how do I number a column in a pages table?

Hugh,

See page 194 of the current Pages User Guide English edition, downloadable from the Help Menu – the paragraph beginning: "You can also add values to cells based on value patterns".

Regards,

Jerry

Jerrold Green1 wrote:

See page 194 of the current Pages User Guide English edition, downloadable from the Help Menu – the paragraph beginning: "You can also add values to cells based on value patterns".

... but also notice the third paragraph in that section:

"Autofilling doesn’t set up an ongoing relationship among cells in the group. After autofilling, you can change the cells independently of each other."

So this method of autofilling the rows will have to be repeated each time are added or deleted. For an automatic update, try this;

=ROW()-1

Row 1 must be a header row. Enter the formula in the first cell in row 2. Fill down to the last row in column 1.

Row numbers will update automatically as rows are added to or deleted from the table. Note that row numbers will also update if the table is sorted—1 will always be the row immediately below the single header row.

Regards,

Barry

Barry,

I'm glad that you made the distinction that I missed.

Hugh,

Barry gave you the literal answer to your question, which I didn't read carefully enough. There is a hazard to dynamic row numbers that I naturally like to avoid when possible, and that is that you can't rely on them to put your data back into a previous order as you can with static entries.

Glad you received the answer you were seeking.

Jerry

Thanks for that - it's really helped.

Nick

Barry,

As you correctly pointed out, there is no "ongoing relationship", so it's not automatic numbering, it's just filling cells with consecutive numbers. Word is far better at this: select the column and click automatic numbering: all cells are sequentially numbered and update automatically upon deletion or creation of rows.

But I don't understand how you implement your formula. In a table with one header row, inserting =ROW()-1 produces a red caution sign.

Can you explain how you do this?

Thanks

Yannick

Hi Yannick,

=ROW()-1 works fine here:

Each cell contains the formula shown. Entered directly into A1 and A2, then filled into the rest using the Fill Handle control.

A red triangle is an error flag. What is the error message presented? (click on the triangle to see the message.)

Regards,

Barry

Hi Barry

Thanks for the feedback.

First when I clicked on the triangle, it said "row" is not a known term. I use French in Mac OS, so I replaced "ROW" with "RANG", the French term used also in Pages' interface.

Now the red triangle says (I translate): "ROW requires between 2 and 3 arguments, but 0 have been attributed to it".

Another question: call me stupid, but how do you show "A B C" and "1 2 3 4" on your screenshot?

I've included a screenshot below.

Thanks again!

Yannick

HI Yannick,

The row and column reference tabs appear when the Formula Editor is open. Click on an empty cell, then type an = sign. Numbers will interpret that as the beginning of a formula, and will open the Formula Editor and show the reference tabs with row numbers and column letters. Double clicking a cell that already contains a formula will also open the editor and show the tabs.

ROW() accepts only a single argument, which must be a cell address (or a formula or function that returns a cell address. ROW does not require an argument.If none is given, ROW assumes the cell it occupies to be the target cell and returns its row number.

In the iWork Formulas and Functions User Guide (English version), ROW is listed in Chapter 9, Reference functions. ROW and COLUMN are the only functions in that section/chapter which take only an optional single cell addres argument, so the French name for ROW shouldn't be very difficult to dig out. Be aware that two other functions, ROWS and COLUMNS are also included in this chapter. These also take a single argument, but the argument is a range of cells, and the functions return a count of the number of ROWS or COLUMNS in that range.

Regards,

Barry