Tip #262 - How To Use “Custom” Column Headings With Table Merge Codes

In TIP #113 (11/16/20), we outlined in detail how to use Table Merge Codes in your Templates (https://smartadvocate.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/KB/pages/1935343649/
Tip+113+-+How+to+Use+Table+Merge+Codes+in+Your+Templates). Table Merge Codes have predefined column headings. Occasionally, however, you may want to display data in a column format using your own column headings. Here, SmartAdvocate’s table merge code functionality allows you the flexibility of including the data in a column format, but also allows you to use your own column headings. To do so, you will create the custom column headings in a table by themselves and then insert the table merge code immediately following the custom column headings.

1. First, create your custom columns using Word’s Table function. The table will have a single row and the number of desired columns. In the example below, we will create a table with one row and four columns.

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2. Now, enter your custom column headings in each column. Here’s an example:

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(Hint – Do not hit the Enter Key at the end of the table as it will automatically insert another row)

By default, the columns will have equally spaced column widths. NOTE: Later, you may adjust the column widths so that your column headings and data are formatted appropriately to your needs.

3. You will now insert the desired Table Merge Code immediately below the custom table you have created above. When inserting the Table Merge Code, you will need to make any adjustments by selecting the desired items in the table and the order in which those items should appear. You should also uncheck the box for “Show Headers”.
   (See TIP # 113, How to Use Table Merge Codes in Your Templates,
   https://smartadvocate.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/KB/pages/
   1935343649/Tip+113+-+How+to+Use+Table+Merge+Codes+in+Your+Templates). The items from the Table Merge Code will adopt the formatting (i.e., column widths, etc.) of the custom columns you created initially.
   
   

   Here is an example of our custom columns and table merge code in the example above as it would appear in out template.

<! [CA-EXP-TABLE,<CLMN:5,1,3,4;ORDER:5;NYYN>] !>

Here is the section of a sample document generated using the custom columns and table merge code above:

Note – Our table merge code was also formatted so that the data in the table was sorted by expense type in alphabetical order – denoted by the designation “ORDER:5” in the table merge code as shown above.