You can roll your own counting solution for Pages v5. The following AppleScript and Ruby code will pop a dialog with the results of counting characters, words, and paragraphs — in selected document text -- or if you choose command+A, the entire document. The character count includes spaces.
In your /Applications folder, double-click Automator. It will present a file dialog. Click On My Mac, and New Document. Another dialog box will appear. Click the Service (gear icon) and press Choose.
You now have essentially, two smaller columns on your left, and a larger workflow window on the right. On the left, under Library, click Utilities, and within the adjacent scrollable window, locate Run AppleScript. Click and drag the Run AppleScript workflow item into the right workflow window, and release it.
At the top of this Workflow window, you want Service receives selected text in any application. You will leave Output replaces selected text unchecked. In the Run AppleScript window, select all of the content. Now replace it by copying and pasting all of the code below into that window. File > Save... your new service with a short, but recognizable name (e.g. Charcnt). This service will be saved in your home Library/Services location. Quit Automator.
When you select text in any application, you simply choose the Services submenu under that Application name and select your new Service. You do not have to copy content to the clipboard for this service to work. Here's the code:
on run {input, parameters}
try
set MySelectedText to input as text
set numChars to (the number of characters of MySelectedText) as integer
set numWords to (the number of words of MySelectedText) as integer
set numPara to (the number of paragraphs of MySelectedText) as integer
set formatted_output to setValues(numChars, numWords, numPara)
set theResult to "The selected text contains:" & return & formatted_output
display dialog theResult with title "Selection Concordance" ¬
with icon note buttons {"Ok"} default button 1
on error errmsg number errnum
display dialog errmsg & "[" & errnum & "]" buttons {"Ok"} default button 1 with icon stop
end try
return input
end run
on setValues(fchar, fword, fpara)
(*
use Ruby to right-justify these numbers in report form.
*)
set rb to ¬
"values = Array.new\nvalues = ARGV\nprintf(%Q/%7d\tCharacters\n%7d\tWords\n%7d\tParagraphs/, *values)"
do shell script "/usr/bin/ruby -e " & rb's quoted form & " " & fchar & " " & fword & " " & fpara
end setValues