How do I navigate to next row?

Linda,

You made several posts today on topics that are closed to everyone but you, the originator, so you won't find many responses. Once you mark a question as Answered, apparently it's days are numbered and general access is restricted thereafter.

To move all the way across your sheet, I type fn-arrowkey on a MacBook. Not sure if you have a fn key but if not, play around and see if any combination of control key and arrow key will do it for you.

Jerry

I don't think there is a built-in shortcut to take you to the first column. But an Applescript can do it. The one below returns you to column A. Hit Enter to complete whatever you were doing in the cell you are working in then use the script to take you to column A. You can use System Preferences/Keyboard to create a keyboard shortcut for it.

Using Automator, create a Service
It receives "no input" in "Numbers"
Use the Run Applescript action (found in Utilities)
Delete the default code
Paste in the code from below
Save it with a name like "Goto Column A"
It will show up in Numbers' Service Menu
Assign a keyboard shortcut to it.

on run
 
 set {rname, tName, sName, dName} to my getSelection()
 if rname is not missing value then
 set twoNames to my decoupe(rname, ":")
 
 set {rowNum1, colNum1} to my decipher(item 1 of twoNames, dName, sName, tName)
 
 tell application "Numbers" to tell document dName to tell sheet sName to tell table tName
 set selection range to cell 1 of row rowNum1
 end tell
 end if
 
end run
--=====
on getSelection()
 local mySelectedRanges, sheetRanges, thisRange, _, myRange, myTable, mySheet, myDoc, mySelection
 tell application "Numbers" to tell document 1
 set mySelectedRanges to selection range of every table of every sheet
 repeat with sheetRanges in mySelectedRanges
 repeat with thisRange in sheetRanges
 if contents of thisRange is not missing value then
 try
 thisRange as text
 on error errMsg number errNum
 set {_, myRange, _, myTable, _, mySheet, _, myDoc} to my decoupe(errMsg, quote)
 return {myRange, myTable, mySheet, myDoc}
 end try
 end if -- contents…
 end repeat -- thisRange
 end repeat -- sheetRanges
 end tell -- table of sheet of document of application
 return {missing value, missing value, missing value, missing value}
end getSelection
--=====
on decipher(n, d, s, t)
 tell application "Numbers" to tell document d to tell sheet s to tell table t to return {address of row of cell n, address of column of cell n}
end decipher
--=====
on decoupe(t, d)
 local l
 set AppleScript's text item delimiters to d
 set l to text items of t
 set AppleScript's text item delimiters to ""
 return l
end decoupe

Credit to Yvan for the script. If I recall the history, I took a piece of his code and pared it down for this specific task. Or maybe it is all his, I don't recall.

linda2009 wrote:
--- Did I do something wrong? I wasn't expecting any responses to the posts, but they were all in my "unanswered" list and I know from searching myself, that sometimes I wish someone would post whether or not something helped them so I was trying to "tie off" the thread so to speak. If it's something that is not acceptable, I sincerely apologize. I was only trying to help a little. I will not do it again! ---

No, nothing wrong. It sounded to me as though you were still looking for answers and I was going to try to help, but couldn't and I wanted you to know why.

Regarding the navigation, you specified that you were editing existing table content, not entering new content. When entering new, it will work exactly as you wish if you do have Return Key Moves to Next Cell selected, as long as you stay in the same pattern of entering, tabbing, and hitting return at the end of the column range. When you are editing, Numbers has no idea where you might want to go next, in general, so it waits for a pattern to develop.

Jerry

Message was edited by: Jerrold Green1

Badunit wrote:
I don't think there is a built-in shortcut to take you to the first column.

Yvan,

On your MBP, try fn-LeftArrow. On my MBP it takes me to the left-most body column.

Jerry

linda2009 wrote:
So I guess the behavior is slightly different for editing existing table versus creating a new table, entering data and new rows as you go.

Hi Linda,

Numbers's behaviour in this regard is the same when editing an existing table as when creating a new one. The culprit here isn't 'and existing table,' but '"hopscotching" across my table (with) no pattern.' The behaviour recognizes and copies only one behaviour pattern: Tab between cells in a row, return at the end of the row. The return will bring you back to the beginning of the 'row'; ie. the cell directly below the one you started at. The memorization is automatic, and any break in the pattern will reset the memory and start over at the current cell.

