Table format column width

[puzzled but hoping]

Is it possible to define the width of columns in a format for  tables in FM 11 in order to change all tables in a file rather than to have to go through the painstaking task of setting each value for each column of each table...

[Bob_Niland]

If FM had this capbility, this wouldn't exist:

http://www.frameexpert.com/plugins/tablecleaner/resizetablecolumns.htm

I've not used it myself.

Even via MIF hacking, changing column widths is not trivial, because

• the size presented to you is apt to be rounded compared to the precise N-digit value actually stored, and
• all sorts of other random stuff in a MIF can easily have the same numeric string (so you have to parse tags, sometimes on adjacent lines, to be sure)

[puzzled but hoping]

Great, - I shall try that tool!, much appreciated.

Also thanks for the tiny insight into the realm of FM code difficulties -
Same root problem it seems I mine with changing tables too late for a stressfree workflow
- forever elvolving structures are always more difficult to handle than those that have a beginning and an end.

[Russ Ward]

puzzled,

My WS Utilities plugin can also do this. You can copy table column widths from one table to the clipboard, then paste them to all selected tables. The plugin isn't free but it does have a free trial version that would accomplish this task, albiet while nagging you to buy a license.

http://www.weststreetconsulting.com/WSC_Utils.htm

Russ

[klk_nc]

I think another was of asking this is, ideally you would create a table with a format name in a template document, and in that table you would do Table-Format-Resize Columns and choose to width of Selected Cells' Contents and choose a fairly large max width since usually tables have one column that is the problem and extends past the page, and then Table-Format-Row Format and choose a Max of say 8.5 so a tall row doesn't go past the footer.

Then you would apply the template formats to the document and the tables would follow the table format attributes, but it doesn't seem to work.

Would Extendscript work, i.e. find a table with format x, then apply these attributes to the column and row format?