting in the Tab stop position text box. • Click the appropriate alignment. • Click Set. • Key a second tab setting (if necessary) in the Tab stop position text box, click an alignment option, and click Set. • Click OK when all tabs are set.

8. Tabs Dialog Box

9. Set Tabs using the Ruler • Click the Tab Alignment button on the left of the ruler to choose the type of tab alignment. • Each time you click the Tab Alignment button, the type of alignment changes. • Click the position on the ruler to set the tab.

10. Tab Alignment Button

11. Tab Alignment Buttons

12. Tabbed Text

13. Setting Leader Tabs • Leaders guide the reader’s eye from one tabbed column to the next. • Leader characters include dotted line, dashed line, or solid line. • Leader patterns always fill the space to the left of a leader tab setting. • Leader tabs must be set using the Tabs dialog box. • Key the desired tab setting in the Tab stop position, click the Alignment option, and click the Leader option.

14. Leader Patterns

15. Clearing Tabs • Clear custom tabs individually or all at once.When you clear custom tabs, Word restores the default tab stops to the left of the custom tab stop. • There are three ways to clear a tab. • Use the Tabs dialog box. • Use the ruler. • Press [Ctrl]+[Q].

16. Clear a Tab—Tabs Dialog Box • Select the text. • Open the Tabs dialog box. • Select the tab in the Tab stop position box. • Clear the Clear button • Click OK.

17. Clear a Tab using the Ruler • Select the text. • Point to the tab marker on the ruler. • Drag the tab marker down and off the ruler.

18. Adjust Tab Settings • Adjust tab settings using the Tabs dialog box or the ruler. • Select text before adjusting tabs. • To adjust tab settings using the Tabs dialog box, select the tab setting, and change the alignment option or the leader option. If the tab setting value needs to be adjusted, delete the incorrect setting and key the new setting. • Drag the tab markers to the left or right to adjust settings using the ruler.

19. Adjust a Tab Setting

20. Tabbed Columns • Center tabbed columns within the margins. • Place six to ten spaces between columns. • Width of tabbed columns should not exceed the width of the document text. • Separate the top and bottom of the tabbed columns from the body text with a minimum of one blank line.

21. Set Tabbed Columns • Determine longest item in each column. • Create a guide line that contains the longest item in each column and the blank spaces. Center the line. • Use the I-beam as a guide and click the ruler to set tabs for each column. • Delete the text in the guide line, but do not delete the paragraph mark. • Change the alignment to left and key the text.

22. Guide Line for Tabbed Columns

23. Select a Tabbed Column

24. Bar Tabs • Use bar tabs to format tabbed columns. • Vertical lines are placed at a fixed position creating a border between columns. • Set bar tabs using the ruler or the Tabs dialog box. • Adjust bar tabs if necessary for even spacing.

25. Text with Bar Tabs

26. Sort Paragraphs and Tabbed Columns • Process of reordering text alphabetically or numerically. • Sort from lowest to highest or highest or lowest. • Ascending • Descending • Sort paragraphs, lists, or columns in a table. • When sorting a tabbed table, sort by any of the columns. • Use the Sort button in the Paragraph group.

27. Sorting Tabbed Columns

28. Sort Text Dialog Box

29. Lesson 6 Summary • Tabs are a paragraph-formatting feature used to align text. When you press Tab, Word inserts a tab character and moves the insertion position to the tab setting, called the tab stop • Word’s default tabs are left-aligned and set every half-inch from the left margin, as indicated at the bottom of the horizontal ruler • The four most common types of custom tabs are left-aligned, centered, right-aligned, and decimal-aligned. Custom tab settings are indicated on the horizontal ruler by tab markers • Set tabs by using the Tabs dialog box or the ruler

30. Lesson 6 Summary • A leader tab uses a series of dots, dashes, or solid underlines to fill the empty space to the left of a tab stop. Use the Tabs dialog box to set a leader tab • Clear custom tabs all at once or individually using the Tabs dialog box, the ruler, or by pressing Ctrl+Q • To adjust tab settings, position the insertion point in the tabbed text (or select the text), and then either open the Tabs Dialog box or drag the tab markers on the ruler • Use tabs to present information in columns. Tabbed columns are a side-by-side vertical list of information

31. Lesson 6 Summary • To select a tabbed column (for formatting or deleting the text), hold down Alt and drag the I-beam over the text • Use bar tabs to format tabbed columns similar to a table with gridlines. A bar tab inserts a vertical line at a fixed position, creating a border between columns. You can set bar tabs by using the ruler or the Tabs dialog box • Sorting is the process of reordering text alphabetically or numerically. You can sort to rearrange text in ascending or descending order