how to set indentations

Question

Level 1

32 points

how to set indentations

Pages is driving me nuts. The menu system is obtuse with many common functions having unrecognizable names and buried deep in multiple menus.

Here is my problem. I am writing an engineering specification document. I have headers with 1.0, 2.0.... and subheadings with 1.1, 1.2.... I am not using the automatic heading system (lists), but typing the indents and numbers myself.

The problem is, I see no way to control the indentation of the lines after the first line. I want the following lines indented beyond the number in the first line. Somehow I have several sections with the indents correctly done. I don't know how. Other sections have the following lines to the left of the first line.

I have tried everything I can think of and looked through all the menus and Help and find nothing that describes how to set indentations. The margin and tab icons at the top are no help.

I would appreciate any help.

Posted on May 19, 2011 6:59 AM

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Answer 1

fruhulda

Level 6

15,167 points

May 19, 2011 7:49 AM in response to Cosman

Have you looked in the Inspector palette?If you used tab key to indent go T tab > Tabs > Tab settings Default tabs > change the measure.

OR

Go View > Show invisibles so you can see the invisible tab characters, Click on the ruler on top of the document to add a tab stop. You might have to go View > Show rulers first.

In the Help menu click on Pages User Guide to download it. It has a lot of informations and explanation on Pages.

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Answer 2

Cosman Author

Level 1

32 points

May 19, 2011 8:33 AM in response to fruhulda

fruhulda,

Yes, I tried many things with the Tabs selection boxes and I have the invisibles open to show me what is happening. I have used probably every word processor since a 1957 typewriter and the IBM Selectric, through Word 2008. Pages is the most obtuse one I have ever used.

For example,

1) when I would click on a section that was correct, then one that was incorrect, nothing changed in the Tab bar at the top of the screen and nothing changed in the Inspector Tab window. I don't understand how the two sections could have completely different Tab/indent settings and they not show up in any indicator.

2) I also don't understand how a section could be indented, say .5 in. and there be no indication of an indent in any menu/inspector.

3) The tab and indent indicators in the menu bar don't move properly with the mouse. I gave up trying to set them.

4) The only way I could get two sections to look the same was to copy the correct one and paste it above the wrong one, then erase all the characters between the beginning of the good one to the beginning of the bad one.

I think there must be a bug in Pages. Or maybe there are hidden characters in the file causing it to malfunction. I see this behavior regularly in new files, though.

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Answer 3

Cosman Author

Level 1

32 points

May 19, 2011 8:38 AM in response to Cosman

I do need to point out that the Paragraph Indents in the Inspector do move the relationships around, but controlling the left margin is what I am referring to above.

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Answer 4

May 19, 2011 9:27 AM in response to Cosman

There are two controls for left margin width. One in the Document Inspector, and one in the Layout Inspector, Layout tab.

The Document Inspector sets the minimum margin width for the entire document and the Layout Margin further increases the margin within the active section.

Jerry

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Answer 5

Cosman Author

Level 1

32 points

May 19, 2011 9:29 AM in response to Jerrold Green1

Jerrold,

You are right, there are multiple controls in Pages. My point is they do not work.

When I have two paragraphs that do not line up with each other and none of the indent/margin/tab windows show they are different, and none of them will cause the two paragraphs to line up, then I am irritated.

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Answer 6

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,819 points

May 19, 2011 9:30 AM in response to Cosman

I selected the paragraph highlighted, defined the tab stops as you may see them then I clicked the button [ Copier le style ]

After that, I put the cursor in the paragraph starting with (1) and clicked the button [ Coller le style ]

You may see the result below.

The minimal left margin used in a document (it's a global property) is defined thru the Inspector > Document

To enlarge locally this left margin, move the couple of left tab stops as is shown below.

What I written here (in short) is described in Pages User Guide which every user may get thru the Help menu.

Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) jeudi 19 mai 2011 18:29:43

Please :

Search for questions similar to your own before submitting them to the community

To be the AW6 successor, iWork MUST integrate a TRUE DB, not a list organizer !

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Answer 7

May 19, 2011 9:44 AM in response to Cosman

Cosman wrote:

Jerrold,

You are right, there are multiple controls in Pages. My point is they do not work.

If you will post a screen shot, like the one Yvan posted, showing your problem, we will try to help you figure out what is going on. Our point is that the margin controls do work. You may have a corrupt document, but that would be rare.

Jerry

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Answer 8

Cosman Author

Level 1

32 points

May 19, 2011 10:02 AM in response to Jerrold Green1

Jerrold,

Here are two screen shots of the same view with the cursor in two different locations. Unfortunately, the cursor doesn't show up in the screen shots.

Notice the 2.X paragraphs are not lined up with the 3.X paragraphs. I can see no indication in the ruler at the top or the Inspector window that there is any difference between the two. Deleting the tabs and reinserting them gives the same irregular results.

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Answer 9

Cosman Author

Level 1

32 points

May 19, 2011 10:06 AM in response to Cosman

Let me clarify that the cursor in the top screen shot sits to the left of 2.5, and in the second shot it is to the left of 3.1.

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Answer 10

fruhulda

Level 6

15,167 points

May 19, 2011 10:14 AM in response to Cosman

The indents can be different for each paragraph or line with paragraph break. I don't call it sections as sections has another meaning in Pages. You should create a style with the tabs set to your liking. Then apply it on your document. Try to be consistent and not have many different "tab" styles.

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Answer 11

Cosman Author

Level 1

32 points

May 19, 2011 10:14 AM in response to KOENIG Yvan

Here is another example. Notice the difference in the tab arrow in the 3.4 line vs the 3.6 line. Notice the different indents. All the settings are the same for each line. Why are they different?

Here is the same text, where I deleted the two tabs. Why are they different?

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Answer 12

fruhulda

Level 6

15,167 points

May 19, 2011 10:18 AM in response to Cosman

You have different setting for the line 3.4 and the line 3.6. There is a possibility you have set an indent without tab on line 3.4 but not on 3.6.

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Answer 13

Cosman Author

Level 1

32 points

May 19, 2011 10:19 AM in response to fruhulda

Yes, I meant portions, not Sections, as in word processing language. I have no Section differences in the document.

I don't know what a tab "style" is. I know what a document style is - all the font, etc settings. I have only one style (default) throughout the document.

You will notice inconsistencies in the paragraph numbering. This document was pasted together from several others and I had not cleaned it up yet. Too many other formatting problems to worry about that yet.

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Answer 14

Cosman Author

Level 1

32 points

May 19, 2011 10:21 AM in response to fruhulda

Where would I see the difference displayed. What menu/window?

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Answer 15

May 19, 2011 10:28 AM in response to Cosman

The ruler that is being displayed, in both shots, appears to be the one for the 3.x section. You're right, there is no way to tell if the 2.x section ruler is being shown in either view. I see the text cursor in the lower shot, in the 3.x section, but I don't see it in the upper shot.

Jerry

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