Be able to format a table including to set horizontal cell alignment (left, right, centre, fully justified), set vertical cell alignment (top, middle, bottom), show gridlines, hide gridlines, wrap text within a cell, shading/colouring cells, adjust r
Set horizontal cell alignment (left, centre, right, fully justified)
Set vertical cell alignment (top, middle, bottom)
Show and hide gridlines
Wrap text within a cell
Apply shading/colour to cells
Adjust row height
Adjust column width
Key Concepts
In most word‑processing and spreadsheet programmes a table is a grid of rows and columns. Each intersection is a cell. The appearance of a table can be changed by modifying cell properties and table properties.
Horizontal Cell Alignment
Horizontal alignment determines where the content sits within the width of a cell.
Left – default for most languages.
Centre – content is centred horizontally.
Right – content is pushed to the right edge.
Fully justified – text stretches to fill the cell width (usually only for paragraph text).
Vertical Cell Alignment
Vertical alignment controls the position of the content within the height of a cell.
Top – content starts at the top edge.
Middle – content is centred vertically.
Bottom – content sits on the bottom edge.
Gridlines, Wrapping, Shading and Sizing
Show gridlines: set the table border to a visible value (e.g., border="1").
Hide gridlines: set border="0" or turn off “Show gridlines” in the programme.
Wrap text: define a column width; text that exceeds the width automatically wraps to a new line.
Shading/colour: apply a background colour to a cell using the bgcolor attribute.
Row height: set the height attribute on a <tr> or on a <td>.
Column width: set the width attribute on a <col> element or directly on a <td>.
Example Table – All Features Demonstrated
The table below uses only HTML attributes that are still recognised by browsers. It illustrates each of the required formatting options.
Feature
Setting
Result (shown in the cell)
Horizontal – Left
align="left"
This text is left‑aligned.
Horizontal – Centre
align="center"
This text is centred.
Horizontal – Right
align="right"
This text is right‑aligned.
Horizontal – Fully justified
align="justify"
This paragraph demonstrates fully justified alignment. The text stretches to fill the entire width of the cell, creating a clean left‑ and right‑hand edge.
Vertical – Top
valign="top"
Top‑aligned content.
Vertical – Middle
valign="middle"
Middle‑aligned content.
Vertical – Bottom
valign="bottom"
Bottom‑aligned content.
Wrap text
width set on column (120 px)
This long sentence will automatically wrap onto a new line because the column width is limited.
Shading / colour
bgcolor="#f2dede"
Cell with a light red background colour.
Hide gridlines
border="0" on a separate table
See the next table for an example without visible borders.
Table Without \cdot isible Gridlines
This table uses border="0" so the borders are not shown.
First cell – no border
Second cell – no border
Third cell – no border
Fourth cell – no border
Practical Steps in ICT Software (e.g., Microsoft Word / LibreOffice Writer)
Insert a table of the required size.
Select the cell(s) you wish to format.
Use the “Table Properties” dialog:
Alignment – choose Left, Centre, Right or Justify.
Vertical alignment – choose Top, Middle or Bottom.
Cell margins – adjust to control wrapping.
Row height – set an exact value or allow automatic.
Column width – set an exact value or allow automatic.
Background – choose a colour for shading.
To show or hide gridlines:
Show gridlines – enable “View → Table Gridlines”.
Hide gridlines – disable the same option or set the table border to “None”.
To wrap text, ensure the column width is narrower than the text length; the programme will wrap automatically.
Suggested diagram: A screenshot of the “Table Properties” dialog showing tabs for Alignment, Cell, Row, Column, and Border.
Summary Checklist
Horizontal alignment set using the Align button or table‑cell properties.
Vertical alignment set using the \cdot ertical Align option.
Gridlines shown/hidden via the \cdot iew menu or border settings.
Wrap text by adjusting column width.
Shading applied via cell background colour.
Row height and column width adjusted in Table Properties.