Pages, column wraps before space is full, normal paragraph text

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Level 1

8 points

Pages, column wraps before space is full, normal paragraph text

In Pages, MacOS, I have a multi-column text block that is undesirably wrapping up to the second column before I want it to, leaving empty space at the bottom of the first column rather than filling it with as much of the text as it can before wrapping. I understand and have observed that sometimes this occurs for the sake of keeping a bulleted or numbered item together, etc. but this case is just paragraph text and it’s wrapping the paragraph between the columns in unexpected (and unexplainable) ways. Is there a way to force it to stop second guessing the wrapping/spacing/content? Or to otherwise tell it to fill the space at the bottom of the first column?

iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 12.3

Posted on Aug 19, 2022 3:13 PM

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Answer 1

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Barry

Level 9

59,867 points

Aug 23, 2022 10:32 PM in response to LLGHanson

Your description brings the thought that it might be a 'widows' and 'orphans' restriction you have set.

From the Pages User Guide, available in the Help menu item in the Help menu in Pages:

Prevent single lines of text from appearing at the top or bottom of a page

You can prevent the first line of a paragraph from appearing alone at the bottom of a page (called a widow line) or the last line of a paragraph from appearing alone at the top of a page (called an orphan line).

Click in the paragraph where you want to prevent the single line of text from appearing.
In the Format sidebar, click the More button near the top.
Select the checkbox next to “Prevent widow & orphan lines.”

Regards,

Barry

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Answer 2

Barry

Level 9

59,867 points

Aug 22, 2022 3:50 PM in response to LLGHanson

Have you gone to the View menu and chosen 'Show Invisibles' to see if there are any stray formatting characters in that space?

If you keep adding text to column 1, what happens below that text in column 1, and in column 2? What happens when the end of the text approaches of gets to the bottom of column 2?

REgards,

Barry

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Answer 3

LLGHanson Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 23, 2022 9:20 PM in response to Barry

Definitely not a stray character thing.

>>If you keep adding text to column 1, what happens below that text in column 1, and in column 2?

It seems like it's trying to keep the contents of any bullet or paragraph (it's both because it's happening at the bottom of every column in this document) together by wrapping them even at the expense of leaving a few lines of empty space at the bottom of the previous column. If I keep adding to the paragraph in the next column, it will eventually send some lines back to the bottom of previous column (filling it properly), but then I don't want to leave that extra text. So it's clearly trying to overthink wrapping when I really wish it wouldn't. I was hoping there was a toggle in settings somewhere that said "overthink wrapping" ;) that I could disable, but I can't find anything to fix it.

>>What happens when the end of the text approaches of gets to the bottom of column 2?

Actually much that same thing. I have maybe 5 or 6 columns across and if I keep wrapping all of the bottoms will have this random wrap (all independent and seemingly different wrapping decisions for each, but probably not) But the columns end up looking like an inverted cityscape, when I want them all uniform and full to the bottom except the last column as you'd normally expect.

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Answer 4

LLGHanson Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 23, 2022 9:23 PM in response to LLGHanson

For the record, it's not egregious, it's just subtle. Just a line or two that wraps before other columns do. I just wish there was a setting that said "FILL THE SPACE don't overthink the wrap". I would love that.

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