Can't set paragraph indents

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Level 1

107 points

Can't set paragraph indents

I used Pages Help to find out if I am missing something about setting paragraph indents and it seems my method is exactly like that shown in Help.

"Click Inspector in the toolbar, click the Text Inspector button, and then click Tabs.
Select the paragraph or paragraphs you want to change.
To set the first line indent (or overhang), specify values in the First Line and Left fields under Paragraph Indents. If you want the first line to be indented relative to the second line of text, the First Line value should be higher than the value in the Left field. If you want the first line to overhang the left side of the paragraph margin, the value in the First Line field should be lower than the value in the Left field.
To set off a paragraph using indentation (as when you want to include a long quote in your text), enter a value in the Left field and the Right field under Paragraph Indents.

I can set first line indents, but paragraph indents have no effect. The Inspector shows the number I choose for the indent, but it doesn't actually move the paragraph in. All updates are done. I tried deleting prefs but it doesn't help. Anyone know the secret to paragraph indents?

Posted on May 31, 2009 4:30 PM

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Answer 1

May 31, 2009 4:50 PM in response to Moof666

Moof,

All works well here, using the procedure you quoted from the help. I think you may just be having trouble with definitions.

Try again with a large paragraph, one that will cover several lines, so you can watch what happens when you change settings. My guess is that you are expecting the first line to move with the Left setting. The first line will only move with the First Line setting, and the second and further lines will move with the Left setting.

Also, make sure that there is no interference from the List Indent Level. For this exercise, make sure your List Indent Level is set to 1.

Let me know if this clears anything up for you.

Jerry

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Answer 2

Walt K

Level 4

2,946 points

May 31, 2009 9:00 PM in response to Moof666

Moof,

If you're trying to change an existing document be sure your cursor is in the paragraph you want to change, or Select All if you want to change the entire document. If you’re starting with a blank document, set the indent before you start typing.

Walt

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Answer 3

Moof666 Author

Level 1

107 points

Jun 4, 2009 6:13 PM in response to Moof666

To Jerrold Green1 : About "make sure your List Indent Level is set to 1." Yep, that's the default and that's how it is set.

To Walt K: Well, sure I selected the paragraph I want to change. That's part of the Help details I mentioned that I followed to the letter.

Here is what I found to be the failing of this whole process:
I am writing poetry. As you well know, traditional poetry has "stanzas" and there is a blank line between each stanza. In Microsoft Word, a "paragraph" is whatever you select. Word doesn't think for you. It doesn't matter if it is actually a stanza of poetry or even several paragraphs -- what you select is affected by your changes in style. That's is great, since I know what I want to add the style to and I can save time by adding it to several paragraphs at once.

The weirdness of Keynote is that it tries to out-think me. It wants to decide what is a paragraph, regardless of my selection. When I put a return at the end of a line (that's how you write poetry, guys), Keynote starts thinking and decides that surely means a new paragraph. Bad Keynote! Bad! Since Keynote also thinks the first line shouldn't be included in any paragraph (Bad Keynote! Bad!), I get interference rather than help from Keynote in trying to indent my paragraphs.

There are two possible solutions to this:
1) Apple might want to loosen up the paragraph decisions made by Keynote and let the paragraph indent apply to all the selection, even the first line. If we want to indent the first line even more, we can apply a first line indent. If not, the first line is not treated separately (duh!). If Apple can't see this type of accomodation, they should at least give us the word-processing equivalent to "block quotes" like those we can apply in HTML:

blahblah

2) I can use Word. It knows when to let the user be creative and control what is happening.

Remember this, Apple: Don't veer off the course of the standard bearer (Word) unless you think it is really wrong. If Word does something in a way that maximizes ease of use and creativity on the part of the user, stick with it. Don't go weird for the sake of "Thinking Different".

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Answer 4

Moof666 Author

Level 1

107 points

Jun 4, 2009 6:16 PM in response to Moof666

Forget that "blahblah". It was within HTML elements that don't seem to work in this forum.

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Answer 5

Walt K

Level 4

2,946 points

Jun 4, 2009 7:30 PM in response to Moof666

In your case I think solution #2 would be the better choice.

Walt

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Answer 6

Daiya

Level 4

1,666 points

Jun 5, 2009 1:41 PM in response to Moof666

Side note:

I did not check out how this interacts with the indent settings, but:

When I put a return at the end of a line (that's how you write poetry, guys), Keynote starts thinking and decides that surely means a new paragraph. Bad Keynote!

Word, Pages (and Keynote? typo?) are all the same in creating a paragraph when you hit return. I guess Word is better at letting you override it.

Myself, I would type poetry by using a line break (hit shift-return) at the end of each line, and a paragraph break between the stanzas. Then the formatting in Word/Pages matches the content--you are effectively telling the program "this stanza should be treated as one unit" as indeed it should.

You can also set it up so that instead of hitting return twice to get two blank lines between stanzas, you tell Word/Pages to include extra space between paragraphs---which won't affect line breaks used within stanzas. "Blank lines" should be avoided in word processors---they can gum up the works.

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