The Tab Stop Quadrille

The Tab Stop Quadrille
Mac Tip #265/18-Oct-2006

Last week’s Tip showed how to press the Tab key once between each column to create columns of text and how to move the Tab Stop to line the columns up.

The Default Tab Stop is usually a Left Tab, but there are actually four types. This Tip explains them and how to decide which one to use. The screenshots demonstrate each type. Click the thumbnails for larger versions.

The four types of Tab Stop are: Left, Right, Centre and Decimal. The screenshots show how each type works. Caveat: if the distance to a Tab Stop is shorter than the length of the text it contains then the formatting will fall apart.

The Left Tab

The Left Tab is very common. It lines columns of text up against the left edge of the Tab Stop. For example, if you have a Left Tab Stop at 7 cm then any text affected by that Tab Stop will start at 7 cm and stretch to the right.

The Centre Tab

The Centre Tab is very unusual as it lines the column of text up around the horizontal centre, providing a kind of Christmas Tree effect. For example, if you had a Centre Tab Stop at 9 cm then a shorter word might start at 8 cm and stretch across to 10 cm, while a longer phrase might start at 6 cm and stretch across to 12 cm.

The Right Tab

The Right Tab lines text up against the right edge. For example, if you had a Right Tab Stop at 11 cm then all the text affected by that Tab Stop may start anywhere along the line, depending how long it is, but it will not go past the 11 cm mark.

A Right Tab is used occasionally to the left of a left-aligned column to make it easier to visually connect the items in each column, as the screenshot shows.

The Decimal Tab

The Decimal Tab is extremely interesting: it’s designed to line up a column of figures around the decimal point. Because the decimal is the common element in such a column, the eye finds this arrangement very pleasing.

How you actually set the various Tab Stops in your software of choice may vary widely. Now you know what Tab Stops are, and what the various types are called, you can consult the built-in Help files for assistance on how to apply them.