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Chapter 6 Using Tables 123
You can enlarge a cell so that it displays more content, or you can let the cell’s content
spill into adjacent blank cells.
To avoid clipping and spilling, you can set up a table so that all its cells automatically
shrink or expand in height to accommodate content by selecting “Automatically resize
to fit content” in the Table Inspector’s Table pane.
Here are ways to handle content too large for a cell:
m To let the content in a cell spill into adjacent cells, deselect Wrap Text in the Table
Inspector’s Format pane and deselect “Automatically resize to fit content” in the Table
pane.
If the adjacent cells are empty, they’ll display spilled content. But if they contain data,
content that doesn’t fit isn’t displayed and the clipping indicator appears.
m To cause content to wrap instead of spill, select Wrap Text in the Cells Inspector.
m To resize a column so that all of a particular cell’s value is visible, click its right border
and drag right, or use the Column Width controls in the Table Inspector’s Table pane.
m To resize a row so that all of a particular cell’s value is visible, click its bottom border
and drag down, or use the Row Height controls in the Table Inspector.
Formatting Cell Values
You can apply a format to a cell so its value is displayed in a particular way. For
example, you can format cells that hold monetary values so that a currency symbol
(such as $, £, or ¥) appears in front of numbers in them.
When you use a cell format, you are only setting the display characteristics of a value.
When the value is used in formulas, the actual value is used, not the formatted value.
The only exception is when there are too many numbers following a decimal point, in
which case the number is rounded.
You define cell formats using the Cell Format pop-up menu in the Format pane of the
Table Inspector. To display cell values exactly as you type them, choose Automatic from
the pop-up menu; otherwise, choose the item that provides the specific formatting you
want to use.
Here are ways to work with cell formats:
m To add a value to an empty cell that has a format, select the cell and enter a value. The
format is applied when you leave the cell.
m To apply a cell format to an existing value, select one or more cells that contain values.
Use the Format pane of the Table Inspector to define a cell format. The format you
define is applied to values in the selected cell(s).
m To remove a format from a cell, select the cell, and then choose Automatic from the
Format pop-up menu of the Format pane of the Table Inspector. The value remains, but
its formatting is removed.