I can't fathom the reasoning behind ID CS5 tables. Can you help?

Question

I can make ID CS5 tables work, but I don't understand how they work. I should mention that I'm a heavy FrameMaker user, so I'm sure I've got some faulty preconceptions.
In FrameMaker, I'm accustomed to using table styles to automate table formatting. All table formatting info -- e.g., text styles for table titles, headings, and body; rules; cell padding; etc -- is built into the table style and applied with a single click. The text styling information is drawn from preexisting paragraph styles that are associated with the table style. All very straightforward. But in InDesign, things seem a lot more complicated.
InDesign has Table Styles and Cell Styles. I'm unclear on the relationship between the two. You can specify ruling and shading styles in both. I don't understand this. 
I've gotten more predictable results with Cell Styles, so I've built most of my formatting info into them. But Cell Styles aren't stand-alone entities. Even though you have to create them, then add them to the Table Style, they have to be associated with a preexisting paragraph style. This seems like a duplication of effort -- two separate styles (cell and paragraph) applying the same text formatting info. The Cell Style does include ruling and shading info, but that shouldn't be necessary since that information theoretically can be entered in the Table Style.
Also, using Cell Styles limits you to one paragraph style per cell. In some cases I need two -- data or text, followed by some bullet points. When this happens I've had to strip out the Cell Style and apply a paragraph style directly. Seems funky.
I don't want to get too deep into the weeds with specific puzzles I've encountered; suffice to say I don't understand how Table Styles and Cell Styles interact and how best to use them to create and format tables efficiently. Do any of you understand the thinking behind ID tables? Can you point to a source that explains it? There's got to be a system there, a set of coherent operating principles, but I haven't been able to discern them.
Sincere thanks,
    --Donna Reynolds

Answer 1

semiwool wrote:
I'm not clear how you're able to automate the next-format behavior in FrameMaker. Are you saying that populating a FrameMaker table by importing text from a source, using the convert-to-table option does this because the incoming content has paragraph styles that match existing FrameMaker formats, and that you can't get this in InDesign? InDesign's import options are quite rich. If you need details, search Google for "InDesign text import options" without quotes.
My apologies. I must have done a poor job of explaining the problem, which is: If you apply a Cell Style to a cell, that cell will only permit one paragraph style. If you need to use two styles in the cell, you have to change the Cell Style to None, then do your formatting with a regular paragraph style.
These tables were imported as RTF, which has worked reasonably well. Actually, yesterday I was thinking about the discussion we had re: Frame > ID conversions. The first draft of the tutorial I worked up is done. If interested, I'd be happy to send a copy.
Many thanks for your assistance,
   -dr
Try this:
* Create a small table, say four rows by four columns.
* Create a paragraph style named noStyle, based on No Style.
* Create a paragraph style with text color cyan, for the second paragraph in the cel; call it cyan. Leave Next Style as Same Style.
* Create a paragraph style with text color magenta, for the first paragraph in the cell; call it magenta. Set Next style to cyan.
* Create a cell style whose paragraph style is magenta.
* In a table cell, create two paragraphs that use the style noStyle.
* Copy the two paragraphs to another cell.
* In the first cell, apply the magenta style to the first paragraph.
* Select both paragraphs in the cell, or select the cell.
* In the paragraph styles panel, Right-Click the magenta style name.
* In the context menu that appears, click Apply "magenta" then Next Style. The first paragraph remains magenta, and the second paragraph changes to cyan.
* Select  the second cell.
* Apply the cell style magentaCell. Both paragraphs are tagged with the magenta paragraph style.
* Select the cell and in the Paragraph Styles panel, Right-Click the paragraph style magenta, and select Apply "magenta," then Next Style. Like the two paragraphs selected in the cell that has no cell style applied, the first paragraph remains magenta, and the second paragraph changes to cyan.
* Copy two paragraphs tagged with noStyle and paste to all the cells in the table.
* Select the whole table.
* Apply the magenta paragraph style to all cells.
* * In the paragraph styles panel, Right-Click the magenta style name.
* In the context menu that appears, click Apply "magenta" then Next Style. The first paragraph remains magenta, and the second paragraph changes to cyan. All the cells have the first paragraph tagged magenta and the second tagged cyan.
* Undo these last steps until all cells have reverted to containing two noStyle paragraphs.
* Select the whole table and apply the magenta cell style.
* In the paragraph styles panel, Right-Click the magenta style name.
* In the context menu that appears, click Apply "magenta" then Next Style. The first paragraph remains magenta, and the second paragraph changes to cyan.
So, with or without cell styles, the Apply Next Style feature efficiently formats multiple-style table cells.
[EDIT] Yes, I'd like to see your tutorial. Click on my name in the sidebar to send a private message, if you don't have my email address already. Thanks for the offer.[/EDIT]
HTH
Regards,
Peter
Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices
Message was edited by: peter at knowhowpro