I've been to Avery and downloaded the template for the label sheets but I have to enter the content or cut and paste.
Isn't there a way to merge a spreadsheet using pages?
iMac (27-inch Mid 2011), iOS 6.1.3
Oops - haven't figured out what to do if a field value is empty in Apple. It's putting in a number 2
I'll find it and share - unless someone knows
Wouldn't it be effective to sort your Numbers table before you merge? With the blank lines all at the bottom of the list, the merge should terminate on the last row with data. If you don't want to sort your main table, you can copy the data table, paste it into a merge table, then sort and merge.
Yvan's approach is the most efficient, but does require some programming.
Jerry
see I'm looking for previous posts first. but this doesn't help.
In this case I have 64 first and last names, credentials for most, organization for most but not all, address 1 for all but address 2 for some, city, state and zip for all.
when I merge the empty fields are showing up as a number 2.
I've been googling but can't find answers - suggestions where to look this up or what it's called in apple world?
Lenalcs wrote:
I think I figured out this process so I can now explore using Contact/Address book and Avery templates and Avery app.
After I get the right dimensions for these labels and print them out.
You don't need the right dimensions for the labels, just Avery's product number.
This is all sorted out for you in Contacts/Address Book which is the central storage place for such things on your Mac. It is used by all the Apple applications and syncs with your iGadgets as well. Your personal details are being merged into your Pages templates from here and it holds your system data on you as well.
You either select all the contacts you want and go Print or drag them into a Group, so you can reuse them later, then select that group and go Print.
You can change the text around, style it, add graphics etc all without going through the convoluted hoops that you have been struggling with.
I pointed you at this in my first post but you ignored it as you did nearly everything else. If you want to make the best use of your new Mac you need to listen and pay attention to the different way it works than what you are used to. The different way is not always better but often it is. Either way, knowing your Tools is going to save you a lot of angst.
Peter
Lenalcs wrote:
I'm sure the obstacle is I'm thinking Windows.....
I don't want to use address book because I have various spreadsheets that I use for labels and don't want them in my address book. If I save the spreadsheet as a Comma Delineated Text File will that affect my address/contact list?
There is no harm in having them in your Address Book and you can keep them in Groups.
If you don't want to see the external collections of Contacts stored in the Address Book whilst you are viewing your own, just make a personal Group and view that so it excludes the others.
Saving/Exporting a file in a different format does not change the original because it has a different name/extension.
The "insert" menu was not the top menu but in the inspector. Yes, that seemed like an odd place to find the character for delete page break....
Not in this "top menu"?
Where have you found it in what Inspector?
File, Edit, Insert etc. and all those names in Pages' Menus and Inspectors seem pretty clear and well organised to me. As I said they work down from the broad to the specific from left to right, something I wish every program did.
The labels are not there for pure decoration and it really seems that you don't read what Apple, the posters here, or even what you yourself have written, and therein lies the problem.
Peter
I think I have taken a lot of the information posted on these forums seriously. I had lots of questions because it I was not understanding the instructions being given - but after 24 hours I think I got most of it.
I was wrong when I wrote the "insert" menu was not the top menu but in the inspector. The place I found the character for section break was in the insert menu on the Find & Replace pop up. I know there is an "Insert" in the top menu but I was referring to something else.
I'm sure I was wrong about many things since I was LEARNING and trying to figure it out.
I will see if there is a way to delete my posts so that no one sees my mistakes (while I'm trying to learn).
From other things I am reading, besides your comments and opinions, it looks like using the contact/address book would require putting these names into my contact list.
I do not want to do that even if I can hide a group. I have Salesforce where I keep business contact information and can pull a spreadsheet from there. I often have temporary spreadsheets - with names I do not want to import into Salesforce or my contact list.
It may be a list I will use only once. The one I'm working on right now is for a friend - I certainly do not want her list in my contacts.
I will continue reading and learning more because I see in the Avery App they also recommend using contact list. It may be the preferred way of doing mail merge in the Apple world but I have to decide if it's going to meet my needs. If not, I will use a different method or use a windows machine when I need to print labels.
I may have misunderstood the Apple community forums - I thought the contributions were open - are you designated to respond to questions on behalf of Apple? I appreciate you and others being available and offering suggestions, guidance and clarifications.
Just because I didn't understand the resources you put out there does not mean I don't read what Apple, the posters, or I have written.
I found someone today at the Apple store who explained the process to me very clearly in less than 30 minutes. Different teaching styles.
This forum may not be a good place for me to learn - it was one of many resources I was READING and asking questions, trying to understand something.
I may have offended you by expressing negative opinions about the Apple products - we have 3 Apple laptops, 3 ipads, 4 iphone5 and a desktop Pro in our house. I am a fan of Apple products but they are not easy for everyone to use - since I want to learn more I thought other Apple fans would welcome newbies, even if they ask lots of questions and don't get it the first time. I'm sure you help many others but there's no need for you to offer assistance to my questions.
We are volunteers, not paid by Apple, something that posters sometimes forget.
It is like when someone asks a question but doesn't seem interested in an answer, or doesn't ask a question but comes in swinging. The replies eventually become strained.
You will of course get a better response if the responder has 30 minutes to spend on it and can see what you are doing, and hence knows where you are going wrong, or where you are not describing your issue accurately.
I can understand your points and they are quite valid, Apple doesn't always get it right, increasingly not lately IMHO, but neither does anybody else. So either you work with the tools you have or change them. There are quite a lot out there, including what you are more familiar with which is Ms Office for Mac.
There are even free Suites like LibreOffice which have a Database included and therefore can handle tasks like this better.
You have not offended me by criticising Apple, I do it all the time - it needs it, but I do get the irrits with people doggedly using a bottle for a hammer and then complaining about it. I also believe that if we can make the effort to explain matters clearly, posters should make an equal effort, or if for some reason they can't, make their abilities better known so that we can accomodate them.
Hope you can now at least get your labels out and then get on with what you really wanted to do, which wasn't debate all the side issues. 🙂
Peter
Here is a list of alternative solutions:
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/35446/libreoffice
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/9602/openoffice
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/15797/neooffice
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/9648/microsoft-office-2008
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/41822/cobook-contacts
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/9452/daylite
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/12276/studiometry
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/18565/officeworx-professional
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/10787/jobpro-central
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/11633/big-business-server
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/29952/fmsmallbusiness
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/26183/contactizer-express
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/24901/sunrise-contacts-2012
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/16711/kontactz
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/19309/opportunity-manager
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/11020/scrm-tool
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/35345/ihub-basic
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/24949/pagico
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/28750/fruux
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/27501/appointments
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/23544/devonthink-pro-office
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/31999/jumpbox-for-the-sugarcrm-4.5.x-crm-syste m
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/23190/sf3
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/12302/abmenu
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/21328/jabmenu
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/33191/guenon-contacts
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/41498/contacts-sync-for-google-gmail
Len,
If you want to try AddressBook / Contacts to print your labels, and not contaminate your personal contacts list, create a new User Account. That will give you a fresh list of Contacts, completely separate from what is in your main account.
I think you give up a lot of control for the convenience of not having to design the layout, but that's your option.
Jerry
how to merge spreadsheet data for labels
