in Pages, how do I edit the "My Card" data?

Peter:

First of all, THANKS for the quick reply. However it’s not working, either from the Link Inspector, or directly from the Menu. Here’s the steps to reproduce the problem:

I start with a new blank document, then pull down the Insert menu / Sender Field / Name / First Name, all it does is insert the word “First Name” into the document.

Pull down the Insert menu / Sender Field / Phone / Home Phone, all it does is insert the words “Home Phone”.

Same with all the other fields.

In other words, Sender Fields are not pulling data from the Contacts list.

I have done as you suggested, even closing both the Pages program AND Contacts, then starting Contacts first before starting Pages, in the hope that the link between the two will be established when starting Pages. Still no good.

I got it to work once last night (which was a good sanity-check for me to know I was doing it right) after editing my contact data inside the Contacts program, but I can’t get it to work today. I’ve tried rebooting, restarting Contacts, starting contacts BOTH before and after starting Pages. But it still won’t go.

It’s hard to believe this program is an Apple product, seeing how unreliable it is.

Any other suggestions?

Vic

One more thing I tried was to drag a vCard into the merge field names. See Attached. All I got was the error telling me: "Please verify that the data source is set to "Contacts", and you have mail merge fields in your document."

Well, heck! how does it think I got those field names into the document in the first place?

See attached JPG.

Strange how we were both thinking the same thing. I think we even clicked "send" about the same time.

So, it looks like I'm stuck. Well, thanks anyway.

Vic

Peter: I GOT IT! YOU MUST BE EDITING A TEMPLATE, NOT A NEW BLANK DOCUMENT.

To answer your question:

I am DEFINITELY selecting sender fields. It may LOOK like the program may be inserting merge fields, but HERE'S WHAT I FOUND:

It looks like when you open a TEMPLATE, it connects briefly to the Contacts database and pulls data into whatever Sender Fields you have in the TEMPLATE. Then Apple supposes you will save it as a regular document. However, after saving it, if you open said document and attempt to modify the sender fields, it WONT WORK.

You must start from a TEMPLATE if you ever want it to merge your sender data into the document.

I found NO mention of this important fact anywhere in the Pages Help file.

Another case of a "Help file that doesn't..."

Seems like a prety glaring ommision, eh?

Thanks again, I've got it figured out.

Vic

Jeff: You're quite right! I must not have dragged the vCard completely over and on top of the "merge" fields in the document. But it does behave exactly as you describe. I find that if I wished to, I could change the sender to anybody I like.

It'd be nice to have it as dynamic as I had expected it to be, but perhaps if Apple gets enough complaints they may fix it.

But thanks to you and Peter (in AUSTRAILIA, answering me after midnight??!!) for giving me enough information to put 2+2 together and figure it out.

Well, that's the only issue I've found with Pages, and now I can get back to just loving the program. I find it's the EASIEST word processor to keep in sync with my iPhone amd MacBook. Everything else is very cumbersome and more difficult. I've even had a little fun creating NewsLetters with it. There's some great templates for sale on the Apple Store.

Thanks again, Gentlemen, and I hope this message thread will help someone else with Sender Fields.

Vic (Southern California, USA)