dirkt68

Q: Pages 5.0 - No mail merge?!

I'm a bit shocked!

 

is there no longer any mail merge possible in Pages 5.0? There seems absolutely no way to link to Contacts or using a Numbers Document to add addresses for mail merge. searched the app up and down and searched in the help files.. but it seems AWOL.

 

Please. How can that be? A word processor without mail merge? Am I supposed to add and print hundreds of addresses now manually?

MacBook Air (13-inch Mid 2013), OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Oct 23, 2013 1:26 AM

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Q: Pages 5.0 - No mail merge?!

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  • by Mark Alan Thomas,

    Mark Alan Thomas Mark Alan Thomas Oct 31, 2013 10:47 PM in response to ausus
    Level 1 (85 points)
    Oct 31, 2013 10:47 PM in response to ausus

    I have used Nisus Writer Pro for years, and can tell you that it is an excellent alternative to Pages and Word. It even has mail merge.

     

    Here's the App Store link:

     

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nisus-writer-pro/id454320900?mt=12

     

    Here's the official page on Nisus.com:

     

    http://nisus.com/pro/

     

    They have a 15-day demo version so you can try before buying:

     

    http://nisus.com/pro/download.php

  • by Lady43bug,

    Lady43bug Lady43bug Nov 1, 2013 9:40 AM in response to ausus
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Nov 1, 2013 9:40 AM in response to ausus

    Pages 5.0 is the default app for pages now.  That can be changed for selected Pages and Numbers documents you use for mail merge. You can select them to always open with Pages 4.3 & Numbers 2.3  I have set mine up to open this way so I can still use the previous versions and continue to use mail merge.  You click on a document once, File >Get Info (command & i) Open with  >(Pages 4.3 or Numbers 2.3)  That makes it the default app for that document, as I was told at a One to One at Apple.  It looks like you also have the option to “Use this application to open all documents like this one” in Get Info. The inspector still has issues since Mavericks but you can get the job done using the Menu >Insert.  I have done and it is working quite well as I have been merging like crazy and am now driving in the fast lane! 

  • by EDu.mac,

    EDu.mac EDu.mac Nov 1, 2013 9:44 AM in response to Lady43bug
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 1, 2013 9:44 AM in response to Lady43bug

    but it seems that Maverick's addressbook had changed so you can't use Pages 04 (iWork) and this addressbook to mail merge. Pages 04 didn't find any contac tleft !!!!

  • by Lady43bug,

    Lady43bug Lady43bug Nov 1, 2013 9:48 AM in response to EDu.mac
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Nov 1, 2013 9:48 AM in response to EDu.mac

    I never used the Contacts for mail merge, only Numbers.  If you had a back-up of your contacts, perhaps you could enter that info into Numbers.

  • by EDu.mac,

    EDu.mac EDu.mac Nov 1, 2013 9:51 AM in response to Lady43bug
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 1, 2013 9:51 AM in response to Lady43bug

    but I use a back-up for Pages 04, it won't compatible left with newer Maverick's application ?

  • by Peggy,

    Peggy Peggy Nov 1, 2013 9:53 AM in response to Lady43bug
    Level 8 (38,825 points)
    Applications
    Nov 1, 2013 9:53 AM in response to Lady43bug

    Using Get Info to change all documents to open with Pages 4.3 doesn't work. It will work on individual files, but that could be a lot of files to reset.

     

    You can have the iWork '09 apps be the default but still have the new apps installed. After I installed the new iWork updates I created a folder on an external drive & named it "other applications." I then moved the new iWork apps to this folder & renamed the applications Keynote 6, Pages 5 & Numbers 3. I have icons for two versions of Pages & Numbers (I rarely use Keynote) in my Dock. Even with two versions of Pages & Numbers running, double-clicking an existing file opens in Pages 4.3 or Numbers 2.3. This should also keep the Mac App Store from nagging you to update.

