Making simple tables in Publish by Zaweba

Timetables, price lists, league tables and rotas all have the same shape: rows and columns of short pieces of information. Lining that up with tabs or separate boxes is fiddly, and it falls apart as soon as something changes. A table keeps it all in order, and Publish by Zaweba has simple tables for exactly these jobs.

You can add and delete rows and columns, set borders and cell shading, and fit rows to their text. Rows do not grow automatically as you type, which is worth knowing before you start.

Building a table

Insert a table, decide roughly how many rows and columns you need, and start filling in the cells. If you run short, add a row or a column; if you have too many, delete them. It is usually easiest to start with a header row for the column names, such as Day, Time and Activity, and add the data rows below.

Type into cells as you would into a text box, and format the text the same way. A bold header row and plain data rows is a classic, readable arrangement.

Rows that fit their text

Rows in Publish do not grow automatically. If you type more into a cell than fits its height, the row stays the same height. That keeps a layout steady, because a table on a carefully arranged page will not suddenly push into the picture below. The other side of it is that you need to make sure everything fits.

Fit rows to text sets each row to the height its content needs. Use it once you have filled the table, and again after edits, so no cell is cut short. Then check the table's overall size against the space you have for it on the page.

Borders and shading

Borders draw the lines of the table, and cell shading fills cells with colour. Together they decide how the table reads. A table with every line drawn looks like a form; one with only a line under the header and light shading on alternate rows looks more open and is often easier to read across.

Shade the header row in a document colour and set its text in white or bold, and the table instantly matches the rest of a branded newsletter or menu. Because document colours update everywhere, a later colour change follows through to the table.

For a quicker route, Publish also has ready-made table designs and the option to merge and split cells, which are covered separately. Those designs set borders and shading for you in common patterns.

Good jobs for a table

A club newsletter's fixtures list, with dates, opponents and venues. A cafe price list where the item names and prices line up in two columns. A school timetable or a volunteer rota. An events programme with times and rooms. Each of these is easier to read in a table than in running text, and easier to update next time.

Find and replace searches table cells as well as stories, so updating a recurring date or a price in a table is as quick as anywhere else.

Keeping tables tidy

Keep the text in cells short. A table works best for brief items; long sentences in narrow cells wrap into many lines and make the table tall and hard to scan. If a cell needs a paragraph, it may belong in the text outside the table.

Write numbers and prices the same way throughout, and keep the same number of decimal places throughout a price column, so they are easy to compare.

Leave a little space around the table on the page. A table crammed against a picture or the margin looks squeezed, while a bit of white space around it lets it stand as a clear block.

Tables in Publish by Zaweba are deliberately simple, and for the lists and schedules most publications need, simple is exactly right.