Word - Tables and line spacing

[camster39]

I've got a basic merge doc that looks like:

<<First>> <<Last>> Thank you for your
<<Address>> business Mr. <<Last>>
<<Address2>>

The "thank you for your business" section is in a 16pt bold font and the address info. is in a 10pt regular font. I want to keep this information on the same horizontal space but when I merge the data, the address info. on the left gets too much spacing as it does not seem to be independent of the info on the right.

How can I set this up so that the size of the info on the right does not mess up my spacing on the left. I tried inserting another table, splitting the cells, deleting spaces etc..

What am I missing? Using Word2000

Thanks

 

[fumei]

1. What is "regular" font? Never heard of that Font name before.

2. Clarify "too much space".
a) Too much between lines?
b) Too much between words?
c) Too much between the left block of text and the right block?
d) All of the above?

3. Use Styles.

Gerry

 

[camster39]

Sorry for the messy post. Is there a way to upload an attachment (my zipped up word doc. or even a print screen JPG of the doc)? As you can tell, I'm having a tough time explaining this

1- Regular font - just meant to say that the point size on the left block is much smaller than the point size on the right block (16 vs 10).

2- Too much space between lines. Because my point size on the right block is in a much larger font, I can't figure out how to get my wording on the left block to have independent line spacing (in other words, I don't want the line spacing of the left block to match the line spacing of the right block). I thought tables were a way around this but I'm messing that up.

Thanks again.

 

[fumei]

Using a table will work fine. It is not using Styles that is messing you up.

1. Make a new Style. Name it LeftTableText (or whatever), and format it to the font size you want, including any other characteristics.

2. Make a new Style. Name it RightTableText (or whatever), and format it to the font size you want, including any other characteristics.

3. Make a two column table. Select the left column and make it LeftTableText style. Select the right column and make it RightTableText style.

This should do it. If you can't make it work, post back. Heck, if it DOES work, post back to let us know.

Gerry

 

[LordGarsdale]

Hi
Just for the record, can't you just put the 'block' on the right into a text box, it then wouldn't affect the address on the left. You can still merge the text box into your letter. This worked for me on Office97 but can't test it on anything more recent.

 

[fumei]

It may be possible (likely), but:

1: what do you mean by "textbox". It is an unfortunate term. Do you mean:

a) a FormField textbox?
b) One of those horrible Insert > Textbox "textboxes - which are not textboxes at all, but graphic placeholders, They show as part of the the Shapes or InlineShapes collection.
c) an ActiveX control textbox.

All of which are called "textboxes" and all of which operate quite differently.

"Textbox" is, these days, a fuzze, vague term, as (RE: above) it can mean a number of things.

2. Use of ANY kind of textbox is absolutely not needed. Use of Styles is a much better way to go. as:
a) the styles can be totally reuseable, in many documents.
b) you do not have to ever worry about format again. You do not have to even concern your self with format as you go. Just make keyboard shortcuts for the style, insert you text into the colums, and it doesn't matter how long the document is. Just select the tables column ad make the style attachment.

Done.


Gerry

 

[LordGarsdale]

Hi Gerry
The textbox that I referred to is called a (would you believe it ?) text box when you pass a mouse pointer over it. In Office97 anyway, do they still exist in later versions ? They look like a small box with text in them starting with an uppercase A.

 

[fumei]

Oh textboxes still are around. There are three things, all called textboxes, and they are very very different. But they are all called textboxes.

Go figure.

There is an ActiveX textbox, called...wait for it...a textbox. Inserted from the Controls toolbar. Part of the InLineShapes collection.

There is a FormField textbox, called....wait for it...a textbox. Inserted from the Forms toolbar. Part of the FormFields collection.

There is a, well, a TextBox. Inserted from the Insert > Textbox menu. Part of the Shapes collection. This one in particular is a silly one to call a textbox, as it is a graphic placeholder.

Pardon me, but I think "textbox" is a vague expression.

Gerry