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Placing text boxes over a table

I'm trying to make what seemed like a relatively straightforward document using Word 2010. The basic premise is that it's a schedule to show timelines for various projects planned for the coming fiscal year. I have created a table that shows the main objectives on the left and the months at the top. I then tried to just overlay some text boxes over the month cells to show each individual project and its expected planning period.

However, it seems the way Word anchors text boxes makes it nearly impossible to do this, as the text boxes get anchored inside cells and they jump all over the place when moved around, especially when trying to place two text boxes close together. I cannot even use the cursor keys for precision movement, because moving a box, say, to the right will cause it to shift to the upper right or lower left or god knows where else. Is there any way around this behavior?

Theodore,

To use your cursor keys to move the textbox, combine with the ctrl-key, you will be able to nudge the box step by step. My guess is that Word uses the grid to move the box, to see this activate the grid on the view tab. To control the behaviour of the movement, go to the Format tab, alignment button, at the bottom click grid settings.

Luc Sanders
bezoek/visit http://lucpowerpoint.blogspot.be/

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Different combinations of options in the text box layout can change text box motion from jumpy to smooth. Try these steps:

  1. Select the text box.
  2. On the Drawing Tools tab, click on Position, then on More Layout Options.
  3. Change both Horizontal and Vertical to Absolute position, then change Column and Paragraph both to Page. OK Out.

This can make the text boxes easier to move around both with the mouse and with the cursor key. However, the text boxes stay in one spot on the page now, so editing the underlying document can move the table out from under the boxes. Experiment with other options to see what works for your document.

Author of "OOXML Hacking - Unlocking Microsoft Office's Secrets", ebook now out
John Korchok, Production Manager
production@brandwares.com

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Last updated April 12, 2024 Views 10,583 Applies to: