Swapping Content of Cells/Columns/Rows

Question

Swapping Content of Cells/Columns/Rows

When using Pages '08, dragging and dropping cells, onto other cells in a table, resulted in the contents being swapped. Since upgrading to iWork '09, drag/drop writes over the cell/row/column that you drop it in and leaves the original cell/row/column blank.

I have searched the help files & the preferences, but can see no way to get this function back. It is important for me, as I have tables with data that needs to be routinely switched around.

To avoid things being written over,... I am currently having to add an empty row/column to temporarily drag data from row/column A to, so that I can then drag data from row/column B to row/column A, and then drag data from temporary row/column to row/column B.
Tedium.

Does any one know a way to perhaps tweak the settings, or some other way to swap data between cells?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.6)

Posted on Jan 30, 2009 6:46 PM

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Answer 1

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,819 points

Jan 31, 2009 5:14 AM in response to Schr0eder'sCat

I apologizes but as far as I know what you describes was never available.

Drag and Drop behaved and continue to behave two ways:

(1) drag & drop moves the contents of the selection block to the destination one.

(2) drag & drop with alt depressed duplicates the contents of the source to the destination area.

It was described in page 43 of the English Numbers '08 PDF User Guide and it's in page 44 in the Numbers '09 one.

In the Pages '08 guide it was in page 165 and it's in page 193 in Pages '09 one.

Yvan KOENIG (from FRANCE samedi 31 janvier 2009 14:06:58)

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Answer 2

Jan 31, 2009 9:16 AM in response to KOENIG Yvan

Oh, erm, it was actually Pages '06. (I will edit the original post.)
I made several tables with Pages '06 and drag & drop swapped the cells in every one of them. I have just upgraded to '09 and was working in '06 very recently, so this is not an instance of false memory. (~_^)b

Still, I cannot find any information on this... Curiouser.

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Answer 3

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,819 points

Jan 31, 2009 10:28 AM in response to Schr0eder'sCat

Changes from Pages '06 to Pages '08 (or '09) are easy to explain.

Pages '06 was using it's own piece of code to treat tables. It offered some features.

Pages '08 and '09 dropped this piece of code and shares quite the same code that Numbers.
Given that, we have MANY new features
and we loose some:
• the described one
• the ability to move easily the borders of cells.

From my point of view globally the change is _highly positive._

Yvan KOENIG (from FRANCE samedi 31 janvier 2009 19:28:58)

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Answer 4

Feb 6, 2009 3:20 AM in response to Schr0eder'sCat

I too am struggling with this same problem. You would think their would be some way of 'manually' re-ordering table rows by drag and drop, but there doesn't appear to be.

I was quite surprised to find my initial attempt to drag-and-drop caused an overwrite.

:wq

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Answer 5

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,819 points

Feb 6, 2009 4:51 AM in response to Greg Frith

If you took time to look at the Help or at the User Guide, you wouldn't be surprised 😉

Yvan KOENIG (from FRANCE vendredi 6 février 2009 13:51:24)

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Answer 6

Feb 6, 2009 6:29 AM in response to KOENIG Yvan

OK Yvan, you've made your point, its as described in the manual. Thank you very much, you've been ever so helpful on the thread.

What I'm actually saying is that I'm surprised there is no way to manually (by drag and drop, or some other means) arrange the order of rows in a table.

Perhaps we will see this functionality as a feature in the future.

For now, I'll settle with inserting the required number of rows before dragging the rows I want to move onto them.

:wq

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Answer 7

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,819 points

Feb 6, 2009 8:30 AM in response to Greg Frith

I'm not trying to make a point.

I just feel useful to urge users to look in the available resource before asking here.

I know that the Help requires a specific attitude but the PDF User Guide allow us to apply a "full text" search which returns answers quickly.

For your specific requirements, describing it wil have no result.

_Go to "Provide Numbers Feedback" in the "Numbers" menu_, describe what you wish.
Then, cross your fingers, and wait _at least_ for iWork'10 😉

If you are numerous, we may assume that the feature will be delivered … one day as many ones where added to iWork '09.

Yvan KOENIG (from FRANCE vendredi 6 février 2009 17:30:34)

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