Two Column Text Flow Problem

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Level 3

797 points

Two Column Text Flow Problem

Aside from Pages not importing Word (from a Mac) properly when there's columns involved I have another column problem.

I'd like to find a way to make a document that has two equal side-by-side columns, lets call them Column A on the left and Column B on the right. So when I start typing in Column B on the right and reach the bottom of the page the text continues on that new page in Column B.

As far as I can tell it's impossible to do this as every time I reach the end of a page, the text jumps to the left into Column A. Is there any way to set it up so when you type in one column pages automatically jumps to that same column on the next page without having to add section or layout or column breaks for every single page?

This is a bit of a nightmare. It seems Pages can't do a simple two column document as it insists on linking them together for every new page it creates as you type text.

Can anyone help me?

Posted on Sep 3, 2005 1:04 AM

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Answer 1

DennisG

Level 5

6,520 points

Sep 3, 2005 8:40 AM in response to W. Raider

W,

Step by step, here's how I did it.

1. Set your document up with two columns.
2. Turn on Invisibles and Show Layout.
3. Click in the left column, then select Insert > Section Break. That should create a second page.
4. On the first page, click outside the text area. The pointer should disappear.
5. Click on the Objects icon; select Text. That will create a text box.
6. Click outside the text area (in the margin), then drag your pointer to the edge of the text box. You'll see selection handles appear. Size the box to cover the left-hand column.
7. You'll also see a blue "ear" on the right side of the text box. Click on that and it will create a linked text box that you can place and size wherever and however you want.
8. Fill the first column up with text and it will now overflow to the first column on the second page.
9. Repeat process for Column B.

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Answer 2

W. Raider Author

Level 3

797 points

Sep 3, 2005 1:40 PM in response to DennisG

I think I'm doing something wrong.

"6. Click outside the text area (in the margin), then drag your pointer to the edge of the text box. You'll see selection handles appear. Size the box to cover the left-hand column."

Sizing it or dragging it then sizing it to cover the left column pushes the section break marker below the text box. Is that supposed to happen?

"8. Fill the first column up with text and it will now overflow to the first column on the second page."

When I fill up the left column with text the text dissappears and a + sign appears below the column at the bottom of the text box. It doesn't overflow to the first column on the second page.

I think I messed something up. I can't believe apple overlooked something as simple as this.

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Answer 3

DennisG

Level 5

6,520 points

Sep 3, 2005 5:28 PM in response to W. Raider

Yes, it's supposed to push the break indicator down. If you're seeing a plus sign, and text isn't flowing to the other box, that means the boxes aren't linked. Go back to the linking step and try it again. It just worked for me.

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Answer 4

Sep 3, 2005 5:35 PM in response to DennisG

And remember that you cannot draw two boxes and then link them. You can only ink to the box that shows up when you press the bottom right link box on the previous text box.

As well, instead of using a column break before placing a text box, just turn on the text wrap for the text box.

And, a third alternative, instead of having two text column, since you want the text to flow from the right column on all sheets, only turn on the right column and skip the lefft column altogether. You can still place the text box where the left column would be, it's just that you won't have to force the program to skip the empty collumn underneath.

And (sigh) another note while doing all of this. The text in the left column, all those linked text boxes, will not be seen when creating a table of contents for the whole document.

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Answer 5

W. Raider Author

Level 3

797 points

Sep 3, 2005 7:00 PM in response to Gerry Straathof

I need both columns (it's a standard video script format with a shot list on the left and dialoge on the right) so both columns will be filled with text. A TOC isn't used at all. That seems like another limitation in Pages I'll have to deal with at a later date.

The text box over the columns seems to work once I've linked them but not I'm guessing that I need to add a new text box with the link tab and move it into position for every single new page. Pages doesn't seem to create them at the end of a page on it's own as I had expected and as I have no idea how long these scripts will be I can't pre-make the pages (which I wouldn't do anyway, I'd just use an old OS9 screenwriting app that has this format built-in instead).

I'm not sure which text wrapping option to choose for the text boxes. I was told to put in a Section Break before making the text box not a Column Break. I see 5 options under "Object Causes Wrap" and above that two options for Object Placement.

Thanks for the help but overall it's far more trouble than it's worth to format all this mess for every single page for all the things I need to write. I'll wait until Pages can do what I need it to do before it can replace my regular text editors, hopefully with some update in the near future. I gave it a chance and Pages is nice but it seems very limited so far.

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Answer 6

W. Raider Author

Level 3

797 points

Sep 3, 2005 7:07 PM in response to Gerry Straathof

Also I noticed that once on the second page, when I've filled up the left text box over the left column with text and click the link tab on that text box the new text box is created on the second page. There's no third page to drag it to unless I type enough to cause the other column to overflow and create the third page for me.

If I select Text Page from the Pages button in the button bar it creates a new page for me but it's not formatted like the previous pages. Seems like there should be a Make New Page button somewhere that creates a new page based on the last page in the document.

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Answer 7

Sep 3, 2005 7:15 PM in response to W. Raider

There are definitely some liimitations in how Pages handles its flow of information. I dislike the fact that once you have placed your pages the way you want from the pages within a template there is no way of having the text automatically flow from one to the next (irritating since some of my templates are designed to be journals)

Pages won't do what you want. I am sure there are programs which are better suited to do so because they are designed for that particular market. I thank you, however for not stamping your feet and demanding that it be the very next thing for them to accomplish on their growing list of things to do next.

(and I tried a few different things, hoping to figure out a way to do this. One of which was to design a templlate which was half the width of a sheet of paper. It was determining what was placed on the second side which was difficult.)

now, of course, depending on how long your document was going to be you could try something different by making an infinitely long sheet of paper. At every point where the header would be you just incorporated a text box or shape with a wrap so your text would skip down to the next virtual page.

Of course, this sounds like far more work, and distracting to the natural creation process of a writer. Find the software which removes itself from your creative juices and lets you concentrate on being the awsome writer you are.

Just my 2¢ CDN (about half a penny US.)

Gerry.

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