Pathagoras and tables work well with one another. For example:

•you can insert variables into any cell of any table.

•you can insert <<*Options/Optional*>> text blocks into any cell of any tables.

•you can assemble tables stored in source documents.

•if a series of 'close' tables (identical in column count and width, and separated by a single 'enter' after assembly) appear in the assembled document, you can automatically join those tables into a single table.

•if any table has empty rows or columns, Pathagoras can remove those rows or columns, and even resize the individual cells to restore the original tables original width.

•you can repeat a table 'X' number of times.

•you can repeat rows within a table 'X' number of times.

   The tools and settings involving tables are located in the 'All Settings | Document Assembly | Table Settings' screen.

  Join Similar Tables:

   If, following a document assembly session, you have a series of 'almost adjacent' tables (and by this, we simply mean tables that are separated by a single paragraph marker), Pathagoras can pull those tables together into one.

The Join Tables and ancillary command can be found under the Document Assembly tab
of the "All Settings and Options" screen. (Click Table Settings in the lower tab set.)

   Limitations:

•To be joined, Pathagoras requires that the last row of the upper table be identical in shape to the first row of the lower table. If you want all tables to be identical, use the Make Columns Uniform tool.

•Tables separated by more that a single 'enter' mark cannot be joined. (You can turn this into a 'plus' if you want to set 'Join Adjacent Tables' as your default setting but want to keep certain tables that would otherwise qualify for joining. Simple type a 'space' in the source document before the closing 'enter' mark. This will prevent the joining because more that a single 'enter' mark would separate the two tables.)

Delete Empty Rows & Columns:

   As a result of making [Variable], <<*Options/Optional*>> or {Optional} text block selections, you may end up with a totally empty row or totally empty column. You can pre-designate how you want Pathagoras to handle these empty rows or tables. Check the appropriate After Assembly Actions that you desire. Caveat: Use with caution. As discussed below, this may result in some unexpected behaviors, especially if your tables are not consistently formed across your entire library of forms.

    When is an empty column or row 'empty'? Frequently the top-most row or left-most column contains header or titular information. If the row of column is otherwise blank, and you want the entire row or column to be deleted, check the 'Ignore First Row' box. When so set, Pathagoras will not check the first row to see if the top cell is blank. (If you need to ignore more than the first row, a rarity, but possible, you can set the count of how many rows to ignore to whatever you desire.) Pathagoras will only examine the remaining cells in that row or column to determine its 'blankness'. But be careful with this setting. Pathagoras cannot distinguish among tables. If you have one table for which you wish to ignore the first row (or column) and another for which you don't, Pathagoras will not know that. It will handle all tables in the same fashion. But see the Note below for a way 'around' the rule.

  Note: there may be situations where you want to preserve certain empty columns or rows even though you have set "Delete Empty Column/Row" as your default. The 'fix' is easy. Just type a 'space' in the blank cell so it is no longer 'empty.' If the cell is made 'blank' as a result of a [variable] or <<*Options/Optional*>> text block selection, set the variable or the result of the option selection to a '  ' (space) if a 'no text' option is chosen.

  Note 2:  Turn off the Delete Empty Column/Rows feature if your tables are not consistently formed (all with title rows and/or columns, or all without). This feature, as 'cool' as it is in many settings, will cause more headaches than it will save time when your tables are not consistently formed.

  Note 3: Pathagoras can recognize a 'true' heading row from the first row which coincidentally contains heading information. Generally, a 'true' heading row is shadowed or is of a different font. If some of your tables have true headings and others do not, and you want to implement the 'Delete Blank Columns' feature, you can check the Ignore Heading Rows and not run across the problems cited in the above discussion.

Repeat Tables and Repeating Rows within Tables:

  These topics are discussed more fully in the section titled Repeats and Tables.

Making tables uniform in shape.

Note: When the Make Uniform routine is invoked, Pathagoras will ignore the first X rows of the first table only. Pathagoras presumes that the first X rows of the first row of the document (if whole document selected), from the cursor point downward (if selected) or the highlighted text (if selected) reflect the header, and, further, that the header does not repeat in subsequent tables that you intend to join. To the extent that this does not reflect the reality of your situation, you should copy the tables that you want Pathagoras to operate on into a separate document, perform the table adjustments and then copy the tables back into the original document.

Ad hoc removal of empty rows and columns:

  The above lets you set Pathagoras to automatically join similar rows or to automatically delete empty rows and columns. If you don't wish these as 'automatic' functions, you can still accomplish the tasks more manually.

(1) From the screen shown above, click one (or both) of the buttons at the far right to delete empty rows and empty columns, as desired or

(2) From Pathagoras Features | Process Tools. Click the appropriate button(s).

 

Excel spreadsheet

You can insert a series of tables from any Excel spreadsheet. See this page in the Manual.