R.Jay

Q: Pages: How do I create a formatted list that maintains spacing, lettering, numbering, "continue from previous," etc.?

I'm a university professor using Pages to write a multiple choice exam. The question format is as follows:

 

1. [Question]

          A. [Choice 1]

          B. [Choice 2]

          C. [Choice 3]

          D. [Choice 4]

 

2. [Question]

          A. [Choice 1]

          B. [Choice 2]

          C. [Choice 3]

          D. [Choice 4]

 

Simple enough. But it can be painstaking and time consuming to create this list. Pages will "Start from A" for the multiple choice answers; then, I write the next question and have to manually switch the question # back to "Continue from Previous." In addition, I'd like to automatically skip a line between choice D and the next question.

 

Essentially, is there an easier way to automatically format this list without manually adjusting each line?

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6), Pages v.5.6.2

Posted on Sep 18, 2016 8:26 AM

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Q: Pages: How do I create a formatted list that maintains spacing, lettering, numbering, "continue from previous," etc.?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by PeterBreis0807,Helpful

    PeterBreis0807 PeterBreis0807 Sep 19, 2016 4:35 PM in response to R.Jay
    Level 8 (35,750 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 19, 2016 4:35 PM in response to R.Jay

    The problem is with Pages 5.6.2.

     

    You can do quite intricate styling of lists in Pages '09, down to the styling of the prefix numbering used, and save that as an hierarchical List Style and combine that with a Paragraph Style.

     

    But in Pages 5.6.2, like most other things, that is a lost cause.

     

    Peter

  • by VikingOSX,

    VikingOSX VikingOSX Sep 18, 2016 12:06 PM in response to R.Jay
    Level 7 (21,165 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 18, 2016 12:06 PM in response to R.Jay

    Build the list of numbered questions first. Then go back, and add your Lettered chapter entries for each question.

     

    You use the After Paragraph spacing behind your last chapter entry before the following question.

     

    And no, list production in Pages v5.6.2 is a horrid adventure.

     

    There is a 36,000 staff university just down the street where all employees are required to use the latest Microsoft office package for Mac or PC. Using Pages would be career limiting.

  • by PeterBreis0807,

    PeterBreis0807 PeterBreis0807 Sep 18, 2016 12:46 PM in response to VikingOSX
    Level 8 (35,750 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 18, 2016 12:46 PM in response to VikingOSX

    36,000 staff sounds like severe overmanning!

     

    But maybe they are all researching how to get Pages 5.6.2 to do anything useful.

     

    Peter

  • by VikingOSX,

    VikingOSX VikingOSX Sep 18, 2016 7:37 PM in response to PeterBreis0807
    Level 7 (21,165 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 18, 2016 7:37 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

    You can bet on the fact that using Pages of any version against university application policy would be severely frowned upon, and the politics of getting caught sending someone a Pages, or exported Word document, would be tantamount to career suicide.

  • by PeterBreis0807,

    PeterBreis0807 PeterBreis0807 Sep 18, 2016 9:21 PM in response to VikingOSX
    Level 8 (35,750 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 18, 2016 9:21 PM in response to VikingOSX

    Great thing about Pages is that just about nobody will be able to, or care to, read it. Including most of the people in Apple responsible.

     

    Peter

  • by R.Jay,

    R.Jay R.Jay Sep 19, 2016 4:39 PM in response to PeterBreis0807
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iWork
    Sep 19, 2016 4:39 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

    Well, I marked this as helpful since it confirmed my original concerns. I really, really love and prefer my Mac over every buggy Microsoft experience I've had in the last 10 years. Unfortunately, I have to put my foot in my mouth to some degree and accept that iWork isn't a fully functioning substitute to Office. The translation from finding a feature in one versus the other can be frustrating, but this issue is needlessly maddening.

     

    I had Office for Mac on a previous computer. I guess I'll look into biting the bullet on that purchase in the near-ish future.

     

    Thanks for the laughs anyway!