Why can't I select background images in Pages 5?

The only way to get the items seems to be:

• "Select All" (⌘-A) - this will select everything in the document including things in the 'quasi-background'.
• Then 'cut' the items from the page (⌘-X) and paste them back again.
• When you paste back, any 'background' objects will now be in the foreground.

Doing this usually screws up your formatting. If you have a document that allows it, you can "deselect" everything except the background object before cutting - the cutting is essential, since even though you can 'select' the background object, you won't be able to interact with it in-place (clicking on it or its grab handles will simply deselect the object). I've not managed to find a way to do the 'deselecting' for a document that has 'inline text' - just ones with objects only.

This does appear to be a genuine bug in Pages 5 (rather than a feature set change) linked to Apple doing away with the concept of 'background' altogether.

Hopefully it will be fixed in an early bug-fix release.

It appears that there is a way to put shapes and images into the background still, but I can't tell what direction Apple is taking with it. Visit http://help.apple.com/pages/mac/5.0/#/tan9fdc65243 to see that they are now calling background images "Master Objects" that are repeated in a section. I liked the other way, personally, but at least I can still do what I needed to do with putting these shapes and images into the background.

Making the objects selectable doesn't help fix the issue if the item is already in the background, but you don't want it to be.

LauraRCo wrote:

Making the objects selectable doesn't help fix the issue if the item is already in the background, but you don't want it to be.

That's what the 'cut and paste' solution described in my earlier post is specifically intended to do - lift objects out of the background and put them into the foreground.

Sorry if that was not clear in the original post.

I think yprob is trying to achieve some other result - the section master is not at all equivalent to the background (as anything you put on the section master will appear on every page, not just the one you put it on).

This is not the answer to the original question but it is an answer to a related problem.

Apparently, Apple removed the simple and useful "Send Object to Background" menu item. For the last half an hour I was straggling to put my signature image under my name in a letter. The image background is white. So, when I insert the image, it is on top of the text and blocking it.

Then, I searched and found this discussion, it helped but not solved the problem. I found a solution inspired by this discussion. Here, what I tried to send an image to the background.

Chose the image in question. When I selected "Arrange -> Section Masters -> Move Object to Page" as suggested in this thread, it moves the image to the background. BUT, the image appears on every page at the same position within the section. If the document is a single-section document (almost all my documents are single-section documents, as I use Pages for short simple documents like letters (in the near future, I'll say "I used to use Pages", as this kind of feature removal makes it unfeasible to use it anymore).

Thus, you have to define a new section which should contain only the page in question. Enough rumbling! Here is exactly what I did:

Let N be the page number on which you wish to put an object in the background.

1. Go to page N (your cursor must be somewhere on that page)
2. On the toolbar choose "Setup -> Section Tab -> Create a new section -> Starting with this page"
3. Go to page N+1
4. On the toolbar choose "Setup -> Section Tab -> Create a new section -> Starting with this page"
   Now, you have a single-page-section on page N.
   
5. Put you object on page N
6. Select the object (image)
7. On the menu, choose "Arrange -> Section Masters -> Move Object to Page"
8. Also, I recommend to enable by "Arrange -> Section Masters -> make Master Objects Selectable"

You can put any number of objects on page N by repeating on steps 5 to 8.

The problem is, however, if you continue to edit your document and and sections gets longer, it will start a new page at the end of that section. Which is awful, because you'll have to remove the sections, and start from scratch, or manually move the text from one section to the other. So, do this after you are done with the document. Pity!

If anyone have a better solution it will be appreciated.

-- o --

Now, I will continue to nag, if you allow me. When I open an old Pages document with images in the background, it opens just fine. It is not selectable as the original author stated. This indicate that Pages still support background objects independent of the sections, it just doesn't offer in interface to that facility. Why?

I had a fairly large number of letters and templates I created with Pages. Before it is too late, I'll abandon it.

I have a similar experience with iWeb. Apple promoted it, and then abandon it. Now all of my class pages (http://web.boun.edu.tr/akdogan) look too 2000s style, but I don't have energy to convert them something else at this point, but I'll have to.

So I will continue to use LaTeX for long documents (that has been the choice for a long time), but I'll switch back to almost equally annoying Word for short and medium documents.

