Skip to main content
Participating Frequently
December 16, 2024
Answered

Aligning Numbers on the " ) " or " , " with an Imported Table

  • December 16, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 1827 views

Hey y'all, I'm having a hard time getting my numbers to line up on this table. None of the tutorials I've tried online have been working. For some background:

  • This table was imported from an Excel file and they are linked

  • The column width is set to 1.17 in for all number cells

  • I've already tried "Align to Decimal" under "Tabs" in "Paragraph Styles". I've done various sizes for X and tried setting it to both " , " and " ) ", none of which has worked

  • Most everything is based on Paragraph Style 3 and Cell Style 3, and all specialized styles reference these two or iterations of them. (i.e. Underlined Body Rows references Cell Style 3, and Fill Underlined Body references Underlined Body Rows)

I want the " , " to line up for the numbers, even if there is a parenthesis. I'm wondering if the table being imported from Excel removed any "Tab" function that you would normally get from making a table from scratch in InDesign, because nothing seems to be working. I also don't know if my nested style groups may be canceling each other out somehow.

Am I missing something, or is there another way I should be doing this? Any help y'all can provide would be greatly appreciated.

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Robert at ID-Tasker

Or, a slight modification to what @Willi Adelberger suggested - add "hair space" at the "point of alignment":

 

In your case it would be after the numbers - before the ")".

 


@tabitha_6060 

 

Or you could use two different ParaStyles - one for texts with ")" and another without - then align them right - but with extra inset.

 

 

Underlined is a 2nd ParaStyle.

 

 

 

I've used a different font so your values would be different.

 

2 replies

Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
December 16, 2024

"Specify characters for decimal tabs" in:

 

https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/indesign/using/tabs-indents.html

 

Participating Frequently
December 16, 2024

I appreciate you providing that, but unfortunately I've already tried that and it hasn't worked : /

Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
December 16, 2024

@tabitha_6060

 

Can you share a sample document? 

 

Willi Adelberger
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 16, 2024
  1. You have to set a tabulator stop to , and give space to cells without () to enable the cells with ()-
  2. Use a tabulator number type in the OTF settings.
Participating Frequently
December 16, 2024

Thank you for replying! I apologize, I'm new to using InDesign, so I don't know all of the lingo. What are the OTF settings? And how would you go about doing the actions in 1. line you listed?

Willi Adelberger
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 16, 2024

OTF is an Opent Type Font which has usually a bunch of number types.

I ment that the tabulator is set to a coma amd you have to have space in the width of a closing paratnesis to allow alignment.