Flush Left and Flush Right On the Same Line

This is a quick and dirty tip on how to have seemingly contradictory alignments on the same line. In Word, this trick is done with tabs. In a nutshell, you follow these steps:

1. Make sure the paragraph is formatted as left-aligned.
2. Display the Tabs dialog box. (Click here to see a related figure.) In Word 2007, display the Home tab of the ribbon, click the small icon at the bottom-right of the Paragraph group, and then click the Tabs button. In previous versions of Word select the Tabs option from the Format menu.
3. Insert a right-aligned tab near the right edge of the line.
4. Click on Set.
5. Click on OK.
6. Type your text. Press the Tab key between the information to be left-aligned and the information you want right-aligned.

This trick works great if the information you are formatting is limited to a single line. As an example, this can easily work for a chapter name and page number in a header or footer. (You know; the chapter name appears at the left and the page number at the right.) If you need to accomplish the same task for multiple lines, then it is best to use a small table with two or three cells. The left-most cell of the table can be for the left-aligned information, and the right-most cell can be used for right-aligned information. The center cell (if you choose to use one) is used for spacing purposes.