     

    Peggy_sig.png

  • by Lady43bug,

    Lady43bug Lady43bug Nov 1, 2013 9:56 AM in response to EDu.mac
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Nov 1, 2013 9:56 AM in response to EDu.mac

    Sorry, I'm clueless about that.

  • by Lady43bug,

    Lady43bug Lady43bug Nov 1, 2013 10:01 AM in response to Peggy
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Nov 1, 2013 10:01 AM in response to Peggy

    Wow Peggy, that sounds great!  I guess compared to others, I didn't have that many individual merge documents to change.  I love the idea of having the previous versions as the default! Thanks so much for spelling this out!

  • by TobyMacLeod,

    TobyMacLeod TobyMacLeod Nov 2, 2013 4:30 AM in response to dirkt68
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 2, 2013 4:30 AM in response to dirkt68

    Apple used to be a company I loved. Now it's quickly becoming a company I hate to love. I can only hope that the elimination of features such as mail merge is temporary step back for a large step forward in the near future. But then again, apple is a consumer focused company and business seems to be an after thought. So any features like mail merge that are regularly used by businesses may not be a priority. It's unfortunate.

  • by Cohiba4009,

    Cohiba4009 Cohiba4009 Nov 2, 2013 4:44 AM in response to userremoved
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 2, 2013 4:44 AM in response to userremoved

    "this is upgrade is not for you yet..."

     

    It defies logic to remove commonly used functions(s) of a software product only to add them in a later "upgrade" becuase your customer base complains about it.

     

    I think thats what people are frustrated about, if you want tocall it something rather than complaining what would you suggest?

  • by macmikey,

    macmikey macmikey Nov 4, 2013 1:00 PM in response to dirkt68
    Level 1 (41 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 4, 2013 1:00 PM in response to dirkt68

    Thanks, dirkt68! I completely forgot about Insert > Merge Field. I rarely do mail merges anyway, but desparately needed to today, and was (as everyone else here) mystified why Apple would pull that feature. Dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb. They've thrown their interface guidelines right out the window. Sounds like something MicroSoft would do with Windows, making their desktop experience like the handhelds. Oh, wait...

     

    This is very helpful. Great job!

  • by Brian1355,

    Brian1355 Brian1355 Nov 5, 2013 6:09 AM in response to dirkt68
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 5, 2013 6:09 AM in response to dirkt68

    Has anybody seen any Apple response to this. Personally I do not think there is one. There are many many internet posts complaining about this upgrade sorry downgrade. I am very interested to know whether Apple have addressed this in any way. I would like to restore some faith in Apple but at the moment as a business owner I am genuinely concerned that they might make any of their software unusable for me with future upgrades of Apps or Operating Systems. My business accounting is carried out in Numbers 09 and I am seriously worried that an OS update might make this inaccessable. I know this is a bit extreme but "once bitten .....".

  • by Cohiba4009,

    Cohiba4009 Cohiba4009 Nov 5, 2013 6:11 AM in response to Brian1355
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 5, 2013 6:11 AM in response to Brian1355

    I personally havent seen any sort of response.... but honestly would they anyway?

     

    I hope that they are taking note of the user outcry and add back mail merge and other features.

     

    If you havent, send them email letting them know how you feel.

     

    "fingers crossed*

  • by enteecee,

    enteecee enteecee Nov 5, 2013 7:10 AM in response to Brian1355
    Level 2 (316 points)
    Nov 5, 2013 7:10 AM in response to Brian1355

    Apple hisotrically doesn't respond at all to such outcries.  Remember, they killed the floppy (and are phasing out DVD/CD), the old iPod connector, Appleworks, Final Cut, etc, etc, etc.

     

     

    Please remember to tell Apple what we need from them at:

    http://www.apple.com/feedback/pages.html

  • by Cohiba4009,

    Cohiba4009 Cohiba4009 Nov 5, 2013 7:13 AM in response to enteecee
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 5, 2013 7:13 AM in response to enteecee

    Agreed Apple does seem to bend and shape the industry to their will... but getting rid of mail merge??

     

    Thanks for including the link.

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