create directory using merge w/Numbers

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lenny20135 Author

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create directory using merge w/Numbers

I'm new to iWork and am having a hard time creating a directory in Pages using data from Numbers as the merge source. I can create individual letters with the merge. But what I'm trying to do is have a table into which data is merged from Numbers, row by row (record by record), preferably two rows of the table for each record. Can't find it in the Help menu. Each time I get one row per page, just like a mail merge letter. Any ideas?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Jan 6, 2010 3:35 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 7, 2010 6:08 AM in response to lenny20135

Hi Lenny,

You will always get one document for each row of your Numbers table. I'm not clear on your objective. Are you doing a merge where some of the merged data will go in a table, in each of several documents? If so, just make sure that all the data for your two row table in the Pages doc is in the same row of the Numbers table.

Jerry

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Answer 2

lenny20135 Author

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Jan 7, 2010 8:55 AM in response to Jerrold Green1

Thank you, Jerry. Just picture a table with a row representing each record and a column representing each category of data, just like a Numbers table. I could just create such a table in Numbers, I know, but the benefit of having it in Pages is that I can format it exactly as I like before printing. But I think I've realized by now that it probably can't be done, given the limitations of iWork merge in this case. I'm actually using Filemaker Pro as my data source and was exporting a report into Numbers, trying to use Numbers as a conduit into Pages, since I can't import directly from FMP into Pages.

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Answer 3

Jan 7, 2010 9:12 AM in response to lenny20135

Lenny,

So you will need a transfer table then. You will build a table that collects data from the imported table and rearranges it as a proper merge table - one row per merge record. For this to work, the merge (transfer) table needs to be the first, or the only, table on the sheet which you are linking from.

Jerry

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Answer 4

lenny20135 Author

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Jan 7, 2010 9:33 AM in response to Jerrold Green1

Hey Jerry,

Are you saying I can just copy a table from Numbers into Pages and then manipulate it as if it were a Pages document? Boy do I feel dumb! I checked Pages help and don't see a reference to a "transfer table". Is there some other step involved than just copying in the table? Can I then add/delete columns and change fonts and formatting?

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Answer 5

Jan 7, 2010 11:28 AM in response to lenny20135

Well, that's not what I was saying (because I still was still guessing what you are up to), but yes, you can copy a table in Numbers and Paste it into Pages. In fact, you can Format text in a Pages Table and Paste and Match Style from cells Copied in Numbers and they will inherit the style predefined in Pages.

Jerry

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