Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!umich!arie
From: arie@zippy.eecs.umich.edu (Arie Covrigaru)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Word 4.0 tables
Message-ID: <1696@zippy.eecs.umich.edu>
Date: 15 May 89 21:26:07 GMT
Sender: news@zippy.eecs.umich.edu
Reply-To: arie@zippy.eecs.umich.edu (Arie Covrigaru)
Organization: University of Michigan EECS Dept. Ann Arbor
Lines: 37
UUCP-Path: umix!umich!!arie

I would like to share my experience and opinion on the new 
table feature in Microsoft Word 4.0.  I find this feature very 
useful and I tried to use it immediately when I received my 
upgrade.  Unfortunately, I found two major design problems in 
what is called Ra tableS by the programmers (human interface 
guidelines specialists?) of Word 4.0.  I know of two types of 
objects in Word 4.0:  paragraphs and graphics objects.  A table 
is a new type of object introduced in the Word environment.  
But hey, this new object does not confirm with the Macintosh 
editing guidelines:

1 When one applies the Cut command to a cell in a table the 
cells are not removed.  When the Cut command is applied to any 
other object (text or graphics) they disappear. What is going 
on here?  On the other hand, if one performs a Cut on a row of 
cells in a table and then a Paste outside the table area, the 
table cells are created the way they should be.  Conclusion:  
It is impossible to move a table with the conventional Cut then 
Paste commands.

2. The second flaw, in my opinion is the fact that a table is 
not treated as a character of paragraph or as a whole 
paragraph.  If one wants to control the space above a table, 
one needs to have the paragraph above the table formatted 
properly, and so if the table is moved the formatting is 
screwed up.

Is this a design flaw in the program or what?  Please donUt 
send me work around suggestions, I know how to move the table 
in 45 commands.  All I wanted to say is:  I want my Cut and 
Paste!


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Arie Covrigaru
Cognitive Science and Machine Intelligence Laboratory, University of Michigan
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