Merging cells and table designs in Publish by Zaweba

A plain grid of cells only goes so far. Real tables often need a heading that spans several columns, a label that covers two rows, or a quick way to look smart without shading each cell by hand. Publish by Zaweba covers both needs with cell merging and a set of table designs.

Merge right, Merge down and Split are in the Properties panel. When cells are merged, the text in them is kept. You cannot merge by dragging across cells, so merging is done one step at a time from the panel. There are six table designs, including header row, banded rows, light lines and no borders.

Merging right and down

Merge right joins a cell to the one on its right. Do it twice and a cell spans three columns. That is the way to make a title row across the top of a table, such as "Saturday" above the morning and afternoon columns of a timetable, or a section name across a price list.

Merge down joins a cell to the one below it. It suits a label that applies to several rows, such as a room name beside a block of sessions, or a category on a menu table beside the dishes in it.

Because the text of merged cells is kept, you will not lose anything by merging cells that already have content. Tidy up the combined text afterwards so it reads as one entry.

Splitting cells again

Split undoes a merge, turning a merged cell back into its separate cells. It is handy when a layout changes, for example when a session that filled a whole morning is divided into two. Rather than rebuilding the table, split the cell and fill in the new entries.

Why one step at a time

In some programs you drag across cells to select and merge them. Publish works from the Properties panel instead, merging right or down from the selected cell. It takes a click more for large merges, but it is precise: you always know exactly which cells will join, and a stray drag never merges the wrong ones.

Plan big merges before you fill a table with data. Sketch which cells span what, build the structure first, and then type the content. It is easier than merging around text that is already there.

Six table designs

Table designs apply a whole look at once. Header row picks out the top row so column names stand apart from the data. Banded rows shade alternate rows, which helps the eye follow a long line across a wide table, such as a fixtures list or a price list with several columns. Light lines gives a quiet, open look with fine rules. No borders removes the lines altogether, so the table relies on alignment and spacing, which can look elegant on a menu or a programme.

Try a design first, then adjust. A design gives you a good starting point in one click, and you can still change borders and shading afterwards if one detail needs to be different.

Designs look best when the colours match the rest of the publication. If you use the document palette and colour schemes, the table can sit comfortably with the headings and panels around it.

Putting it together

A typical example is a weekend programme. Start with a table of times down the side and rooms across the top. Merge the top row right across all columns for the event title. Merge down beside any session that runs across two time slots. Apply banded rows so each time slot is easy to follow, then fit rows to text so nothing is cut short, since rows do not grow on their own.

Merging and table designs are small tools, but in Publish by Zaweba they turn a basic grid into a table people can read at a glance.