When you create table types and tables, you can apply formatting rules that determine how the table looks in InDesign and in the STEP Workbench on the Preview tab.
To format a table, you have to configure the formatting definitions in both STEP and InDesign. In STEP, you assign formatting rules, and in InDesign the rules are interpreted. For example, if you have specified a light green background color and a thin border, the actual color and thickness of the border depends on how the master document is set up in InDesign.
The topics within this documentation section explain how to set formatting on entire tables, rows, columns, and cells.
Formatting Rules
Table formatting is based on the principle of inheritance.
Formatting inheritance enables you to define table formatting once, then have that formatting apply to all tables of the specific type. Formatting in tables can be inherited from the default settings applied to the table types, row types, and column types in System Setup, as well as from higher levels of the product hierarchy.
For example, in System Setup, you have a table type where the row height is set to 10 mm on the row type. However, on the actual table, you may need the row height to be 9 mm for a particular subset of products. In that instance, the definition inherited from System Setup would need to be overridden locally.
Inherited tables in the product hierarchy also inherit all formatting applied to the source table defined on the higher level. In turn, this formatting can be overridden on any table built on a lower level, which localizes the table. Refer to the Table Inheritance and Suppression topic here for more information on the basic principles of table inheritance.
Additionally, definitions are inherited from within the table itself. For example, cells will inherit the formatting applied to rows and columns; rows and columns will inherit formatting applied to entire tables, etc., and all of these can be overridden as well.
Selecting Where to Apply Formatting Rules
Formatting rules can be defined generally in System Setup on table types, row types, and column types; and locally in tables that are built on a specific product, classification, or product-override object.
You can apply table formatting on the following elements:
- Table types
- Column types
- Row types
- Table in product hierarchy
- Table rows
- Table cells
Note: It is recommended to apply all general formatting rules in System Setup to limit the amount of local formatting needed on individual tables. This makes it easier for you to gain an overview of all table formatting.