Importing Tables from a Word Doc Creating Extra Paragraph

Forum|Forum|7 months ago
July 8, 2025
2 replies
243 views

When importing a Word document containing tables, an extra paragraph containing the table anchor is added before the tables. How can this be avoided?

Correct answer Bob_Niland

How are tables anchored in Word?
I don't know, but suspect they may be an independent in-flow object.

In FM, Tables must be anchored to a paragraph, so if not present in the source .doc/x, one presumably gets auto-created.

Just trying it, using LibreOffice Writer to create a .docx, the anchor para just gets assigned the name ¶Normal. I'd suggest creating a new format named TableAnchor, which has the properties desired, perhaps including the negative space-below hack to match a negative space-above in the Table format, providing a run-in layout.

F

FrameMaker-dk

Community Expert

It can't be avoided. Word has another way of working with tables compared to FrameMaker. In order to have a table in FrameMaker it HAS to be anchored in its own paragraph. Which is why FrameMaker creates a paragraph for the anchor when you import a word document containing tables.

Bjørn Smalbro - FrameMaker.dk

C

carolyn5879Author

Participant

Thank you, Bjorn. That is what I thought.

Do you know if there is a way to preserve the table width when the Word document is imported? In the Word document, the table width is 7 inches. When importing into FramceMaker, the table results in only 6 inches wide.

F

FrameMaker-dk

Community Expert

Unfortunately you can't apply a table width to a table format. It may be that adjusting the width can be scripted, though. FrameMaker has a column adjustment dialogue, and @frameexpert may offer a solution for a small script which can address this feature.

Bjørn Smalbro - FrameMaker.dk

Bob_Niland

Correct answer

Community Expert

How are tables anchored in Word?
I don't know, but suspect they may be an independent in-flow object.

In FM, Tables must be anchored to a paragraph, so if not present in the source .doc/x, one presumably gets auto-created.

Just trying it, using LibreOffice Writer to create a .docx, the anchor para just gets assigned the name ¶Normal. I'd suggest creating a new format named TableAnchor, which has the properties desired, perhaps including the negative space-below hack to match a negative space-above in the Table format, providing a run-in layout.

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