Regards,
Barry

linda2009 wrote:
I don't find that behavior with the Enter key.

Do you mean the "enter" key that is in the number pad cluster, as opposed to the "return" key (which also carries an 'enter' label on current machines)? I was using the "return" key (above the shift key on the right).

When I said, "hopscotching" I meant that I would Tab straight across, but only edit some of the cells in the row.

Exactly. My quick test involved an existing table with 7 columns. Columns A, B and G were empty; C, D, E and F contained existing data.

It picks up the pattern of edited cells. If you Tab from one cell to another, it does not pick up that pattern, only if you edit the cell in some way. As you say, a pattern, not existing or new differences.

More precisely, it remembers the first column that you edited, and holds the memory as long as you navigate using the tab key to move right and the return key to move down (and back to a cell below the first one you edited).

In one test, I started in A4 and used the following keystrokes (commas and spaces are separators, and were not included in the key stroke series):
1, tab, tab, tab, tab, tab, tab, return
tab, 2, tab, tab, tab, tab, tab, return
1, tab, tab, tab, tab, tab, tab, return

Then deleted the ones (both in column A) and the 2 (in B5) and repeated the test with these keystrokes:
1, tab, tab, tab, tab, return
tab, 2, return
tab, tab, tab, return
1, tab, tab, tab, tab, tab, tab, return

Each return (both tests) brought the selection back to column A. The last one added a row (8) to the table and left A8 as the selected cell. I also tried adding a tab to the first line of keystrokes. As expected, this added a column (H) to the table, and the return that followed brought the selection back to A5 (as before).

However, if you UN-check "Return key moves to next cell" when you come to the cell at the end of the row and press Tab, Numbers takes you to the first cell of the next row. It doesn't care if you edited individual cells or not.

Interesting, and could be useful. I don't recall ever having unchecked that box.

The Enter key will never return you to the first cell of a row - unless you edited that cell. With the "Return key moves to next cell" checked, Numbers will return you to the cell under the first cell that you edited (not always the first cell of the row).

Even with "Return key moves to next cell" checked and after you've edited the first cell in a row, the "enter" key won't return you to the cell under the first edited cell. The "return" key will. The "enter" key won't.

This is getting too long and complicated! 🙂 I can only say that I found a way to make Numbers do what works for me!

...and that's what really counts.

Regards,
Barry

Jerrold Green1 wrote:

Badunit wrote:
I don't think there is a built-in shortcut to take you to the first column.

Yvan,

On your MBP, try fn-LeftArrow. On my MBP it takes me to the left-most body column.

Hi Jerry

I never owned a MBP.
I searched on my full keyboard (with a numpad) if some key or key combo do what you described and I didn't found one. I guess that I must continue to search because I never saw a key combo available on "small" keyboards and missing on "large" ones.

left arrow -> select the cell on the left (if the cell is selected but not its contents)
shift + tab -> select the cell on the left
cmd + left arrow -> beep
option + left arrow -> insert a new column
shift + left arrow -> expand the selection to the left
ctrl + left arrow -> beep
fn + left arrow -> scroll one page left
option + page up -> scroll one page left (easier than the preceeding one)
fn + right arrow -> scroll one page right
option + page down -> scroll one page right (easier than the preceeding one)
cmd + fn + left arrow -> *_deselect all_*
cmd + fn + right arrow -> *_deselect all_*

Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) lundi 4 avril 2011 11:16:32

linda2009 wrote:

Ivan, thank you for the quick table of the keystrokes. I need to find a complete table with all of Mac and iWorks keystrokes! 🙂 -- I'm going to do an internet search for that today!

It's not Ivan but Yvan

You have a table of shortcuts available thru the Helmp menu.



It's not complete.
For instance, those able to unselect aren't described.

Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) lundi 4 avril 2011 16:41:06

KOENIG Yvan wrote:
I never owned a MBP.

Yvan,

I don't know where I got the idea that you did. Must have been looking at the wrong post.

Jerry

In fact, I guess that you were responding to badunit 😉

Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) lundi 4 avril 2011 17:20:11