Microsoft KB Archive/180998

= WD98: "Merge Cells Before Split" Setting Causes Unexpected Results =

Article ID: 180998

Article Last Modified on 10/4/2002

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Word 98 for Macintosh

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This article was previously published under Q180998





SYMPTOMS
When you split cells with the "Merge cells before split" setting turned on (default setting), Word will merge any information within the selected cells into one cell and that information will be distributed equally within the split cells of only the first row you select.



WORKAROUND
To keep the information in the existing cells while splitting the cells:


 * 1) Select the cells to split.
 * 2) On the Table menu, click Split Cells.
 * 3) Click to clear the "Merge cells before split" check box.
 * 4) Click OK.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.



MORE INFORMATION
For example, if you have the following table in a document

 |                  |                   |                  |   | Item 1            | Item 2            | Item 3           | |                  |                   |                  |   |                   |                   |                  |   | Item 4            | Item 5            | Item 6           | |                  |                   |                  |   |                   |                   |                  |   | Item 7            | Item 8            | Item 9           | |                  |                   |                  |

and the "Merge cells before split" check box is clear, you get the following results when you select rows 1 and 2 and click Split cells on the Table menu:

 |        |         |         |         |         |        |   | Item 1  |         | Item 2  |         | Item 3  |        | |        |         |         |         |         |        |   |         |         |         |         |         |        |   | Item 4  |         | Item 5  |         | Item 6  |        | |        |         |         |         |         |        |   |                   |                   |                  |   | Item 7            | Item 8            | Item 9           | |                  |                   |                  |

However, if the "Merge cells before split" check box selected, items 1 through 6 are first merged into 1 cell and they are then split into cells, making them all appear in the first row, as in the following example:

 |        |         |         |         |         |        |   | Item 1  | Item 2  | Item 3  | Item 4  | Item 5  | Item 6 | |        |         |         |         |         |        |   |         |         |         |         |         |        |   |         |         |         |         |         |        |   |         |         |         |         |         |        |   |                   |                   |                  |   | Item 7            | Item 8            | Item 9           | |                  |                   |                  |

Additional query words: incorrect wrong error splitting

Keywords: kbbug kbfix kbtable KB180998

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