Tables in LibreOffice

Creating a table means inserting a structured grid made up of rows and columns in a document to organise and display data clearly and systematically. 
Attributes of tables :

1. Rows : Horizontal sections in a table.
2. Columns : Vertical sections in a table.
3. Cells : Individual boxes formed at the intersection of a row and column.
4. Heading Rows : The top row(s) used for titles or labels.
5. Borders : Lines that outline the edges of cells for visibility.

Step for Inserting Table : 

Step 1: Click "Table" in the top menu bar of LibreOffice Writer.

Step 2: From the dropdown menu that appears, select "Insert Table".

Step 3: This opens the Insert Table dialog box.

In the Insert Table dialog box, the following options are shown:

1. Name: Enter a name for the table (e.g., "Table1").

2. Columns and Rows:

• Columns: Enter the number of columns (e.g., 4 columns inserted). 
• Rows: Enter the number of rows (e.g., 3 rows inserted).

3. Options:

• Heading Rows: Specifies how many heading rows the table should have.
• Border: A checkbox allows to decide whether the table should have borders. If checked, a border will be visible around the cells.

4. Buttons:

• Insert: After configuring the settings, click this button to create and insert the table into the document.
• AutoFormat: It allows applying predefined styles to the table. 
• Cancel: Cancels the operation.
• Help : Provides more information about the feature.

Steps for Inserting a Row in a Table: 

Step 1: Go to the top menu bar.

Step 2: Click on "Table."

Step 3: From the dropdown, choose "Insert," then click on "Rows."

A dialog box titled "Insert Rows" appears with the following options:

1. Number of Rows: Enter the number of rows (e.g., 3 rows inserted).

2. Position: Choices to specify where to insert the new rows:

• Before: Adds the new rows above the current row.
• After: Adds the new rows below the current row.

Additional Buttons:

• OK : Confirms the action and inserts the rows as specified.
• Cancel : Closes the dialog without inserting rows.
• Help : Provides more information about the feature.

Steps to Access Border Settings :

Step 1: Click on "Table" in the menu bar.

Step 2: Select "Properties" from the dropdown menu.

Step 3: In the Table Properties dialog box, click on the "Borders" tab.

1. Line Arrangement (Presets and User-defined) 

• Presets : It provides standard options (e.g., all borders, only outer borders, no borders).
• User-defined : This section allows you to manually set borders for specific sides of cells.

2. Line 

• Style: Choose the pattern for the line (solid, dashed, dotted, etc.).
• Width : Set the thickness of the border line.
• Colour: Select the colour of the border.

3. Spacing to Content : Spacing to contents refers to the amount of empty space between the cell border and the text inside the cell.

• Left: Adds space between the left border and the content.
• Right: Adds space between the right border and the content.
• Top: Controls space above the text, between the top border and the content.
• Bottom: Controls space below the text, between the bottom border and the content.

4. Properties :

• Merge adjacent line styles : It is available to make the border styles uniform where two different styles meet.

Steps to Merge Cells in the Table: 

Step 1: Select the Cells

• First, highlight the cells in the table that you want to merge.
• These should be adjacent cells, either horizontally or vertically.

Step 2: Click Table → Merge Cells

• Go to the menu bar at the top of the screen.
• Click on the "Table" menu.
• From the dropdown list, choose "Merge Cells".

For example : 

Table without merged cells: 

S. No.	Title of Book/CD	Category (Book/CD)	Name of the Publisher
1.	Science – Vigyan	Textbooks	NCERT
2.	Urdu – Gulzar-e-Urdu	Textbooks	NCERT
3.	Mathematics for Grade 6	Textbooks	NCERT
4.	Mind Map Your Brain	Audio / Video CDs	-------
5.	Encyclopedia	Audio / Video CDs	Britannica

Table with Merged Cells :

S. No.	Title of Book/CD	Category (Book/CD)	Name of the Publisher
1.	Science – Vigyan	Textbooks	NCERT
2.	Urdu – Gulzar-e-Urdu
3.	Mathematics for Grade 6
4.	Mind Map Your Brain	Audio / Video CDs	-------
5.	Encyclopedia		Britannica