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Macros, tips, and templates for Corel® WordPerfect® for Windows®
© Copyright 1996-2024 by Barry MacDonnell. All Rights Reserved.

Mixing text justification (left-center-right) on the same line

How to use your menu, keyboard, or mouse to align words or short phrases at up to three separate locations on a single line, between the page margins

Related pages -

Headers, Footers, and Watermarks - how to start, stop, suppress, edit, change, replace, delay, overlay, and remove them (with links to page numbering topics)

Using two footers simultaneously (one for page number, the other for separator line and filename, etc.) so that items do not overlap

•  You probably will find that just one or two of the methods below will work for most of your needs. Review them to see which might be best for you.

•  Most of the methods below primarily apply to short blocks of text on a single line in the document. (However, all of them can be used to create or simulate a single line with mixed justiifcation.)

•  For longer blocks of text or multi-line items or paragraphs:

- Method 5 uses a three-column table with Table, Create (with or without cell borders) to divide the material.

- Method 6 uses 3 columns with Format, Columns to divide the material.

[While you can break up longer or multi-line items into short blocks of text, each block ending with a hard return (<Enter> key), and then justify them as you would a single line of short phrases (see methods 1-4 below), the 3-column table or column methods should be easier to set up and maintain during editing when used with long items.]

Do not select any text.

Instead, do one of the following:

•  If you have not yet created the line:

Use the method in described in the Question/Answer above:

[1] First type the left-justified word(s), don't select anything, and then choose Format, Line, Center, which moves the cursor to the center of the line.

[2] Next, type the text that should be centered.

[3] Then choose Format, Line, Flush Right and then type the right-justified word(s).

Video example (60 seconds; mp4 format)

Tip: Instead of (or in addition to) typing text at any of the three locations you can insert a format code such as a changeable date (Insert, Date/Time), or a code to display the current page number (Format, Page, Insert Page Number).

•  If you already have some left- and/or center-justified text on the line -- here, "center-justified" means using the above Format menu choice -- and need to add some "flush right" text to the same line:

[1] Locate your cursor after the existing text and choose Format, Line, Flush Right. This inserts a [Hd_Flush_Right] code in Reveal Codes.

[2] Then type the text (or insert a format code: see tip above) that should be right-justified.

•  To center new material on the same line with left-justified and/or flush right text:

[1] Use Reveal Codes to locate the cursor after any existing left-justified text but before any right-justification code ([Hd_Flush_Right]), then choose Format, Line, Center. This inserts a [Hd_Center_in_Marg] code in Reveal Codes.

[2] Then type the text (or insert a format code: see tip above) that should be centered. (You can use the mouse or other keys to move past the line of text.)

Notes

¤  If you select any text first, WordPerfect will put the format code at the start of the line, instead of where you want it. Just delete those codes in Reveal Codes (or use Edit, Undo), and start over without selecting anything.

¤  As mentioned above, these procedures are for a single line of text, not for splitting a multi-line paragraph. (See above for multi-line paragraphs.)

¤  As also mentioned above: The centering format code in these procedures is different from the one inserted when using the more typical choice of Format, Justification, Center. It can be seen as a [Hd_Center_in_Marg] code in Reveal Codes. It produces a different result from normal center justification ([Just:Center]).

Tips

☼  If you want to add [...]dot leaders from the left margin up to the point where you need some centered text, choose Format, Line, Center twice in succession.

☼  To add [...]dot leaders from the cursor location up to the right margin (or to a table cell's right border) -- assuming no existing text on the rest of the line -- choose Format, Line, Flush Right with Dot Leaders. (You can add text following the [...Hd Flush Right] code on that line. It will simply push the dots leftward.)

☼  To indent an existing paragraph's text one tab stop with [...]dot leaders place the cursor at the beginning of the paragraph and use Format, Line, Flush Right with Dot Leaders. [For an older manual method that might work better in some situations see the DotLeads page here.]

☼   To change the default "dot" character see Footnote 1 below.

☼  See the shortcut key alternatives for these menu choices in Method 2 below.)

Do not select any text.

Use the same procedures above (under "Using the Format menu"), but use these keyboard shortcuts instead of using the Format menu:

<Shift+F7> = Centered text (<WPWin Keyboard>).
<Shift+F6> = Centered text (<DOS Keyboard>).

<Alt+F7> = Flush Right (<WPWin Keyboard>).
<Alt+Ctrl+F6> = Flush Right (<DOS Keyboard>).

Tips

☼  Adding [....]dot leaders to these formats:

Pressing <Shift+F7> on the WPWin Keyboard twice in succession (e.g.,<Shift+F7>,<Shift+F7>) will insert [....]dot leaders up to the centered text.

Pressing <Alt+F7> on the WPWin Keyboard twice in succession (e.g.,<Alt+F7>,<Alt+F7>) will insert [....]dot leaders up to the flush right code.

Related tips:

☼ To indent paragraphs with dot leaders, see here.

☼ To change the default "dot" character see Footnote 1 below.

☼ Using both of the above dot leader methods on a new line you can produce something like this example:

WPToolbox . . . . . . . . . . . Table tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Here's how to do it: On a new line (or inside a header, footer, watermark, or draggable/resizable Text Box) -

1. Type or paste the left-justified text. Press <Shift+F7> on the WPWin Keyboard twice in succession.
2. Type or paste the centered text ("Table tips").
3. Press <Alt+F7> on the WPWin Keyboard twice in succession. Type or paste the right-justified text. (You can insert a code at a particular location, such as a page number code (see the "1" in the example above).)

