I am a mainframe programmer who often uses Word as a scratch pad and a tool
to review reports. I frequently want to highlight a column of text, sometimes
only one column. When I use the Alt + click to attempt to highlight that one
column, research pane starts. It works fine for 2 columns and greater.

This just takes practice. While I hate the Alt+click shortcut as much as
anyone, I have no trouble Alt+dragging to select a column. The trick is to
press the mouse button *and not release it* till you've finished dragging.
This prevents the action from registering as a "click."

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"Jay Wilson" Jay wrote in message
...
I am a mainframe programmer who often uses Word as a scratch pad and a
tool
to review reports. I frequently want to highlight a column of text,
sometimes
only one column. When I use the Alt + click to attempt to highlight that
one
column, research pane starts. It works fine for 2 columns and greater.

Hi Jay-

Are you referring to newspaper-type columns or columns in a table?

If table columns, you can 1) Click at the top edge of the column to select
it, and/or 2) go to ToolsCustomize and either a)select All Commands from
left column & drag TableSelectColumn to a toolbar as a button, or b) click
the Keyboard button, select the command in the same way, and assign a
keystroke to it.

If newspaper columns, have you tried placing the insertion point at the
beginning or end of the column & then holding Shift while you click at the
opposite end of the column?

HTH |:)

"Jay Wilson" wrote:

I am a mainframe programmer who often uses Word as a scratch pad and a tool
to review reports. I frequently want to highlight a column of text, sometimes
only one column. When I use the Alt + click to attempt to highlight that one
column, research pane starts. It works fine for 2 columns and greater.

No, he's talking about using Alt+Drag to select a vertical section of the
text. Sometimes this can be a tabbed column, but it can also be something as
simple as the line of at the beginning of each line of text pasted
from an email. I don't have any trouble doing that; what drives me crazy is
not being able to Alt+double-click to select an entire table any more.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"CyberTaz" wrote in message
...
Hi Jay-

Are you referring to newspaper-type columns or columns in a table?

If table columns, you can 1) Click at the top edge of the column to select
it, and/or 2) go to ToolsCustomize and either a)select All Commands from
left column & drag TableSelectColumn to a toolbar as a button, or b) click
the Keyboard button, select the command in the same way, and assign a
keystroke to it.

If newspaper columns, have you tried placing the insertion point at the
beginning or end of the column & then holding Shift while you click at the
opposite end of the column?

HTH |:)

"Jay Wilson" wrote:

I am a mainframe programmer who often uses Word as a scratch pad and a
tool
to review reports. I frequently want to highlight a column of text,
sometimes
only one column. When I use the Alt + click to attempt to highlight that
one
column, research pane starts. It works fine for 2 columns and greater.

Hi Suzanne-

That's pretty much what I gathered from the post, but thought he might be
referring to the old Alt+Click to select a Table column. Never tried it in a
tabular list or regular body text -- I used Alt+Shift+Click 'cause I never
did like dragging.

I know what you mean about no longer having Alt+Click/dbl-click to select
columns/tables with. I found those to be of much greater value than the
Reference pane that took them away.

Regards |:)

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:

No, he's talking about using Alt+Drag to select a vertical section of the
text. Sometimes this can be a tabbed column, but it can also be something as
simple as the line of at the beginning of each line of text pasted
from an email. I don't have any trouble doing that; what drives me crazy is
not being able to Alt+double-click to select an entire table any more.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"CyberTaz" wrote in message
...
Hi Jay-

Are you referring to newspaper-type columns or columns in a table?

If table columns, you can 1) Click at the top edge of the column to select
it, and/or 2) go to ToolsCustomize and either a)select All Commands from
left column & drag TableSelectColumn to a toolbar as a button, or b) click
the Keyboard button, select the command in the same way, and assign a
keystroke to it.

If newspaper columns, have you tried placing the insertion point at the
beginning or end of the column & then holding Shift while you click at the
opposite end of the column?

HTH |:)

"Jay Wilson" wrote:

I am a mainframe programmer who often uses Word as a scratch pad and a
tool
to review reports. I frequently want to highlight a column of text,
sometimes
only one column. When I use the Alt + click to attempt to highlight that
one
column, research pane starts. It works fine for 2 columns and greater.

Since I work mostly in Normal view, it is of no use to me, but I have
recently learned that clicking on the table handle in Print Layout view will
select the entire table. But of course if the top of the table is not in
view, you'd have to scroll to it, so that's not really a viable alternative.

There is an alternative to Alt+click to select a column, though (and now
that I reread the OP, it may be that Jay was referring to that shortcut):
Shift+right-click. You can also select the entire table with Alt+Num5.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"CyberTaz" wrote in message
...
Hi Suzanne-

That's pretty much what I gathered from the post, but thought he might be
referring to the old Alt+Click to select a Table column. Never tried it in
a
tabular list or regular body text -- I used Alt+Shift+Click 'cause I never
did like dragging.

I know what you mean about no longer having Alt+Click/dbl-click to select
columns/tables with. I found those to be of much greater value than the
Reference pane that took them away.

Regards |:)

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:

No, he's talking about using Alt+Drag to select a vertical section of
the
text. Sometimes this can be a tabbed column, but it can also be
something as
simple as the line of at the beginning of each line of text pasted
from an email. I don't have any trouble doing that; what drives me crazy
is
not being able to Alt+double-click to select an entire table any more.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"CyberTaz" wrote in message
...
Hi Jay-

Are you referring to newspaper-type columns or columns in a table?

If table columns, you can 1) Click at the top edge of the column to
select
it, and/or 2) go to ToolsCustomize and either a)select All Commands
from
left column & drag TableSelectColumn to a toolbar as a button, or b)
click
the Keyboard button, select the command in the same way, and assign a
keystroke to it.

If newspaper columns, have you tried placing the insertion point at
the
beginning or end of the column & then holding Shift while you click at
the
opposite end of the column?

HTH |:)

"Jay Wilson" wrote:

I am a mainframe programmer who often uses Word as a scratch pad and
a
tool
to review reports. I frequently want to highlight a column of text,
sometimes
only one column. When I use the Alt + click to attempt to highlight
that
one
column, research pane starts. It works fine for 2 columns and
greater.