FMW51

Q: how to format row head text vertically

I have a checklist spreadsheet with a large number of rows. Since I fill the cells either with ✓ or keep them empty I’d like to turn the row head text into vertical direction to get spreadsheet’s width as small as possible.

table format.jpg

How can I get this format?

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on Apr 23, 2016 4:16 AM

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Q: how to format row head text vertically

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  • by Yellowbox,

    Yellowbox Yellowbox Apr 23, 2016 4:53 AM in response to FMW51
    Level 6 (10,435 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 23, 2016 4:53 AM in response to FMW51

    Hi FMW,

     

    Numbers does not (yet) allow table cells to be rotated. This workaround places rotated text boxes over the Header Row.

    See this User Tip:

    Rotate cell contents in Numbers 3: Workaround

     

    Regards,

    Ian.

  • by VikingOSX,Helpful

    VikingOSX VikingOSX Apr 23, 2016 11:39 AM in response to FMW51
    Level 7 (20,606 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 23, 2016 11:39 AM in response to FMW51

    You can do this in Numbers using rotated Text boxes in columns B - H.

     

    Steps

    1. For each column A - H, select row 1 - 3, and merge them.
    2. With the Table tab selected
      1. Set column A width to 55 pts
      2. Set column B - H width to 35 pts.
      3. Font Helvetica 12 pt.
      4. Check marks are option + V with text centered in cell
      5. Pi symbol is option + p
    3. For your header cells B - H, insert Text box, your text, and from the Arrange tab, select Rotate 90°.
      1. Unfortunately, you can only align the bottoms of all selected Text boxes. You can horizontally align the Text boxes in each column B - H with arrow keys.

     

    Screen Shot 2016-04-23 at 7.50.18 AM.jpg

  • by FMW51,

    FMW51 FMW51 Apr 23, 2016 9:58 AM in response to Yellowbox
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iWork
    Apr 23, 2016 9:58 AM in response to Yellowbox

    Thank you Yellowbox for your proposal.

    Unfortunately I failed by using the script method . Here ist the snapshot.

    script screen shot.jpg

    Any idea what to do here?

     

    Thanks,

    Frank-Michael

  • by FMW51,

    FMW51 FMW51 Apr 23, 2016 10:06 AM in response to Yellowbox
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iWork
    Apr 23, 2016 10:06 AM in response to Yellowbox

    Sorry, here is the correct snapshot

    script screen shot.jpg

    Thank you,

    Frank-Michael

  • by FMW51,

    FMW51 FMW51 Apr 23, 2016 11:43 AM in response to VikingOSX
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iWork
    Apr 23, 2016 11:43 AM in response to VikingOSX

    Thank you VikingOSX,

    Your proposal works fine.

    Best,

    Frank-Michael

  • by SGIII,

    SGIII SGIII Apr 23, 2016 5:22 PM in response to FMW51
    Level 6 (10,627 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 23, 2016 5:22 PM in response to FMW51

    Hi Frank-Michael,

     

    I just retested the script in Ian's user tip.  It works fine.  Since you didn't post what your table looks like it's hard to say for sure what might have gone wrong on your end, but I'm guessing you have some blank cells in the Header Row. If so, just type a space in any blank cells you have there and run the script again.

     

    The advantage of the script approach is that it takes less than a second or so and you're done.  You can save yourself a LOT of work. 

     

    Also, caution is strongly recommended in any approach that involves merging cells.  Merged cells tend to cause mysterious problems with sorting and other operations in Numbers.  There are always other ways to achieve the same visual effect. (The script, by the way, assumes no merged cells.)

     

    SG

  • by Yellowbox,Solvedanswer

    Yellowbox Yellowbox Apr 24, 2016 3:15 AM in response to FMW51
    Level 6 (10,435 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 24, 2016 3:15 AM in response to FMW51

    Hi Frank-Michael,

     

    Adding to SG's reply about not merging cells.

    Text Boxes placed over the table Header cells will not respond to Numbers formulas. The Text Boxes are cosmetic. Any formulas in your document that refer to the Header cells will refer to the contents of those cells (and will ignore whatever is in the overlying Text Boxes). Therefore those Header cells must contain proper values, even if they are "Hidden" by blending into the cell fill colour.

    Merging those Header cells will make no sense to any formula that refers to them.

     

    Danger, Will Robinson! Do not merge those cells!

     

    Regards,

    Ian.

  • by FMW51,

    FMW51 FMW51 Apr 24, 2016 3:26 AM in response to Yellowbox
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iWork
    Apr 24, 2016 3:26 AM in response to Yellowbox

    Thank you Ian,

    I understand - the text boxes are on a separate layer over the spreadsheet - and this is just a workaround until Numbers will have the table head cells turning as a feature.

    Do you know if it is the possibility to fix/lock the position of the textbook layer related to header cells? This would allow to insert or delete columns left from column B w/o new realigning.

    Best regards,

    Frank-Michael

  • by Yellowbox,

    Yellowbox Yellowbox Apr 24, 2016 3:43 AM in response to FMW51
    Level 6 (10,435 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 24, 2016 3:43 AM in response to FMW51

    Hi Frank-Michael,

     

    As far as I know, Text Boxes are independent of the table and "float" in a layer "above" the table.

    I can see no way to "Group" the Text Boxes to the table.

    Perhaps another user will reply with a way to lock Text Boxes to table columns.

     

    Thank you for the green tick and your feedback. Please keep posting in the Numbers for Mac forum .

    Regards,

    Ian.

  • by FMW51,

    FMW51 FMW51 Apr 24, 2016 3:51 AM in response to SGIII
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iWork
    Apr 24, 2016 3:51 AM in response to SGIII

    Thank you SGIII,

     

    The table I’ve tested the script is:

    TEST TABLE.jpg

    Any idea what I did wrong?

    Best,

    Frank-Michael 

  • by FMW51,

    FMW51 FMW51 Apr 24, 2016 3:53 AM in response to Yellowbox
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iWork
    Apr 24, 2016 3:53 AM in response to Yellowbox

    Have a great Sunday!

  • by SGIII,

    SGIII SGIII Apr 24, 2016 6:43 AM in response to FMW51
    Level 6 (10,627 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 24, 2016 6:43 AM in response to FMW51

    FMW51 wrote:

     

    Thank you SGIII,

     

    The table I’ve tested the script is:

    TEST TABLE.jpg

    Any idea what I did wrong?

    Best,

    Frank-Michael

     

    Hi Frank-Michael,

     

    Nothing you did wrong!  As written, the script doesn't anticipate the row with headings having no fill color.  If you give row 1 a fill color (I generally define mine as a Header Row and that automatically gives it a fill color) and you also add a space in the blank cell A1 then the script should work as written.

     

    Of course the code could be modified to cover these cases, but that adds complexity that I usually try to avoid.  Please don't hesitate to post if the script works and you'll be using it enough for a modification to make sense.

     

    SG