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column formatting with pages

Sporadically the column formatting formats an entire page or document instead of just the material I am planning to format into two columns. Previously I could fiddle with the format invisibles and fix this, but not today. The help material alludes to an inspector tool about which I found the documentation to be useless. It is not on the upper right of my screen nor can I identify it by any search on the screen. The toolbar does not have it. Apparently this tool has been "re engineered" for simplicity. It is truly simply. Simply unfathomable.

I am using a Macbook and Pages for my document. Does anybody know how to fix this problem and please explain in non-technical English? Thank you I hate Word--please don't suggest changing.




MacBook Air 13″, macOS 13.4

Posted on Aug 27, 2023 5:16 PM

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5 replies

Aug 27, 2023 6:35 PM in response to thebabs44

Using Pages v13.1 on Ventura 13.5.1, I start with a couple paragraphs of text which you see highlighted below:



From the Layout tab, I bump the column selector up from 1 to 2 and the selected content rearranges into two columns:



and I can reverse this to its original view by reducing the column count to 1.


Apple gives this information in Format columns of text in Pages on Mac - Apple Support


What you may need to do is ensure that there are no page or section breaks embedded in the content that you intend to make two-column because if these are found in the selected content, the entire page(s) becomes two-column. I recommend that you visit View menu : Show Invisibles to guard against unintended hidden content before you attempt two-column layout.


I just opened a three paragraph Word document in Pages and attempted to do the above on the middle paragraph and it made the entire document two-column despite the effort to limit the selection area to one paragraph.




Aug 27, 2023 9:33 PM in response to VikingOSX

Hi, thanks for the help. I actually can do what you derscribe except my problem is that sporadically it is not the result I get. The command takes the material beyond the selection and also puts it into columns. I am sorry I wasn't clear about explaining that. You and the post below this both tried to help. In trying to figure out how to explain the problem, I accidently solved the problem. I believe the problem is a programming oversight way beyond my understanding that occured when Apple tried to simplify the process for neophyte apple users. Please read what I wrote below to understand further, and thank you for reaching out, Barbara

Aug 27, 2023 9:28 PM in response to Yellowbox

thanks. I actually did that but it is formatting the entire page this way not just the material I selected and I could not identify nor delete the material when I show the hidden signals to fix it however, you did show it with the column breaks. What was happening was it was not accepting the column breaks and the material below it which I did not select was also put into the column. However, in writing this email I recalled that the inspector separates and defines layout differently from the other invisibles, and layout (to simplify the process) and I actually worked out the correct sequence, was able to cut and paste the correct command into the correct spaces in sequence and make two sets of columns followed by full length text lines as i planned.

To make this work I have to select the material I want to column, open view on the tool bar and make sure I select format with ✔︎ then scroll down and make sure both hide layout and hide invisbles are not checked. I can copy and paste the command for column symbol into where I want the new column to end and paste it in. If it extends the copy beyond the material I wanted in the column (by adding and unwanted extra command as it did in this case, I can delete the extra by edit>cut, or I did command X. I figured it out because trying to explain it with this message systems limitations. I think the trick is to understand the simplification that apple programed. Apparently we all do not have the same version of Pages even though we religiously update our system when notified. I am trying to be clear to explain to you and any one else with the same problem, but suspect I am failing. Thank you for helping, Barbara


column formatting with pages

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