Writer Guide

Using tables for page layout
Writer’s tables can serve several purposes, such as holding data as you
might see it in a spreadsheet, lining up material, and creating more
complex page layouts. For information about using tables of data, see
Chapter 9 (Working with Tables).
This topic describes how to achieve some common layouts by using
tables.
Example: Creating sideheads using tables
Sideheads and marginal notes are commonly used in documents from
resumes to computer user guides. The main body of the text is offset to
leave white space (usually on the left-hand side) in which the sideheads
or notes are placed. The first paragraph is aligned beside the sidehead,
as in Figure 109.
Example of a
sidehead
In some cases you may want to put only one or two paragraphs in
the table itself and the rest of the text and graphics in ordinary
paragraphs (formatted to line up with the paragraphs in the
table) so that text and graphics will flow more easily from one
page to another when you add or delete material.
In other cases, you might put each paragraph in a separate row of
the table and allow the table to break between pages.
Figure 109: Example of a sidehead
Note
Sideheads can also be created by placing text in a frame using
the Marginalia frame style, as described in the Chapter 7
(Working with Styles).
To create a table for use with a sidehead:
1) Place the cursor where you want the table to appear and choose
Insert > Table ( Ctrl+F12 ).
2) In the Insert Table dialog box (Figure 110), define a one-row, two-
column table with no border and no heading. Click OK to create
the table.
Chapter 4 Formatting Pages 129