Al Roller called to ask if there is an easy way to eliminate blank cells in a spreadsheet column of sorted data without having to delete them one at a time. Yes; select the column and do another Sort (alphabetize). All the blank cells will appear at the top of the column, from where they can be selected and deleted as a group.

In Excel this is done by clicking Data>Sort. In an MSWorks spreadsheet, click Tools>Sort. In an MSWord table choose Table>Sort. All these steps will then offer options for choosing Ascending (A-Z) or Descending (Z-A) along with other options such as how to sort data in adjoining columns and whether or not the columns have a Header row.

Speaking of alphabetizing, I get frequent calls asking if items in a regular MSWord document can be sorted. Yes, a group of paragraphs can be sorted by mouse-selecting them and clicking Table>Sort. If ALL paragraphs are to be sorted you can simply place your cursor to the left of first character in the first paragraph, rather than selecting them all.

Another frequent question is, "Why does text I copy from an email or a Web page sometimes appear double-spaced when I paste it into an MSWord document? And why does pressing Enter then make my cursor jump down two lines instead of one?"

This is usually caused by underlying HTML formatting that gets copied along with the text, and which may behave differently in a word processing file. You can make Enter move down just one line by holding down Shift as you press it.

As for fixing oddly-formatted paragraphs in MSWord, mouse-select them and click Format>Paragraph, whereupon you will find options for Spacing, Before and After. Choosing Auto returns everything to normal paragraph defaults. However, you can choose a number of "points" to increase or decrease line spacing between paragraphs. Similar options exist in an MSWorks text document.

MSWord Tables Are Helpful & Easy to Use

These options are also available within individual cells of an MSWord table. A table can be created by clicking Table>Insert>Table, and typing in the number of columns and rows you want. You can then place your cursor inside any cell where data is to be placed. Other formatting options, such as horizontal alignment, can be selected from the regular MSWord toolbar.

Although MSWord has a Format>Columns option, it is often easier to create and manipulate columns with the Table commands. For instance, the width of a column can be changed by selecting it, mouse-grabbing its left or right edge, and moving it accordingly. Moreover, a table can be used as a mini-spreadsheet, complete with mathematical calculation options available under Table>Formula.

By default, the lines that define a table will show up on the screen and when printed out. However, both lines and spaces can be manipulated under Format>Borders & Shading. Here you can adjust the weight and color of the Borders (lines) and choose different colors for Shading (open areas between the lines).