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bar tab
Aha. I might have noticed that but I had Show Tabs
configured full time. So I assumed the vertical line was just another tab symbol. Now that I know I will seek out a reason to use them -- and impress and befuddle my associates. Thanks, rs Suzanne S. Barnhill wrote: : They're almost entirely undocumented but useful in specific : situations. I gather that they are a holdover from DOS versions of : Word that didn't have the ability to create true tables. To see how : they work, you have to set one. When you do this, you create a : vertical line in the paragraph that is always there (you don't have : to insert a tab character to display it). It extends the height of : the paragraph (including line spacing), so that if you have the same : bar tab in several subsequent paragraphs, you have a continuous : vertical line through the paragraphs. This can be useful in : situations where you want the appearance of a ruled table but don't : want to use a table. : : Here's an example: I create an attendance sheet for my Rotary club : (rarely used now that we've gone to club management software but : still useful in a pinch). I have defined a style with a bottom border : and bar tabs at intervals. The member's name is on the left side of : the paragraph and the bar tabs create vertical lines defining columns : for the four or five meetings in a month. The sheet is formatted in : three columns. When I want to add or delete a member, it's a simple : matter of pressing Enter (to insert a new paragraph) or Delete; I : don't have to fool with using Insert Rows/Delete Rows. If the roll : were to be filled out online, I'd use a table, but because it's for : hand entry, the bar tabs work well for me (I might add that I : constructed this before I knew you could flow tables into : newspaper-style columns, so that was undoubtedly one reason for : choosing the bar tabs). : : If you don't have any reason for using bar tabs, you may consider them : useless and puzzling, but if you experiment to find out what they do, : you may someday find yourself in a situation where they would be : useful, and this knowledge will be helpful. : : : "tcebob" handle @ gwi.net wrote in message : ... :: What is it? Can't find in help. Doesn't seem to do :: anything. :: :: rs |