Skip navigation
Nohjekim
Nohjekim
Currently Being Moderated

Need help with decimal tabs?

May 2, 2012 9:23 AM

Hi

 

This is driving me crazy.

 

I've done this in earlier versions of Indesign.

I'm using CS4.

 

I need to use a tab to make all the prices on this page line up.

But nothing I have tried works.

 

I've read the help files but they just say make a decimal tab and the numbers will move there.

No details or step by step instructions. 

 

I guess I need someone to hold my hand. LOL

 

When I create a decimal tab and select the line of type with the number in it and hit tab the whole line just disappears, or it moves the number to the next line, flush left.

Nothing I do will get it to move the decimal over to the tab.

 

Any help appreciated...

 

Tabs Clip.JPG

The blue guide line on the left side of the collum is where I want the decimals to align.

 

Mike

695 Views   12 Replies   Latest reply: Peter Spier, May 2, 2012 1:38 PM
 
Replies
  • Peter Spier
    Currently Being Moderated
    1. Peter Spier,
    May 2, 2012 9:49 AM   in reply to Nohjekim
    Report

    Setup looks fine, presuming that tab stop is applied to the paragraphs (I'd set it inthe style). You need to press tab, though, before the first digit.

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • Jeffrey_Smith
    Currently Being Moderated
    2. Jeffrey_Smith,
    May 2, 2012 9:50 AM   in reply to Nohjekim
    Report

    Place your cursor at the start of the price then enter a tab.

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • Nohjekim
    Currently Being Moderated
    3. Nohjekim,
    May 2, 2012 10:20 AM   in reply to Jeffrey_Smith
    Report

    Hi Guys

     

    Thanks for replying.

     

    Image one is the page just before I hit the tab key, the cursor is in front of the 6 after Blueberry...

    Tab Capture 01.JPG

     

     

    Image 2 is just after hitting the tab key, the whole price moves to the next line.

     

    Tab Capture 02.JPG''

     

    This is what I keep running into, I dont know what to do differently.

    I think this is just how I've always done it.

     

    Mike

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • Tom Usrey
    Currently Being Moderated
    4. Tom Usrey,
    May 2, 2012 10:20 AM   in reply to Nohjekim
    Report

    And, if you're not using styles, you need to select the text first, then go to the Tabs bar and add the new tab.

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • Peter Spier
    Currently Being Moderated
    5. Peter Spier,
    May 2, 2012 10:32 AM   in reply to Nohjekim
    Report

    My guess is the tab stop is too close to the right margin...

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • Nohjekim
    Currently Being Moderated
    6. Nohjekim,
    May 2, 2012 10:32 AM   in reply to Nohjekim
    Report

    Hi

     

    I figured it out.

     

    When the type moves over it actually moves a little farther then the arrow indicator in the Tabs Bar.

    This causes the Type to move outside the width of the column and it goes down to the next line.

     

    Tab Capture 03.JPG

     

    The left guide line is where the tab arrow is set and the right one is where the decimal actually moves too.

     

    Thanks for the help, once I knew that I was using the right process I looked for a reason that it wasn't working.

     

    Mike

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • Jeffrey_Smith
    Currently Being Moderated
    7. Jeffrey_Smith,
    May 2, 2012 10:42 AM   in reply to Nohjekim
    Report

    Perhaps the tab placement is not far enough from the right to allow the .00 to fit.

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • Nohjekim
    Currently Being Moderated
    8. Nohjekim,
    May 2, 2012 12:15 PM   in reply to Jeffrey_Smith
    Report

    Thanks for the help guys.

     

    Now back to work.

     

    Mike

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • lilia@
    196 posts
    Jan 31, 2012
    Currently Being Moderated
    9. lilia@,
    May 2, 2012 1:21 PM   in reply to Nohjekim
    Report

    shift-tab would have done the job (in this case).

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • Peter Spier
    Currently Being Moderated
    10. Peter Spier,
    May 2, 2012 1:27 PM   in reply to lilia@
    Report

    That's really not true. A right indent tab is analagouse to a right-aligned tab set on the right margin. Depending on the font, and the whter there are tabualr figures, a right-aligned or right-indent tab MIGHT yeild a similar result, but with proportional figures the position of the decimal point would shift back and forth slightly depenidng on waht the actual numbers might be.

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • lilia@
    196 posts
    Jan 31, 2012
    Currently Being Moderated
    11. lilia@,
    May 2, 2012 1:33 PM   in reply to Peter Spier
    Report

    Peter... understood... but like I said... in this case (from the look of the screenshots)

     

    PS pancakes.... yummy (now I'm hungry)

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • Peter Spier
    Currently Being Moderated
    12. Peter Spier,
    May 2, 2012 1:38 PM   in reply to lilia@
    Report

    Well, yes, from a design standpoint the right-indent tab would probably work and be relatively simple to execute since the prices are not stacked atop one another.

     
    |
    Mark as:
Actions

More Like This

  • Retrieving data ...

Bookmarked By (0)

Answers + Points = Status

  • 10 points awarded for Correct Answers
  • 5 points awarded for Helpful Answers
  • 10,000+ points
  • 1,001-10,000 points
  • 501-1,000 points
  • 5-500 points