Apple Pages: How to insert a layout break?

Hi bobpark,

Select the paragraphs that you want as two-column.

Format Panel > Layout > Columns

Change the columns to 2

Numbers automatically inserts the column breaks

Insert returns to force spacing

Regards,

Ian.

Pages was never developed to be a clone, or even a remote competitor of MS Word. The feature gap is enormous.

Let's say you have inserted a paragraph of text into Pages v8.2.1. You want to follow that with two-column layout, but as you have discovered, the column break also advances to the next page. When it does that, add the content right there that goes into your two-column layout, select all of it, and set the Layout panel to two columns. Now place your cursor at the beginning of that two-column content and backspace. The two-column layout will retreat to the previous page, and now appears just below your first paragraph. At the end of your current two column content, Insert Column break right inside the second column. Off you go to a new page again.

On the next page, where you want to resume in single column mode, first paste that content there. It too will take on a column format. Select this new text, and then revisit the layout tab, and set the column count back to 1. The content on the new page will now return to normal paragraph content, and you can place the cursor at the beginning of this text, and back space to place it immediately under your two-column content — if it will fit on the page.

The end result appears thus:

I have forced a return to open gaps between layout locations. You could do the same thing in Layout mode with three text boxes.

When you export the above Pages document layout to Word .docx from Pages v8.2.1, it will lose the layout shown above, and just become all paragraphs. This document translation process during export to Word .docx does not guarantee that a Pages document layout will faithfully be represented in Word. Alternatively with Word v16.30 or later supporting the opening of PDF and conversion of that PDF to Word .docx, it might be practical to export complex Pages document layouts as PDF, and see how Word 16.30 handles that conversion.

bobpark writes:

"When I was building professional apps…"

Not an apt comparison. Pages is not a "professional app."

That said, I agree that layout breaks are a useful feature, and considering that feature was available in the version of Pages introduced more than 10 years ago, it should be worthy of consideration now.

But this is not the theatre in which to discuss 'should' items.

If you are serious about requesting this feature, go to the Pages menu, choose Provide Pages Feedback, and send a feature enhancement request. It is unlikely that you will get a direct reply, but it is possible the requested feature will (re)appear in a future version.

Regards,

Barry

@Ian,

Good on ya Mate!

It's been a while since I did 'real' work on Pages where I actually changed from single to multiple columns within a page. Funny how that stuff disappears when you're not using it!

Regards,

Barry

Pages '09 v4.3 was the last version of Pages to offer a Layout Break on the Insert menu. In Pages v8.2.1, a section break, or column break, introduces a page break between sections.

Oops!

I wrote: "Numbers automatically inserts the column breaks."

Should be: "Pages automatically inserts the column breaks."

Too much swapping between Numbers and Pages forums (blush).

Ian,

Thanks for a clarification (and simplication) of the Pages column break treatment. Same scenario as Barry — very little column alteration in Pages these days.

Enjoy your summer,

/v