Repeat Header Rows in Word won't repeat!

Question

Hi all,

I have the most annoying problem where I cannot use Repeat Header Rows.

I have read every post on this topic and have tried all the suggestions.

That being said, I think I have discovered why I have this problem and would like to pick the brains of anyone out there who had encountered the same problem.

Here goes:

I am writing a user manual that is essentially a series of two-column tables: a narrow left column with the topic title and a wider right column with the body text. The right column often contains step-action tables that invariably spread to the next page. The header row will not repeat itself on the next page.

I suspect this problem is because the table is a table within a table. If this is correct (confirmation welcome), is there a trick that will get around this (guidance even more welcome).

Here's a screen capture that shows the structure described above.

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment on the above.

Sharon R.

Answer 1

Hello , SharonRoffey

Welcome to Microsoft Community and appreciate your time taken for sharing detailed information. I understand that Repeat Header Rows in Word won't repeat the header. I know this is not convenient for you.

I tested Repeat Header Rows in Word according to your description and encountered the same problem as you. As you can guess, the reason is indeed that the table is a table within a table. If you still want to design the layout like this, Repeat Header Rows will never be effective, unfortunately. Also, although Word automatically repeats table headers on new pages that result from automatic page breaks, it does not repeat a header if you insert a manual page break within a table.

So I suggest you to change the layout, don't nest one table inside another table, so that similar problems won't happen again. Or the less effective way is to input the header word by word on each page.

For more information about repeating head rows, please refer to: Repeat table header on subsequent pages (microsoft.com)

Feel free to post back if you have any additional questions.

Best Regard,

Yuhao Li| Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Dear Yuhao Li,

Thank you for your reply and for confirming my suspicions about nested table behaviour.

What is really annoying is that I am allowed to select Repeat Header Row in a nested table. There doesn't seem to be any logical reason for it not to work. If, as we now know, this function doesn't work in a nested table, then it doesn't make any sense that it can be selected.

I will have no choice but to add the repeating row manually. Of course, this can only be done at the very final stages as it's likely to cause a mess with ongoing edits.

Best,

Sharon

Answer 3

It is probably possible to achieve the required layout without using a table within a table.

Answer 4

As Doug says, you can probably get the layout you want without nested tables.

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If you share an example file of several pages showing your layout before and after the nested table we may be able suggest how to restructure your document. An outside perspective, and our experience with Word may suggest alternate approaches that you do not see.

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You can either use the =rand() function to generate random filler text or use the macro I provide in the following article that randomizes the existing text in a way that cannot be reverse engineered.

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Upload Example - Share via “Personal” OneDrive File

There is no way to upload example files directly to this forum.
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Trouble shooting problems using this text only forum can be like a visit to the dentist without anaesthetics: a long, slow painful process of us trying to “extract” the clues needed to recognize the problem in a back and forth flow of questions and answers so that we hopefully can eventually come up with a / “the” solution.
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Often it is faster and easier for everyone if we have a “sample file(s)” get "hands on", to look at, and to “play with”. There are a couple of advantages of providing example files:

. * we have exactly the same data you are describing,

. * if your problem requires merging multiple files, we can work with that

. * you will often get different suggestions from users with points of view and experience.
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This next link provides some tips on setting up a sample file and specific instructions for uploading and "sharing" it for us to access:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_other-winapps/trouble-shooting-share-onedrive-file/a231a097-bcbf-4e34-ad6c-a33118baf471?tm=1523189328156
.

The above article includes links to a macros to randomize existing text in Word and Excel
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Note: make sure to upload to your Personal (consumer) OneDrive rather than your work OneDrive or SharePoint. Files in the Work cloud can be hard to share due to security restrictions placed by the work admins. Or use any other free storage service (anything other than business OneDrive or SharePoint).
.

Another article explaining need for sharing example files:

Why a sample file is important for troubleshooting. How to do it. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/why-a-sample-file-is-important-for-troubleshooting/9441ae3c-1e92-41c6-9a1f-5b377b08e5a5
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2021 05 25- 15 Best Free Cloud Storage in 2021 – Up to 200 GB Free Storage
https://www.whizlabs.com/blog/best-free-cloud-storage/
. Create Random text in Word - =RAND(), =LOREM(), =RAND.OLD How to Create Random Text in Microsoft Word https://www.wikihow.com/Create-Random-Text-in-Microsoft-Word

Last Updated: September 30, 2021

Generating random text in Microsoft® Word can be useful if you're a template designer, a tutorial maker, or just need some text to fine-tune a page layout. Microsoft® Word supports random, preset text that Microsoft has included in the Word program or you can add some *lorem ipsum* text. The process will work on both Windows and Mac operating systems.
. Of Rand()om text, old text and Lorem ipsum https://office-watch.com/2008/of-random-text-old-text-and-lorem-ipsum/

by Office Watch      21 November 2008

New wrinkles on an old Microsoft Office =rand() ‘random’ or filler text trick

Old Word hands know there’s a quick way to enter text into a document as a placeholder for testing or to help formatting while you’re waiting for the real content to arrive.
. Word's =Rand() around the World https://office-watch.com/2021/word-rand-around-the-world/

by Office Watch      2 April 2021

=Rand.old() is a Word trick which adds common sentences that use all, or most, of the letters in that language’s alphabet. Here’s what Word does in English, French, German, Danish, Polish and many other languages. It’s useful filler text for testing formatting or other Word features just like “Lorem Ipsum …”. The sentence changes for each primary language in Word.
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Answer 5

Hi Doug and Rohnski2,

Thank you for following through on this. I actually have another way of achieving the same layout, one that I used for a 240-page document back in 2018. I was a bit gung-ho on this latest document and went into full table mode without thinking ahead (never occurred to me that nested tables would have restrictions).

The method I used before was a document with a 2.5in margin for the body of the document and I used text-box-to-frame for the headings in the white space on the left.

Ideally, I should reorganize the document, but I am on a very tight delivery deadline. For now, I will use Section Breaks for the 'offending' tables and follow the above method and then reorganize the document before I hand it over.

Best,

Sharon