Applying Paragraph Formats to Table Cell Paragraphs

Background

When you insert a FrameMaker table, it contains default paragraph formats for each of the cells in the first heading, body, and footing rows. Each column of each kind of row can be formatted with a different paragraph format. This is a "hidden" property of table formats.

For example, when you insert a Format A table with heading and footing rows, each heading row cell paragraph is formatted with CellHeading, each body row cell paragraph is formatted with CellBody, and each footing row cell paragraph is formatted with CellFooting.

You can change the default formats for a particular table format by applying the desired paragraph formats to the cells of the FIRST heading, body, and footing rows of an existing table. Click in the table, choose Table > Designer, and click Update All. Existing table paragraph formats are not changed when you click Update All, but when you insert a new table with this format, the new default paragraph formats will be applied.

Changing existing tables

TableCleaner allows you to change the paragraph formats of existing table cells. Format an example table with the desired paragraph formats. You must apply the formats to the FIRST row of each of the row types: heading, body, and footing rows. Each column in each row type can be formatted with a different paragraph format if you like, but only the formats in the first row of each row type is applied to the other tables. If the example file does not contain heading or footing rows, then these rows will not be changed in the target tables.

Example Table

Target Tables

The number of columns in the example table will determine how many columns are formatted in the target tables. If your example table has 4 columns, then only the first four columns of each of the target tables will be formatted with the example paragraph formats. For this reason, you may want to add extra columns to your example table to make sure that the target tables are formatted correctly.

Format the example table, click in it, and choose Table > Apply Formats to Cell Paragraphs. All of the cell paragraph formats in the first row of each row type must be in the paragraph catalog or you will receive the following message.

The missing formats will be listed in the FrameMaker Console window. Add the missing formats to the paragraph catalog and rerun the command.

Click the Apply to all columns radio button to apply all of the column formats from the example table to the target tables. To apply the formats to only certain columns, click the Apply only to columns indicated radio button, and check the appropriate columns. If your example table contains more than 15 columns, all of the columns beyond 15 will be applied. Use the ALL ON and ALL OFF buttons as shortcuts to check or uncheck all of the buttons

To move table format names from one scroll list to the other, do one of the following:

• Select a format name in the list, and click the appropriate arrow button.
• Double-click on a format name in the list.

To move all of the format names to the opposite scroll list, do one of the following:

• Select a format name in the list, and shift-click the appropriate arrow button.
• Shift-double-click on a format name in the list.

Check "Save document before applying formats" to save the document before the command runs. This will allow you to use File > Revert to saved to undo the changes.

NOTE: If you choose the Save option for an Untitled document, you will be prompted for a location and name for the file. Cancelling the Save dialog does not cancel the Apply Formats to Cell Paragraphs command.