Q: Pages 5 features checklist
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Oct 25, 2013 7:09 PMby Peter Thomson,I never use tables myself, but in testing this it seems that I can drag drop .jpg, etc images from my desktop into table cells ok. Am I missing the point of this problem?
I believe it is for using an image in the background for the entire table, not each cell. 5.0 pulled all my background table images when updating.
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Oct 25, 2013 7:17 PMby J|Spoon,I hate to say this but just as Final Cut X failed to impress these new versions (pages, numbers, and keynote) may have pushed many to move on and find something else. I have never understood why it is so hard to allow people to go into preferences and switch on an advanced user option. iMovie once had this feature that would allow someone to go in and turn on all the features that were not for average end users, but for the advanced user who loved the tools. I loved iWorks and wanted to use this upgrade so bad but not at the expense of my tools I need and love. But who I am.. Just an end user who bought three iWorks family packs.
Bad form Apple.
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Oct 25, 2013 9:18 PMby Tristan Hubsch,Tom Gewecke wrote:
I never use tables myself, but in testing this it seems that I can drag drop .jpg, etc images from my desktop into table cells ok. Am I missing the point of this problem?
In Pages 4.x, drag-and-dropping an image would insert it into the document outside the table/textbox itself; you could then resize, mask and rotate it, adjust size and mask size numerically, add shadow, reflection..., and then copy-and-paste the modified image into the a table cell or textbox, in-line with any text, still fully selectable and editable. If you open a document with images so-placed inside table cells or textboxes in Pages 5.0, it tells you that objects have been removed from table cells, and your option is to cancel (and prevent from saving the removals) or to OK the removal.
In Pages 5.0, drag-and-dropping an image onto a table cell now provides an "Image Fill" background for that cell. Select the cell and the Format/Cell sidebar will allow you to modify the "Image Fill": original size, stretch, tile, fill and fit—but no crop/mask, rotation, shadow or reflection. Drag-and-dropping the image now duplicates the function of the "Choose…" button in that sidebar (for choosing an image file for the "Image Fill").
Drag-and-dropping an image onto a textbox turns the textbox into a mask for the image, losing the text you may have had in the box. This duplicates the functionality of drag-and-dropping an image into the document, then double-clicking to produce the pop-up widget for resizing & masking. The so masked image can be copied and pasted, and choosing even "Move with Text" and "Inline with Text" (from the Forma/Arrange sidebar)—but not into a table cell or into a textbox.
FWIW, in Pages 4.x, you could have one image provide the background of a cell (via "Image Fill"), and another one in front of it together with some text, the "front" image fully editable (crop/mask, shadow, reflection...); not so in Pages 5.0, apparently.
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Oct 25, 2013 9:28 PMby 8aseem8,Some things that I have found:
- Automatically making lists (even though 'Automatically Detect Lists' it selected in the Preferences)
- When I opened my orignal files with images in tables, Pages 5.0 returned the error "Content was removed". This meant that I had to manually update all my study notes with the images. Not a happy camper.
- Can't split cells in tables created on Pages 5.0
- Cant set the thickness or colour of table grid lines
- Toolbar customisation removed (I now this has been said, but it is a biggie so I'm going to reiterate)
- Default zoom setting removed
- NO backwards compatibility (despite being a free update)
Must I mention that creating and using tables has decreased in efficiency? Extremely annoyed with this 'downgrade'. I'm actualy considering buying Office for Mac.
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Oct 25, 2013 9:30 PMby darrenv,Bloated? Seriously?
I've used pages for years. Every version. In the first place Apple has never improved it often enough to create bloat. Either you work for Apple or have never used Pages.
Pages 09 isn't great but it was very useable and enjoyable. This new version is a huge step backward at this time. It simply isn't ready. I don't mind the idea of making both the osx and ios versions work the same. But why come out with something that is only half baked?
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Oct 25, 2013 9:42 PMby mahongue,
PeterBreis0807 wrote:But partially broken as I listed.
Peter
Dear Peter,
Sorry, I didn't see the difference. By the way, thank you for making this list!
Also, I noticed that in Pages 5.0, I don't seem to be able to split or merge cells in a table (is this what you meant by "merging fields"?). I use that functionality a lot.
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Oct 25, 2013 9:46 PMby Tristan Hubsch,8aseem8 wrote:
- Can't split cells in tables created on Pages 5.0
Try the Format/Table/Unmerge Cells menu item.
- Cant set the thickness or colour of table grid lines
Select the desired cell; in the Format sidebar select the Cell tab, and the triangle next to "Border." This will let you choose the type, thickness and color of cell edges, applied by clicking one of the nine little icons called "border pattern." BTW, selecting the "Table" tab gives additional border control over the whole table.
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Oct 25, 2013 9:52 PMby mahongue,Tristan Hubsch wrote:
8aseem8 wrote:
- Can't split cells in tables created on Pages 5.0
Try the Format/Table/Unmerge Cells menu item.
- Cant set the thickness or colour of table grid lines
Select the desired cell; in the Format sidebar select the Cell tab, and the triangle next to "Border." This will let you choose the type, thickness and color of cell edges, applied by clicking one of the nine little icons called "border pattern." BTW, selecting the "Table" tab gives additional border control over the whole table.
Thanks Tristan, now I see how to merge and split cells of a table in Pages 5.0. It seems like now you have to go through multiple layers of menus rather than just using the inspector as you could in Pages 4.3. At least the functionality is there in Pages 5.0, even if it is more clunky to get to than in Pages 4.3.
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Oct 26, 2013 12:18 AMby editor_at_large,This isn't really a subtracted feature (because I never was able to find it in Pages '09), but is anyone else missing cross-references?! It seems like such a basic function to include in word processing software.
Also, I haven't been able to find Insert > Layout break.
User guide is there in altered form - click Tips at the top, then check the bottom of the screen (Learn more about Pages) which takes you to a user guide.