Again, pity! I used to like Pages.

code_cooker wrote:

Let N be the page number on which you wish to put an object in the background.

1. Go to page N (your cursor must be somewhere on that page)
2. On the toolbar choose "Setup -> Section Tab -> Create a new section -> Starting with this page"
3. Go to page N+1
4. On the toolbar choose "Setup -> Section Tab -> Create a new section -> Starting with this page"
   Now, you have a single-page-section on page N.

Congrats. An interesting work-around.

Based on Apple's statement that they are working on patching up Pages over coming few months, I hope that in time the ability to work with 'the background' will return. I'm vaguely optimistic - since it is clear that the new file format can support 'background' images: all Apple need to do is turn on the ability to maniuplate them. If background objects were not already part of file format I think prospects for its return would be small.

Still - good luck with LaTeX and MS Word in the interim...

Concerning your issue with iWeb - perhaps you've seen this already, but Rapidweaver and Sandvox both make a point of discussing how iWeb sites can be migrated to more modern tools. I imagine that other similar tools provide or support similar methods.

HTH

code_cooker:

Just a couple of comments.

If you used to like Pages '09 but find Pages 5 unuseable, why not just keep using Pages '09? It still works and it has a much more complete feature set.

As far as your issue with the signature image with a white background: While you have pretty well outlined the needed procedure to get it into the background, it might be easier to just leave it in the foreground, and type your name into a floating text box, which can be placed in front of the image, and grouped with it.

Thank you for pointing out Rapidweaver and Sandvox. I knew Rapidweaver and was considering. But I didn't know Sandvox. I'll give it a try for sure, it looks good as well. I don't plan to spend much time on the converted iWeb pages, as long as they deliver the page in a readable form. But, the new pages I'll create in the future are required to be looking modern and not time consuming to create.

-- o --

Although the work-around I described worked fine, it became unsatisfactory the moment I HAD to edit my document. The sections added new pages at the end as I stated. So, as an update, I abandoned this solution, and simply wrote a small code to convert my signature fully transparent image based on the intensity of the color. So, effectively the white regions are 100% transparent, the transparency of the color regions are set by the non-whiteness (a little color theory) of the pixel. Which worked pretty well. The signature does not have to be in the background anymore.

So a little suffering for a simple problem!

You know what. You are absolutely right!

(I just solved the "signature problem" by a carefully crafted image.)

Gavin Lawrie mentioned there may be a fix in a few months. Until then I can definitely roll back (I removed Pages '09, but it must be in the Time Machine backup) if something else annoying pops up.

Kind regards

The problem with the "Select All, Cut, then Paste" workaround is that, for every moderately complex Pages (pre-5.0) document I have tried it with, it utterly destroys the document. Many of the other tables, images, etc. get pasted back in a jumble, completely out of order and in random places compared to where they were in the original Pages 2009 document

So effectively, Pages 5.0 simply cannot edit complex documents created with the previous version.

Pages 5 is beta, but Apple hasn't told you.

Peter

I had this problem today too. I converted an older Pages document with my signature in the background. After converting, I couldn't select my signature anymore. Here's how I worked around it:

I transferred all the text in my Word Processing Document into TEXT BOXES. I made sure in the "Arrange" Panel, the Object Placement was set to "Stay On Page".

Then I went to FILE menu and selected "CONVERT TO PAGE LAYOUT." This made all objects selectable, including background images.

I guess Apple wants us to use this feature if we want to use multiple or layered images in a document. Or perhaps they are gearing up to open MS Publisher Documents soon. 🙂 That would help me forgive them for this brouhaha of trying to figure out where on earth did the "Make Background Items Selectable" feature go!

…or don't convert!

Nothing to be gained in Pages 5, so it is a win win.

Peter

It could be that the image is locked. Click anywhere in the image and check at the Inspector > Format > Arrange Tab. See at the bottom if its Locked, if it is simply click Unlock and then do whatever you wish with the image.

Alex

Everyone!! I found an easy and quick solution for selecting the background object!! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ORUqeYXQb0

Hope this works as easily and as quickly for you as it did for me.

Gwen