[Optional: Select the centered item (or any particular item) to change the font/size/color/attribute(e.g., bold,italic)/etc. for that selection. See also Footnote 1 below to change the dot character (e.g., to underscores),]

☼ You can use dot leaders to quickly set off centered text more dramatically. For example, suppose you want this dot-formatted text between the left and right page margins:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Today's Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Here's how to do it: On a new line (or inside a header, footer, or draggable/resizable Text Box) -

1. Press <Shift+F7> on the WPWin Keyboard twice in succession.
2. Type or paste the centered text ("Today's Menu").
3. Press <Alt+F7> on the WPWin Keyboard twice in succession. 

[Optional: Select the centered line to change the font/size/color/attribute(e.g., bold,italic)/etc. for that selection. See also Footnote 1 below to change the dot character (e.g., to underscores),]

☼  You can customize your keyboard to assign (or reassign) these and many other features to different shortcut key combinations, or to new shortcuts if you don't currently have them on your keyboard. See Assigning a macro, feature, program, or string of keystrokes to a key or key combination (i.e., a "shortcut" or "hot key").

The above items are found on the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog, under the "Feature categories" drop list Format category

Example 1: You could assign Justify Left to <Alt+L>, Center Text to <Alt+C>, and Flush Right to <Alt+R>.

Example 2: If you only need quick access to flush right with dot leaders you could assign Flush Right with Dot Leaders to <Alt+R> or perhaps <Alt+Ctrl+F7> (or any available shortcut key).

While this page describes aligning three main parts of a typical line of text -- left, center, and flush right -- you can do the same thing with tab settings by first clearing all tab settings (Format, Line, Tab Set, Clear All) and then setting new ones at the desired specific locations. This can give more flexibility in the number of text locations on a line and their specific locations. See Tab Settings in WordPerfect.

Do not select any text.

Use the procedures above (under "Using the Format menu"), but use your mouse to access a context menu for your choices:

Place the mouse cursor (i.e., the insertion point) at the desired location, and right-click the mouse. Choose Center or Flush Right from the drop-down context menu.

Tip

☼  Clicking Center or Flush Right twice in succession will insert [....]dot leaders. (You can also use this tip if you use the Format menu or keyboard shortcuts instead of the mouse.)

[To change the default "dot" character see Footnote 1 below.]

You can simulate center-justified text and flush right text by using the Shadow Cursor, which simply inserts tabs (and hard returns, if needed) up to the Shadow Cursor's location -- the point in the document where you left-clicked while the Shadow Cursor is turned on.

Tips

☼  The Shadow Cursor feature can be enabled/disabled with View, Shadow Cursor, if you are using the <WordPerfect Menu>; otherwise, these menu choices will not appear. If necessary, right-click on the menu bar and select the <WordPerfect Menu> choice from the list that appears.

☼  You can also right-click in the Application Bar at the bottom of the WordPerfect window, and choose Settings; enable the checkbox for the Shadow Cursor. Then you can click the new icon on the Application Bar (see image below) to toggle the Shadow Cursor on and off.

1. On a new line, click Table, Create.
2. Set Columns to "3" (or "2") and Rows to "1".
3. Click Speed Format and choose No Lines No Border, then click Apply.
4. Click Create.
5. Enter your text in each cell.
6. Justify the column text as appropriate. You can

(a) right-click in the cells and choose Format, Horizontal [Left/Center/Right alignment of the cell contents] from the context menu;

     -or-

(b) apply normal line justification to the text itself in each cell from the main menu's Format choice.

Tips

☼  You can use this method for both short phrases and for multi-line blocks of text.

☼  Tables have some other advantages over the methods above. For example: You can add various borders and/or background fills to them. You can adjust the spacing between the text and the borders with the table's column and row margins. For multi-line items (e.g.,  several currency amounts) you can format the numbers. [For more tips on using tables see this page.]

Notes

¤  Microsoft Word users must use tables (or special tabs; see Footnote 2 below) to have mixed text justification on a single line, because MSWord formats the left, center, and/or right justification of individual words on a line as though they were individual paragraphs, and such paragraph objects ("containers") cannot occupy the same vertical space (i.e., the same "line") at the same time -- unless they are inside separate table cells.

¤  In WordPerfect, when using any of the first three methods above, the text itself is centered or made flush right by inserting special codes directly into the line, "pushing" the text into a specific location on the line. This is not the same thing as setting up center justification or right justification (as in Method 6), which applies to entire paragraphs (i.e., anything that ends with a hard return or equivalent).

[Tip: You can use this column method for both short phrases (as shown above) and for multi-line blocks of text. For the latter, and depending on the amount and purpose of the text, you can justify the columns Left-Center-Right, or make them all left-justified or center-justified.]

1. On a new line in the document click Format, Columns.

2. Set the Number of columns to "3" and click OK.

Note: If there was any following text in the document it is now in column format. This will be corrected in the next step.

3. Click inside the first column at the very top before any text and format codes (if any appears there) and press <Ctrl+Enter> twice to move the cursor and any existing text rightwards. The cursor should now be positioned at the very top of the third column before any text in that column.

4. Click Format, Columns, Discontinue to stop further column formatting. The cursor should move itself outside the columns (at which point another [Col Def] code -- the "off" code of the pair of column codes -- should appear in Reveal Codes).

5. You should now have 3 empty, 1-line columns on screen. (Optional: Adjust the space between the columns to a minimum dimension: Just double click on the first [Col Def] code in Reveal Codes to open the Columns editor.)

6. Enter your new text in each column. Just click in a column with your mouse -- or if already in a column you can use the left or right arrow keys to move to a different column.

7. Justify the center and right columns' text:

(a) Click in the center column before any text and click Format, Justification, Center; then -

(b) click in the right column before any text and click Format, Justification, Right.

Tip: Instead of using Format, Justification, Center (or Right) you could use the same format menu choices or shortcut keys described in Method 1 and Method 2 above. For "single line" text they should give the same results when used in such short columns.