I use the same few tables over and over again in word - they take time to create and fill, so normally I copy and paste them, then delete the changeable bits - it takes needlessly long.
I sometimes save the bits to clipboard, but that gets emptied each time I close the program, so I have to fill it again if I’m doing multiple documents.
Ideally, I would like to be able to store the tables on a clipboard, like a table template. Or set some sort of hotkey.
Not really sure if this will help but here goes. You should be able to open a new doc. create your commonly used tables then the following which is copied from a website with the URL after it for further reference. The making instructions are not for tables but you know how to create those. This is only for saving the doc as a template.
Finally, save the file as a template: In Word 2003, click File > Save As, give the template a name such as “Two-column layout,” choose a location for the file (more on this below), select Document Template (*.dot) in the Save as Type drop-down menu, and click Save.
To have your new template listed under My Templates in Word’s New dialog, save the template to this folder in Vista:
C:\Users\your logon ID\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates
Or this folder in XP:
C:\Users\your logon ID\AppData\Microsoft\Templates Or click the Templates entry under Favorite Links in Vista or Trusted Templates in XP’s Save in dialog. Note that once you’ve opened it, the template will also appear in the Recent documents list in both Word versions.
I wrote this first then did some research n Templates in 2003 so this part might not be that efficient* Make the tables and save them with nothing else in the document. When you know you will need to use a table open the doc. Do whatever you do with said doc and when you save make sure to Save As… and your original will not be overwritten provided of course you give the doc a name different from the original.
You probably don’t want to make a template as suggested above UNLESS your whole document is just that one big table. Then it *would *make sense to create a template for each common table-formatted doc you use.
If instead your usual use case is creating these standard-formatted tables as small parts within otherwise-ordinary textual docs, then the smart thing to do is to create an ordinary blank doc and paste an example of each empty table type into it. Save that.
Then when you want to create a new doc, create it as always and also open your doc-of-table-samples. Then copy / paste a blank table from your sample doc into your live doc whenever / wherever you need one.
There are ways to automate all this, but odds are you’ll make a bigger mess doing that than just doing the above.
If you understand about standard and non-standard document templates, and macros, and styles, and VBA, then tell us & we can direct you into the more advanced areas. Most users’ eyes just cross when somebody tries to explain that stuff. Hence my simpler approach above.