Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Setting Up an Array with Fields.

Setting Up an Array with Fields

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 11, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


There may be a time when you need to create an "array" in the middle of a sentence. For instance, you may need to have a 3 x 3 "mini table" within a sentence. Using an actual table can be unwieldy, particularly if you literally want the array in-line within your sentence.

If you have such a special need, try this out:

  1. Determine how many columns you want in your array.
  2. Determine the elements to appear in each cell of the array.
  3. Position the insertion pointer where you want the array to appear.
  4. Press Ctrl+F9 to insert a pair of field braces.
  5. Enter your field so that it appears as shown here:
{ EQ \a \ac \co3 (One,Two,Three,Four,Five,Six,Seven,Eight) }
  • With the insertion point still within the field (between the braces), press F9. Word collapses the field.
  • When putting together your field, the \a switch indicates you are creating an array. The \ac switch indicates you want the information in each cell centered (you can also use \al for left alignment or \ar for right alignment). The \co3 switch indicates you want three columns in this array; you can (and should) change the number in the switch to reflect the number of actual columns you want in the array. Finally, the information within the parentheses represents the text to appear in each cell of the array, top to bottom and left to right. As shown in this example, the resulting array will be three columns by three rows.

    You can also add some spacing switches to the field, if desired. For instance, if you wanted four points of space both vertically and horizontally between the array cells, you could add \vs4 \hs4 to the field.

    It is hard to describe the effects of setting up an array. The best way to understand it is simply to try it. You may very well find many instances when you can use arrays in your own documents.

    WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (550) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Setting Up an Array with Fields.

    Author Bio

    Allen Wyatt

    With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

    MORE FROM ALLEN

    Inserting the Total Number of Pages in Your Document

    Word keeps track of many statistics for each of your documents. One statistic is the total number of pages in the printed ...

    Discover More

    Changing Elements in Lots of Charts at One Time

    Got a bunch of charts that you need to make formatting changes in? You can use a macro (or two) to apply the formatting ...

    Discover More

    Typing a Schwa Character in Excel

    How you add special characters to Excel can differ from how you add them in other Office programs, such as Word. This tip ...

    Discover More

    Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth today!

    More WordTips (menu)

    Calculating Dates with Fields

    Can you calculate dates using fields? Yes, but you probably don't want to except as a learning experience. An easier way ...

    Discover More

    Inserting the User's Initials

    One of the pieces of information tracked by Word are your name and initials. You can insert your initials by using the ...

    Discover More

    Quickly Inserting the Date Your Way

    Tired of messing with inserting the date and then changing it to a format that is more to your liking? There's a quick ...

    Discover More
    Subscribe

    FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

    View most recent newsletter.

    Comments

    If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

    What is 7 - 7?

    There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


    This Site

    Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

    Videos
    Subscribe

    FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

    (Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

    View the most recent newsletter.