Tabular Data

I am curious how I go about setting up tabular data in DRAW. I create a lot of directories, lists of manufacturers, delivery schedules and so on in my work, and so tabular data is a must. How do I do this in X3? Please help! :)

Edit: Trying columns..I think this will work. I'll let everyone know!

DRAW can easily import via the clipboard tables made in Word and in Excel, and then can be sized to fit.

You can when working in paragraph text, use tabs and create something that looks like a table however, it does not include the line, you add these later, and if you want to add shading, say every other cell, this is done later. The tool that looks like it could draw a table makes a grid which can be ungrouped and then colored. If I have to make a table in DRAW itself, I only use one set of boxes across and make my vertical lines with the blend tool. Then I can ungroup the boxes and easily color every other one.

Note: bringing in tables from Excel does not bring in their shading that I have found. And if you want to reformat the text, then you are bringing it in as text.

If you have Adobe Acrobat Professional, you could print to Acrobat Distiller to create a .pdf which can than be imported into DRAW which will hold the table shading. Likewise from Word.

Both Word and Excel are inherently RGB and if you are doing a full-color or spot color publication, your RGB text will need to be changed to CMYK black or it will split to four colors. Bringing in .pdf made of Excel and Word doesn't automatically fix the RGB problem. But the Fnd and Replace Wizard does a great job. If you need your fill done in one color and your lines in black, lines and fills are a separate operation in Find and Replace Wizard.

There are problems with changing the properties via .pdf because the link then to Excel is broken. If you need to maintain the link, importing it or doing a Ctrl-A Copy and Paste maintains the OLE link. Then you have a problem with the color, you could try a lens for creating grayscale. Haven't tried that, it may work.

My comments are based on working in 12.0, X3 should work the same, I haven't read anything to make me think that the functioning described above is any different. Between 12.0 and X3, Word imports are much better, I have never had a severe lag over an Excel import as I did with Word in 12.0 only.

I accomplished what I needed with a few columns.

I will keep your advice in mind.