Best Practices for PowerPoint: Tables
Using Tables
Tables are a layout based on rows and columns used to distribute information. Best Practices for tables in Power Point is to create the table within the program. When a table is imported into PowerPoint from another program or source, the Accessibility Wizard recognizes it as an image instead of a table. This causes confusion since the information will not be presented as it is intended by the table.
By creating the table in PowerPoint, the Accessibility Wizard can automatically pull information from the table, where as if you copy and or insert your table from another program you will have to re-enter the information during the Wizard conversion processes.
Creating Tables in PowerPoint
To create a new table, go to INSERT on the main top menu and select TABLES. (If you do not see the TABLES choice, the menu may be compressed. Select the arrow located at the bottom of the menu. This will cause the menu to expand and show all choices available.) When you select TABLES, the Insert Table window appears for selection of the number of ROWS and COLUMNS for the new table. Change the value by highlighting the value and typing in a new value or use the up and down arrows to select a value. When you have entered your row and column values, select OK.
Enter information into the cells of the table by selecting the cell and typing in the information. You can also paste information from another source into a cell. Information in the cells can be formatted for font, size, color, etc. from the Formatting Toolbar or by selecting specific attributes from FORMAT on the main menu along the top.
Table attributes can be changed by using the Table and Borders Toolbar. To activate the Table and Borders Toolbar, go to VIEW on the main top menu and select TOOLBARS. (If you do not see the TOOLBARS choice, the menu may be compressed. Select the arrow located at the bottom of the menu. This will cause the menu to expand and show all choices available.) Select TABLES AND BORDERS from the submenu. The Table and Borders Toolbar will now appear on your screen.
Tables and Slide Layouts
Another way to enter a table is to select the Table Layout from the Slide Layout menu. Access the Slide Layout sidebar and scroll down to the layout icon with a table. When this layout is selected, a table icon is displayed in the center of the slide. Select this icon to bring up the Insert Table window. Select the number of ROWS and COLUMNS for the new table. Change the value by highlighting the value and typing in a new value or use the up and down arrows to select a value. When you have entered your row and column values, select OK.
