Processing long tables with many rows might be challenging and time consuming, especially when the document has a big table across multiple pages. In this article, we summed up some useful tips on how to process such tables efficiently using a Magic Grid and how to easily apply these changes to other pages of the document.
Effectively Capture Long Tables
Creating a new grid in Rossum might in some cases infer too many or too few rows. Adjusting those rows one by one is slow and ineffective, especially for long tables. We have a solution for you, there is a more efficient way to create a Magic Grid for long tables with many rows. The first step is to create a small grid (2-3 rows is enough) and mark/adjust rows accordingly. After that just grab the bottom of the grid and extend it to the bottom of the page. The rest of the rows will be prefilled automatically.
In the following example, I have a document with a long table across two pages. I am going to apply this approach to easily create a Magic Grid on the first page of my document.
Now, I’ve successfully created the Magic Grid on the first page of my document. But what about the second page that the table continues to?
Copy Magic Grid to Other Pages
In case your documents have tables across multiple pages, you might need to apply the same Magic Grid on all of them. First, create a Magic Grid on the 1st page of your document and assign labels to its columns. Then, click on the more options icon 
, located in the top-left corner of the grid, and select one of the options. You can apply the same grid to all following pages by choosing the “Apply grid to the next pages” option. Or copy the current grid by selecting the “Copy grid” option, navigate to another page and then “Paste grid” onto this page. The Paste grid icon 
is located next to the “Read data from table” button.
I am going to use this feature and copy the created Magic Grid to the second page of my document in just a few clicks.
But what if I decide I want to change the columns and labels. Do I have to do this separately on each page? No, the first page and a few clicks is enough.
Apply Layout of Labels to Other Grids
In case your documents have tables across multiple pages, you might want to apply columns with labels from the first Magic Grid to the following grids. First, create columns in your first Magic Grid and assign them appropriate labels. Then, click on the more options icon , located in the top-left corner of the grid, and select “Apply columns to all grids” -> “Labels and columns” option. As a result, all your following tables will have the same columns and labels.
Now, my Magid Grid on the second page has completely different columns and labels than the Magic Grid on the first page. And, of course, I would like them to be the same. I can make that happen with just a few clicks as described above.
Delete All Rows or Columns
Creating a new table in Rossum sometimes give you inaccurate predictions of rows or columns. In such a case, you might need to delete all existing rows or columns. This can be done easily, just click on the more options icon , located in the top-left corner of the grid, and select either “Delete all rows” or “Delete all columns” option.
Deleting All Grids
If the Rossum’s AI captured unnecessary tables, you should be able to delete these tables in a second. We have added the option to delete:
- All the grids on the document
- All grids after the current page
- All grids before the current page
Drag & Copy
Sometimes you might need to copy the same value into several consecutive rows. To do that you can use the drag & copy functionality – just click on a cell and drag its bottom right corner to the cells below it to copy its values.
Capturing Nested Values
If capturing data with Magic Grid is not enough and your documents tend to be more complex, read about how to capture nested values in columns of the table.
