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Why
Using Spaces To Line Up Text Is A Bad Idea
by
Rafael Van Dyke
With typewriters
being almost a thing of the past, you would think that the
typewriter mentality would go along with it. But old habits
die hard; and there's one that makes me cringe every time
I see it - lining up row of text with the spacebar.
This worked
very well with typewriters and even most word processors because
you could count every character (including the space) to be
exactly the same size. For example, let's say you wanted to
create 4 rows of text divided into three columns. You would
start off by simply typing the text you wanted in the first
column and then hit the spacebar repeatedly until you got
to where wanted the next column of text, and repeat these
steps for the third column of text. For the next 3 rows, you
would press enter, type your first block of text and hit the
spacebar again until you were in the same spot that the previous
2nd column started, and the same with the 3rd column.
This technique
stills works in today's word processing programs, as long
as you continue to use fixed width fonts like Courier or Courier
New. There's the catch, you typically won't use fixed width
fonts to type your documents with. Instead, you'll be using
TrueType fonts like Times New Roman and Arial where each character
size is different; therefore, the old spacing technique will
never work. Don't be lazy and settle for jagged alignments;
learn the new and improved techniques to line up text.
Using
the Default Tab Stops
The simple
way to line text is to use the default tab stops that are
set with every new document (typically every half inch). You
would use the same technique as before, except you would hit
the tab key instead of the spacebar. Using the tab key actually
gets you to your spot a lot faster and you don't have worry
about lining up text because the tab stops are in exactly
the same place on every line.
Creating
Your Own Tab Stops
Creating
tab stops in your document is not a new technique. You can
actually create tab stops on a typewriter; but it was considered
an advanced technique, so only expert typists used them. The
concept is still the new, but Microsoft Word makes a lot easier
to create them. To create your own tab stops, simply click
in the bottom half of the Ruler Bar where you want them each
of them set. You'll know it's set when you see an "L" in the
ruler bar. After they're all set, you only have to hit the
tab key once and it will automatically go the next stop. If
you need to make a change to any tab stop location, just click
and drag the "L" along the ruler; you can also click and drag
the "L" off the ruler to remove a tab stop.
Changing
the Tab Alignment
The tab
stops we've discussed so far have all been aligned to left.
You can change them from left tabs to either center, right,
or decimal tabs (good for aligning numbers with a decimal
in them). To do so, simply click on the box directly to the
left of the ruler bar that has an "L" in it; each time you
click, the symbol changes to a different tab alignment. However,
this technique is the hardest to learn and to manage. There's
a better to creating lists with different alignments.
The Best
Technique - A Table
Using
a table is by far the best way to create any type of list
you want. You simply create a table with the number of columns
and rows that you need, adjust the column widths by clicking
and dragging the column lines, and just type your text in
each cell. You can change the alignment by simply using the
alignment buttons you normally would for a paragraph. The
added advantage of tables is being able to format them with
borders and shading. Typically the top row would contain your
headings, which you could format with bold text and a gray
background. If you don't need any special formatting, simply
highlight the table and remove all the borders and shading.
Either
way, using a table will be easier to maintain than any other
technique. But any technique is better than trying to use
the spacebar. If you haven't already, for your own good …
please break this habit!
Rafael
Van Dyke is the site owner of http://www.betterdocuments.com
and the editor of its articles & newsletters. (url has changed ownership)
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