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Table Tools section

Copper Contributor

I was wondering why it is not possible for me to modify or merge cells inside an Excel table? Word and PowerPoint have in their ''Table Tools'' section a tab that says ''Layout''. Is there any reason why ?

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best response confirmed by casanovasr01 (Copper Contributor)
Solution

@casanovasr01 

 

If you're talking of an "official" Excel Table, one that's been created from a set of rows and columns using "Insert....Table" then it's because it's not there to be made more aesthetically pleasing. It's there as a table so that it can serve very specific database kinds of functions.

 

If you're wanting to make things look different, emphasis on "look" or on appearance, then don't create a table. Just deal with rows and columns and do the prettification yourself. And then you can indeed merge cells. Change background colors on selected cells, etc. etc.

 

It's best probably to differentiate between thinking Input and Output as well. The official Excel Table is a good repository for data on the input end of things. It needn't be (really should NOT be) what you use as a report or Output. Excel is good at extracting data from a table--all sorts of functions do that--for summary reports and the like. And you can save your merged or modified cells for that end of things.

 

I hope that makes some sense to you. Please come back with further questions if you want to discuss more.

@mathetes It does make sense ! Thank you very much! 

1 best response

Accepted Solutions
best response confirmed by casanovasr01 (Copper Contributor)
Solution

@casanovasr01 

 

If you're talking of an "official" Excel Table, one that's been created from a set of rows and columns using "Insert....Table" then it's because it's not there to be made more aesthetically pleasing. It's there as a table so that it can serve very specific database kinds of functions.

 

If you're wanting to make things look different, emphasis on "look" or on appearance, then don't create a table. Just deal with rows and columns and do the prettification yourself. And then you can indeed merge cells. Change background colors on selected cells, etc. etc.

 

It's best probably to differentiate between thinking Input and Output as well. The official Excel Table is a good repository for data on the input end of things. It needn't be (really should NOT be) what you use as a report or Output. Excel is good at extracting data from a table--all sorts of functions do that--for summary reports and the like. And you can save your merged or modified cells for that end of things.

 

I hope that makes some sense to you. Please come back with further questions if you want to discuss more.

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