Re: Safer of 2 methods for very long doc

The decision should be based on how you want the text to behave relative to the tables. If you insert section breaks in order to make the tables inline, the text in column 1 will be continued in column 2 above the table, then resume in column 1 below the table. If you insert the table wrapped (floating), the text in column 1 above the table will continue in column 1 below the table before snaking to column 2:

Inline
Text 1 Text 2
Table Table Table
Text 3 Text 4

Floating
Text 1 Text 3
Table Table Table
Text 2 Text 4

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Mark Tangard" <mtangard@[__remove.this.to.reply__]speakeasy.net> wrote in message news:%239WVv0zuJHA.5764@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A user of mine will shortly build a very very long Word document with 2-column text and many, many tables, all of them full-page-width and about one-half page high.

I see 2 main ways to do this:

(1) Float each table, so that it displaces the text like a picture, OR:

(2) Place a section break before and after each table, make they section they enclose a one-column layout, and have the table sit there "inline" rather than floating.

After the file is assembled it'll be edited often, but not drastically, so ease of editing & reformatting isn't an issue. And I'll probably write a macro for her to do the inserting, so the number or complexity of steps won't be much an obstacle. We're mainly concerned with the stability of what may be a very large file.

Given that concern, which method would you choose? Is #2 more likely to have problems because it'll have a large number of section breaks (which we all know are evil incarnate)?

Also, up til now, due to bad experiences with the "positioning" feature in Word tables long ago, I've always used frames to float tables. Is that any wiser?

Any opinions appreciated. Word 2003, WinXP.

MT


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