Pages 09 full screen in Lion - Versions losing hours of work
I write to highlight an issue you all should be aware of when using pages in full screen mode. This oversignt on Apple's part has cost me HOURS of work at a time-sensitive period.
Please be aware that if you use tables in your work like I do, Ie;
Question 1 |
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Answer 1 Yada yadda yadda. Insightful and researched answer 1. In conclusion. Answer 1. |
Then versions doesn't appear to save any of the work you do INSIDE the box until you click out of the box. But you don't know that until you've had it lose your work like I have.
What compounds the issue further is the way that Pages treats these boxes. If you make a change to the contents of the box by, for example, writing or editing a 250 word brilliantly reasoned response, you have to click OUTSIDE the cell for pages to recognise the changes. Now, if you work in full screen mode, as I have been doing, the "handy" shortcut for exiting from full screen mode is "ESC" - which also happens to be the button which pages uses to DISCARD THE CONTENTS OF THE CELL YOU HAVE JUST WRITTEN IN, thinking that you wish to abort having made these changes.
So the workflow goes something like this:
1) Make a table
2) Enter fullscreen mode
3) Edit the contents of a cell
4) Attempt to exit the full screen mode by pressing "ESC"
5) wonder why nothing has happened
6) Press "ESC" again
7) Watch as the screen transitions out of full screen mode.
Now: At this stage if you realise that it has discarded your contents you can "undo set sell" which will restore the contents as they were, however if you haven't and you close the window your changes are LOST. Versions does not come to the rescue because versions does not save the changes inside the box until they are "set."
I argue that this paradigm is critically flawed, and I have already heard from one other user (via twitter) who has experienced similar issues.
So firstly please be advised of this issue so you do not befall my fate.
Secondly, the question is - any suggestions for recovery of this work? Moreover; can I force versions to save whilst working inside the cell?