Remembering the "lock" status of table columns

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Rainer Oehry
Posts: 102
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2017 12:47 pm

Remembering the "lock" status of table columns

Unread post by Rainer Oehry »

We already discussed this issue in the past, but I don't remember whether it made it on the "official" Wish List.

As I currently work a lot with tables, the "Lock Column" button is probably the most often used button of all, because I have to unlock the rightmost column in a huge number of tables over and over again.

I usually leave the rightmost column unlocked, because it is this column that shall get resized automatically to fit the table on the page width for output formats with a fixed page width (PDFs in my case). But, whenever I change the size of the "second-to-rightmost" column, the rightmost column's width in the editor (!) is necessarily changed too, and it gets automatically locked again.

I have been explained the philosophy behind that behavior, but I found it not convincing. As soon as I deliberately (!) unlock a column and leave the adjacent column locked (!), the unlocked column should remain unlocked when I resize the locked column next to it. In this situation I obviously want to modify the width of a fixed-sized ("locked") column, but want to keep the unlocked column as the "floating" column that shall continue to be the one that gets resized to fit the table on the page. I should not need to re-unlock the same column over and over again whenever I change the width of the adjacent locked column.

For users who prefer the current behavior—although I doubt that this would be a significant number—this could also be offered as a configuration option, in the "General" options or, even better, in the table styles ("Leave unlocked columns unlocked when an adjacent locked column is resized" or the like).

I kindly ask you to reconsider this matter.

Thank you.
Regards,

Rainer
Head of Technical Writing & Knowledge Management
TIG Technische Informationssysteme GmbH, Rankweil, Austria
Laini Giles
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Apr 03, 2019 7:27 pm

Re: Remembering the "lock" status of table columns

Unread post by Laini Giles »

I second this.

I wrestle with these multiple times a day, and I'm sick of messing with them. I HATE the column lock. HATE IT.
ingrid hughes
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2013 2:02 am

Re: Remembering the "lock" status of table columns

Unread post by ingrid hughes »

Agreed! Why do we even need a lock button at all? Why can't we just resize the columns the way we want and have them stay that way until we change them?
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Tim Green
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Re: Remembering the "lock" status of table columns

Unread post by Tim Green »

We do understand your frustration, but this is genuinely an insoluble problem in almost all scenarios. Let's look at the options and scenarios:

1) You adjust the column width with the mouse, nothing has been set before

This always affects 2 columns. Help+Manual cannot know which column you want to lock because it can't read your mind. So it has to lock both and you then have to unlock the one you didn't want to affect. There's no way around this if you aren't Harry Potter.

2) You adjust the column width with the mouse and one or both of the affected columns have already been locked

You could say, as you suggest, then just leave the current status unchanged -- leave a locked column locked with the new value and the unlocked column unlocked:
As soon as I deliberately (!) unlock a column and leave the adjacent column locked (!), the unlocked column should remain unlocked when I resize the locked column next to it. In this situation I obviously want to modify the width of a fixed-sized ("locked") column, but want to keep the unlocked column as the "floating" column that shall continue to be the one that gets resized to fit the table on the page.
But that leaves out all the users who, in this particular case, actually wanted to change the width of the OTHER column. They would then write angry forum posts and emails complaining that this was a bug, because they changed the column width and it remained fluid. And if both columns are already locked then nothing changes, because the result is already what you want.

3) You adjust the column with the table properties

Well, that already does what you want: Setting the width of a selected column with table properties (selected cells) only affects the selected column/s. You can access this quickly by adding a keyboard shortcut for edit table properties in View > Program Options > Shortcuts (I use CTRL+ALT+P). Then you can quickly adjust the width of the current column, or selected columns, without affecting anything else.
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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