Using Tabs
In this part of the tutorial you will learn:
what a tab is.
the differences between the four types of tabs.
how to set and move tabs.
use tabs to align text.
create leader tabs.
how to remove tabs.
What is a tab or tab-stop?
A tab or tab-stop can be thought of as a check point or marker along the path of the horizontal
ruler. By default on a brand new Word document, there exists a tab-stop at every half-inch mark
along the horizontal ruler, from left to right. These tabs can be used to align text into columns or
causing columns of numbers to line up on a decimal point.
Each paragraph (even if its only one line of text) can have its own set of tabs. When you hit the
Return Key to start a new paragraph that new paragraph inherits the tab set up from the
previous paragraph. Tabs do not change until you make the change them yourself. Let's
practice a bit with some tabs.
1. Open a brand new Word document (File Menu/Open...).
2. From under the File Menu, select Page Setup... Make sure:
o all margins are set to 1".
o the Gutter is 0"
o the Header and Footer are set to 0.5".
3. Click the Paper Size tab, and make sure the paper size is set to Letter (8.5" x
11").
4. Click the OK button.
5. Strike the Tab Key. Your insertion point should now be resting at the 0.5"
mark on the horizontal ruler.
6. Strike the Tab Key three more times. Where is the Insertion Point now?
7. Turn on Invisibles on the Standard Toolbar ¶.
Your document should look like this:
Those right facing arrows (→) are tab-stops. At the end of the line is the paragraph mark (¶),
indicating the end of the paragraph. These are real characters just like the letter "a", "b", or "c",
and when editing, you must deal with them. A Tab Key hit can erased with the Delete Key.
Hit the Backspace Key four times to erase all Tab Stops.
The default tab-stops are handly but sometimes you may want to apply your own tab stops.
At the far left end of the horizontal ruler you should be a button. This button allows you to toggle
or click through the different tabs which are available. As you toggle through you will also see
the Bar Tab symbol, First Line Indent symbol, the Hanging Indent symbol. However, the main
tab types we are concerned with are the:
Left Tab: Text extends to the right from this tab.
Center Tab: Text extends equally to the right and left of this tab.
Right Tab: Text extends to the left from this tab.
Decimal Tab: Text before the decimal point extends to the left, and text after the decimal
point extends to the right.
Let's practice setting some tabs
Using the Ruler to Set Tabs
1. Click the tab selection button until you see of Left Tab .
2. Using the mouse, move out onto the Horizontall Ruler to the 1" mark, and
click once.
3. Move the pointer to the 3" mark and click once.
4. Move the pointer to the 5" mark and click once.
With the Invisible still showing, strike the Tab Key three times. Your document should now look
like this:
Notice the Left Tab markers in each place that you clicked. Notice where each of the invisible
tab markers are. There is an important concept to remember; Manually placed tabs always
override or take precidence over default tabs. This remains true until after the last tab that
you placed - then the default tab locations take over again. Let's use our tabs.
Complete the following steps.
1. Use the Backspace Key to erase all tabs, but leave them in place on the ruler.
2. Hit the Tab Key once, and type the words: Item One
3. Hit the Tab Key again, and type the words: Item Two
4. Hit the Tab Key again, and type the words: Item Three
5. Hit the Enter Key.
6. Hit the Tab Key once, and type the words: Item Four
7. Hit the Tab Key again, and type the words: Item Five
8. Hit the Tab Key again, and type the words: Item Six
9. Hit the Enter Key two times
Your document should like this:
As you can probably tell, this is a quick way to create columns of text in a Word Document.
However, it is not the best way. Using tabs in this manner can be very labor intensive when it
comes to editing the text. The moving or deletion of one tab-stop can mess up your alignment.
Now is a good time to save your work. From the File Menu select the Save option. Save your
file as tab_practice.doc. Let's look at another way to set tabs.
Using the Tab Dialog Window to Set Tabs
From under the Format menu, select the Tabs... option.
You should see the window pictured at the left.
The first thing you should notice is that all of the
tabs that we set manually on the horizontal
window are already listed here in the tabs
window. In other words, here in the tabs dialog
window you can set as many tabs as you like,
as well as set all characteristics of tabs. Notice
in the upper right corner Default tab stops are
set to 0.5". You by clicking the up or down arrow
you can raise or lower the setting by .1". By
default the first tab at the 1" inch mark is
selected or highlighted.
The default alignment for all tabs is left, and the
Leader is set to None. In the lower right corner
the Clear All button is used to erase or remove
all tabs. If we were to Clear All tabs, all tab markers would disappear but only for the paragraph
in which the insertion point is currently positioned. Try it and see!
Click the Clear All button and then click the OK button
When you return to your work you will notice that the three Left Tabs are gone from the ruler.
However, if you arrow up to the second or first line, you will see them magically reapper. That is
because the Clear All we did in the Tabs Window applied only to line number four.
NOTE: You can always tell exactly where the
Insertion Point is in Word by referring to the
Status Bar at the bottom left corner of the
working window. Right now we are on Page
1, Section 1 (a Word document can be
divided into Sections), Column 1 (each
character from left to right represents a
column) of Line 4, at 1.5" from the top of the
page.
Let's wrap up our look at tabs by setting a few more. However before we do, let's make sure we
have the AutoFormat option turned off:
1. Select AutoCorrect... from under the Tools Menu.
2. Click on the second tab at the top named AutoFormat As You Type.
3. Remove the check marks from Automatic bulleted lists and Automatic
numbered lists.
4. Click on the fourth tab at the top of the window named AutoFormat
5. Remove the check mark from Automatic bulleted lists.
6. Click the OK button.
Now, complete the following steps.
1. Bring up the Tab Window again by choosing the Tabs... option from under the Format
Menu.
2. In the Tab stop position field type .5".
3. In the Alignment section click the Decimal button.
4. Click the Set button.
5. Return to the Tab stop position field and type 6.0".
6. In the Alignment section click the Right button.
7. In the Leader section, click the number 2 option (for dotted leader).
8. Click the Set button, the click the OK button.
When you return to your document you should see the Decimal Tab at the .5" mark, and the
Right Tab at the 6" mark.
Now, complete the following steps.
1. Hit the Tab Key.
2. Type 1.
3. Hit the Tab Key.
4. Type Page 2
5. Hit the Enter Key.
6. Type 2.
7. Hit the Tab Key.
8. Type Page 4
9. Hit the Enter Key twice.
If you do not have Automatic Bulleted Lists and Automatic Numbered Lists turned off from
under the Tools/AutoCorrect Menu you may have noticed that Word automatically numbered
the second item when you hit the Enter Key. Hitting the Tab Key was not necessary at the
beginning of the second line.
Turn off invisibles for a minute so you can see better .
Notice that itmes "1." and "2." line up exactly on their respective decimal points on the .5" mark.
"Page 2" and "Page 4" extend to the left from the 6" mark on the ruler. These two items are
"right aligned". Also a line of dots should extend from the first tab to the second. This is a great
way to make a Table of Contents page if every need one.
By changing the Leader type from dots to underline, you can make forms with underlined areas
for users to fill in blanks, etc. The sky is the limit.