TechNote (Archived)

How to reduce the space between a FrameMaker table and the top of a text frame

Adobe FrameMaker tables are always anchored to a paragraph, so if a table is the first entry in a file, an empty paragraph (white space) appears above the table. If the table is set to Top Of Column, the table marker stays where it is, and the table moves to the top of the next page. The result is a blank first page, with the table marker being the only remaining entry on the first page. However, if you want the table to appear at the top of the first page of the document and appear flush with the text frame, you can reduce the space between the table marker and the text frame. To reduce the space, do one of the following:

-- Change the settings in the Paragraph and Table Designer to reduce the amount of space used in the paragraph above the table (the paragraph where the table marker appears).

1. Choose View > Text Symbols to turn on text symbols.

2. Click an insertion point in the paragraph containing the table marker (the table marker looks like a large, bolded, upside down "T").

3. Choose Format > Paragraphs > Designer.

4. Choose Default Font from the Properties pop-up menu, and then type 10.0 pt for the point size.

5. Click Apply to apply these changes to the current paragraph only.

6. Choose Basic from the Properties pop-up menu, and then do the following in the Space section:

-- Set Below Pgf to -10.0pt.

-- Set Above Pgf to 0.0pt.

7. Click Apply.

8. Click an insertion point in the table.

9. Choose Table > Table Designer.

10. Choose Basic from the Properties pop-up menu, and then in the Space section, set Above Pgf to -10.0. Then, choose Anywhere from the Start pop-up menu.

11. Click Apply.

Note: In a multi-columnar document, you may want to allow the anchor line to span the columns: Choose Pagination from the Properties pop-up menu, and select Across All Columns.

-- Insert the table into a new, small text frame:

1. Create a small text frame (the size of a table anchor) above the main text frame.

2. Connect both text frames: Select them, and choose Format > Customize Layout > Connect Text Frames.

3. Place the insertion point in the upper text frame, and insert the table. The anchor is in the upper text frame, and the table is in the lower one.

Note: To avoid a page override, you can create the text frame on a new master page that the page uses.

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