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I haven't played with PageMaker's table editor since about
version 4.2, but it was such a useless solution for tables
that I quickly gave up. Since then, I've always built PM
tables directly in the software using tabs and named
styles, which is reasonably fast and efficient so long as
you don't want to create "graph paper" by filling the table
with lines (rules).
The procedure is simple. Start with tab-delimited text.
Create at least two styles for this text: Tablehead (for
column headings) and Tablebody (for the lines in the
table). Add numbers as required if you've got more than one
table with different column styles. Experiment until you
create all the appropriate tab settings for each style (set
the tabs and use the "apply" button), then save the style.
Take all the lines in the column headers of the table and
make them into a single paragraph, using shift-return to
force breaks between lines without creating new paragraphs,
then apply the Tablehead style. Repeat for the body text,
but use the Tablebody style. Add the lines manually.
Bonus trick: A few years back, I discovered that you can
wrap text around text if you create an invisible square or
other graphic (i.e., stroke and fill = none), set its text
wrap, and drag the text _completely_ inside the graphic.
You'll need to experiment on the pasteboard until you get
the graphic the right size; then group the text and the
graphic and drag them both onto the page. Works like a
charm, though there are easier ways to do this in newer
versions of PageMaker.
--Geoff Hart @8^{)} geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Disclaimer: Speaking for myself, not FERIC.
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