Q: How to layout a page in numbers 3.0 -- I can't edit in print view

Thanks, that seems to work too!

Dena

Hi Dena,

Getting a document back to Numbers 2.3 from Numbers 3.0 format is easy. You don't have to go through Excel.

SG

Even simpler! Thanks! -Dena

Hi Dena,

How do I set Numbers 2.3 as the default application?

You can't. If you have Mavericks  OS X 10.9 and you have updated to Numbers 3.0, then Numbers 3.0 is your default application. However, you can open Numbers 2 and then open an existing document with File > Open.

Numbers 2 is still on your computer in a folder named iWork' 09 inside your Applications folder. Drag the app icon onto your Dock. It will be an Alias. Right click (or control click) on the Numbers 2 Dock alias, then Options >  Keep in Dock.

I find it is useful to have both Numbers 2 and Numbers 3 icons on my Dock. Just make sure which version you use to open a document!

Alternatively, get rid of Numbers 3.

Regards,

Ian.

And, short of deleting Numbers 3, this arrangement posted by Peggy may work for some.

(I haven't tried it because I don't find Numbers 3 all that bad; great in conjunction with the iPad so I don't have to worry about printed page layout).

SG

I find it very annoying also especially with adding photos, what I have done is work out exactly where the pages are from print preview and draw a line on the side of your spread sheet, that line will hold it's position if you make changes to your row heights or add photos etc,   it will add pages to your overall sheet, but then just select the page range to print, it's still annoying but could be an option.

I'm wondering if anyone else has tried saving a modified Numbers file to Numbers '09, make any required print view adjustments there and save. Then open in Numbers 3.0 and see if it prints okay.  The only time I did that, one line spilled over to the second page, but the side margins were okay and deleting one blank line made my second try perfect.  I suspect my top or bottom margines were smaller than the default size in 3.0.

(meanwhile I have Numbers 3.0 saved on my backup drive until this gets resolved or I am unable to use '09 for some reason.)

Deeply dissappointed with Numbers 3.0 It is a step backwards for me. I hope version 3.1 fixes ability of editing in preview mode and restores my faith in Numbers.

I have been working the last few days trying to convert the files back to 2.3. It works, but is just a hassle, and I always am told that I need a newer version of numbers. I'm going between converting to 2.3 and excel, and am deciding which to use as I work along. At least with excel, I don't get told to upgrade all the time. That being said, I use numbers (2.3) because I find it easier to work with than excel.

I don't have the time, as I imagine most people don't to suddenly, without warning, have to learn a new spreadsheet application, ie Numbers 3, and then find out how user unfriendly it is, and that many of the features have been removed, and I need to modify my files so that I can go back to happily using them.  

I also liked the former inspector box, it was small, and easy to use. The new version takes up far too much of the screen, and has fewer features; where's the logic?

I have sent the feedback form to apple, but in my opinion they will only get true input by monitoring these discussion forums.

Hi Dena88,

Aren't the discussion forums a place for users to help other users?  In my opinion, they're not a place to vent. Different users use Numbers in different ways. Some of the things that bother you don't bother me, and vice versa. The main thing is to help each other find ways to use the tool.

Apple has provided an easy way to give feedback and thoughts on how to improve the tool: Numbers>Provide Numbers Feedback.

SG

Okay, this is what I think is going on. Apple has figured out we (those who are complaining about print layout) are not using Numbers correctly. (I.e., the way the gods at Apple think the entire world's population should work.) The problem is our old Numbers 09 spread sheets are not organized "correctly" - perhaps because we had nice tools to lay them out however we wanted. Now we have "automatic" layout which requires us to change the way objects and tables are placed onto sheets within Numbers. Here's how to get formatting to work:

Each "sheet" is a table or set of objects. Numbers automatically formats each sheet so the stuff fits across one page - or multiple pages if there are just too many columns. Don't put more than one table on each sheet and don't put other objects on a sheet with a table. Create new sheets as needed for additional objects. If they don't align properly, you probably need more sheets.

The Apple failure here is that they spend plenty of time telling us what each button does, but they don't spend any time saying how to use Numbers to lay out our work.

The shift in philosopy is that everything is one (horizontal) page wide. Objects that get messed up if they split across pages vertically need to be on their own "sheet".

Does this make sense to anyone other than me? (It is late and I make no claim that the above was well thought out.)

M,

I do disagree with your analysis. All apple has done in this recent release is take away Page view editing mode (Apple called it Print View) in which we could adjust our compositions to fit to pages the way we want them to. There is nothing more automatic about the layout now then there was in the previous version. If you pay no attention to where your content is, it will all get printed, in either version. Just maybe not in the most pleasing way.

You are confusing Sheets and Pages in your description. Sheets are document subdivisions that never mingle on your display. Pages are pieces of paper that printed output will land on.

Jerry

I am sickened of the fact I am switching back to excell. Numbers 3 seems as though they are trying to go for a "windows 8" look and that is just sad. By the way, Numbers 2 was a huge reason why I switched over to apple from my life long pc past. - Tom

Hi Tom,

I am sickened of the fact I am switching back to excell.

If Excel is the best tool for accomplishing what you need to do, why not use it? (It doesn't play nicely with iOS, though).

Numbers 2 was a huge reason why I switched over to apple from my life long pc past. -

Unless you deleted it Numbers 2 is still on your Mac and works as well as ever.

SG

I have had the same problem with the new version of the Numbers app of missing having the page layout feature. I read through all the comments finding that the thinking of the users is that the feature is not there because priorities at Apple have changed. Generally, my philosophy has been to stay with the program when it comes to Apple products, so the comment that made the most sense to me was to change the way I do things to work better with the current app (credit user Maclakeham. So, what makes this work is to use a new sheet for each page and not make the sheets too complex. The tables link together just like before in the sense if the values in one table depend on the values in another table that works from sheet to sheet, not just among tables on the same sheet. What is nice is that when I cut tables and paste them into a newly created sheet the links still work!