Tip of the Week: Decimal Align Numbers in Table Cells

This tip was sent to Tip of the Week email subscribers on October 9, 2014.

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Ever need to align numbers in a table based on their decimal points? You might wonder if such a thing is even possible, since you usually don’t have any tabs in your table. But, you can still align text based on a specific character, like a decimal point in a number. Here’s how.

First, make sure the text is left-aligned in the Paragraph Options. Now select the table cells or columns that hold the numbers.

Then, even though you haven’t typed any tabs, choose Type > Tabs to open up the tab options.

Finally, choose the “align on decimal”-tab and click on the ruler to set the position.

You’ll notice your numbers start aligning automatically.