Direct Table Editing
This is one of my favorites – you can do a large number of changes to tables without ever using the table content dialog. Once you select a table in the workspace, here is what happens:
- the ribbon will switch to a context ribbon, enabling you to quickly change fonts, borders or add new fields and lines
- the table will offer a UI to easily select single fields, whole rows or columns
Once you hover around a row selector (to the left of the row), the cursor will change to an arrow:
If you click, the whole row will be selected:
Any action from the context ribbon tab now will change all fields in the selected row. You can choose an italic font by clicking on the corresponding button:
Which makes the line look like this:
In the same way, you can select single fields. Just hover the left hand side in the workspace – you’ll get a new cursor again:
A click selects this single field:
Which would enable you e.g. to move this column to the left:
Using the Ctrl-Modifier enables you to select multiple fields or multiple rows. Using “Alt” as modifier selects a whole column. As always – it would be great to hear from you which additional features or options might be useful in the context tab. We’ve just launched our yearly customer survey – make sure to answer it and let us know your thoughts or leave them in the comments below.
Switch the Column Resize Mode
This is an option that has just been promoted to the table’s context ribbon by frequent request (“Change width individually”). In LL19, it is available from the File > Options > Workspace dialog (“Column width modification affects next column”). What this option does is to toggle between these two states:
(1) If you click on a column separator and move it e.g. to the right, all following columns will move to the right accordingly. See this before/after:
Note how the “OrderNo” column is moved out of sight because all columns besides the one edited still have exactly the same width as before.
(2) If you click on a column separator and move it e.g. to the right, the following column’s width will be decreased accordingly. See this before/after:
In this mode only the separator is moved and all other columns remain just as designed. Both modes have their right to exist, sometimes you’ll require to “just get more space”, sometimes you’ll want to “preserve the layout no matter what”. Using this little gem of an option allows you to toggle freely between whatever makes sense for you.
Quickly Change the Workspace Zoom
Very handy, very quick: Alt+1/2/3/4 gives you four quick zoom levels. With LL20, you can even move objects around while the workspace is zoomed – the workspace will automatically scroll into the direction you’re moving the object to.
Leading the development at combit as Managing Director. Microsoft .NET enthusiast driving innovation & agile project management. Used to be a physicist in my first life. I love hiking and vanlife.
