Different Rows and columns per worksheet

[chazperx]

Please refer to the word document attached.

Hi:

When you open the attached word document, you will see that:
1. The first row has 10 columns (in white)
2. The 2nd has 6 (in White)
3. The 3rd has 3 (in yellow and grey)
4. The 4th has 9 etc......

This was obvious created in WORD.

Other than copying and pasting into Excel, which doesn't work, how can I create a different amount of columns for each row, in Excel?



Thanks in advance for you assistance!

Chaz

[6StringJazzer]

This is a very tedious task in Excel. It requires merging cells. Unlike Word, in Excel, every row has the same number of columns and every column has the same number of rows. To make it look like the Word version you have to merge cells. The merging must be done pretty much one cell at a time, then you can use the Format Painter to copy the formatting. And merging cells can often cause other problems; most Excel experts advise against merging.

What is it you are trying to accomplish, and if you have it done already in Word, why do you need it in Excel? Is there any flexibility in this format?

The technique for doing this is to take your Word file, then everywhere there is a column use a ruler to draw a line up the entire height of the page. The total number of vertical lines you draw will tell you how many columns in Excel you have to use. In your example, it looks like about 21. Fortunately your rows line up so you don't have to repeat that exercise with the rows. Then use the lines you've drawn to guide the merging. On each row, each rectangle bounded by either the pre-existing lines and your drawn lines is a cell in Excel. Highlight the cells in Excel to match the pre-existing lines, and then merge.

In this example, the dotted lines are drawn. The shaded blocks are groups of merged cells.

Merging cells to create form.png