Can't select the right shape to use as the basis for alignment

I have a set of identical shapes in multiple rows. I have set up the horizontal spacing for the top row, and I want to have the columns underneath each member of the top row aligned into a consistent columnar manner. My trouble is, when I select the relevant shapes, they all align to the leftmost shape. With other drawing programs the first shape (generally) becomes the anchor, and the other shapes align to it. Excel typically works in one of two ways - if you Shift-Click the first shape selected is the anchor, and if you Ctrl-CLick, the last shape selected becomes the anchor.

Powerpoint seems neither to be consistent (if I ALign Right, it's still to the right-edge of the leftmost shape), nor to document how it chooses. (Typical Microsoft, I've found).

Can anyone tell me how Powerpoint picks the anchor shape?

Tony

PS Yes - I can set up all sorts of guide-lines and simply snap to them, but then this makes the Align-To capability somewhat irrelevant.

Thanks, Hans,

My question is about PowerPoint. Excel works just fine.

I'm trying to align shapes on a slide. The problem is that the basis for alignment is the leftmost shape rather than the first or last shape selected.

I posted on the Excel Forum because the quality of support here is so good. I tried to post on a PowerPoint part of the forum, but I may have missed - sorry.

I'll see if I can make a dummy slide to show what I mean.

Thanks,

Tony