How to Group Word Art to a Table in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word's graphical tools include a feature for linking WordArt shapes and other graphics to each other. This process is called grouping, and allows a user to move several objects together by moving just one object. It also allows users to build complex graphics from simpler graphics. Tables, by themselves, can't be grouped to WordArt shapes because they're not graphical objects. However, by inserting them into such objects, you can group them to WordArt. Completing this project enables you to use Word's text objects in your graphical creations.

Instructions

1

Open Word and click the "Office" button, followed by clicking the "New" item to create a new document.

2

Click the "Insert" menu heading, followed by clicking the "Shapes" button. Word presents a gallery of shapes you can insert in a document. Shapes are a type of WordArt.

3

Click any of the shapes in the gallery, then drag in the document to grow the shape. Release the mouse to finish the shape.

4

Press and hold down the "Control" key, then click the shape you just placed. Drag a short distance away from the shape. Word will create a duplicate of the shape.

5

Release the mouse button to finalize the position of the duplicate, then right-click the duplicate. Click the "Insert text" item of the context menu. Word will position the text insertion cursor inside the duplicate.

6

Click the "Table" button on the toolbar, then click any of the square icons that appear to create a table in the duplicate shape. You now have two shapes, one of which contains a table. Once you link the two objects, you'll have linked a table to an instance of WordArt.

7

Press and hold the "Control" key, then click on the original WordArt shape you made, followed by clicking on the duplicate shape. This action selects both shapes, which is necessary for the grouping process.

8

Right-click on the duplicate shape and click "Grouping," followed by clicking the "Group" item in the second pop-up menu that appears. This action groups the shapes.

9

Click and drag on one of the shapes to move it. The other shape will move with it. The table you inserted earlier will move along with the shapes, indicating you successfully grouped it to WordArt. You will now remove the border of the shape containing the table. Doing so will make it appear as though the table is grouped directly to the original shape without the aid of a host shape.

10

Right-click on the shape containing the table and click the "Format" item, then click the "Colors" tab.

11

Click the "Color" dropdown box under the "Line" heading, then click the "No color" square in the palette that appears. This removes the color from the border of the shape, which effectively hides the shape but not its contents.

12

Click "OK" to confirm the color change, then click and drag on the original shape as you did earlier. This time, just the table and single shape appear to move together, without a "host" shape around the table.