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Level 7

20,383 points

Workarounds in Numbers 3.0?

Dear Fellow Numbers 3.0 Users,

In Numbers 3.0, some features have been lost that were in Numbers 2.3. However, I have seen some creative ideas in this forum for ways to work around the loss of features yet maintaining the functionality.

Example 1:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread/5491941?answerId=23612026022#23612026022&ac_cid=tw123456#23612026

In the new Numbers, where did autofill drop down menus go and how do I get them back? See the replies from SGIII and Smirhcfa

Autofill has gone. Workaround: enter your most used values into a column. Select all body cells in that Column and change the Cell format to pop-up. The pop-up will now contain choices for filling in other Rows.

Another workaround could be to use a lookup table of frequently used entries (each with a unique first character). Type the first character of an entry in one Column. The next Column fills in the full entry from a lookup table. After all, is this not how Autofill works?

Example 2:

Numbers 3.0 does not show dates in a Chart. Workaround: convert the dates to a Duration (day or week from the starting time) or even a number to represent time elapsed.

Some workarounds may seem to be clunky, but in Numbers 2 we also need workarounds!

Please keep this thread positive. By now, I think we have heard enough about features and functionality that seem to be lost.

Workarounds, anyone?

Regards,

Ian.

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2012), OS X Mavericks (10.9), Numbers 2.3 & 3.0, Pages'09

Posted on Nov 1, 2013 6:16 AM

42 replies

Yellowbox Author

Level 7

20,383 points

Jan 26, 2014 10:57 PM in response to Spydermann

Hi Spyderman,

SG wrote:

If one defines "serious" work to include work that involves mobile data entry and collaboration, I think plenty of serious work can and will be done in Numbers 3 and its companion app for iOS.

Hi SG,

Point taken. I was too hasty. 🙂

Revise to: Serious printing (on paper) of conversion tables for mechanics, woodworkers and gardeners to display on shed walls. As John Williamson sang: 'All Australian Boys Need a Shed.'

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcCXUQhexag

Regards,

Ian.

SGIII

Level 8

35,306 points

Jan 27, 2014 10:18 AM in response to Yellowbox

Hi Ian,

Revise to: Serious printing (on paper) of conversion tables for mechanics, woodworkers and gardeners to display on shed walls. As John Williamson sang: 'All Australian Boys Need a Shed.'

That is a seriously awesome link, dude.🙂 Now I understand the reference to sheds. Where I grew up we had a cowshed and a tool shed and a woodshed (you didn't want your father taking you out to that). And the watershed wasn't far away. But we didn't have just a "shed" shed, used (as many Americans use their garages) for anything... even giant Android tablets!

Yellowbox Author

Level 7

20,383 points

Feb 3, 2014 5:39 AM in response to Yellowbox

Dear Fellow Numbers 3 Users,

Preamble: This thread was started soon after Numbers 3 was released. It contains some creative ideas from this 'Numbers for Mac' forum for ways to work around the loss of features yet maintaining the functionality. Often, the "loss" of a feature has turned out to be "I can't find that feature". At other times, there has been lateral thinking to find workarounds. And other users have found ways to make use of the new features of Numbers 3 to recreate the functionality of Numbers 2.

Background: In Numbers 3.0, some features were lost that were in Numbers 2.3. In Numbers 3.1, some of those features have been restored. Features that Apple promised to reinstate:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6049

and indeed some have already been reinstated in Numbers 3.1

To answer one frequently asked question in this forum, downloading Numbers 3.x did not replace your Numbers 2 (Numbers '09) app. Numbers 3 lives in your Applications folder. Unless you deleted it, Numbers '09 is in a sub-folder called iWork '09 within your Applications folder. Numbers 2 works just as well as it used to. Numbers 2 and Numbers 3 run happily side by side. Just be sure which version is active when you open a document.

To answer a second frequently asked question in this forum, yes you can revert a numbers 3 document to Numbers 2, using File > Export To > Numbers '09. However, it is better to work on a copy if you want to open a "heritage" document in Numbers 3. Numbers 3.1 now gives a warning when you begin to edit a Numbers 2 document. Be sure what you want to do!

See also:

What has been GAINED in Numbers 3:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5473882?start=75&tstart=0

What has been lost in Numbers 3 is here (with corrections where Apple has already reinstated some lost features in the Numbers 3.1 update):

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5470448?start=240&tstart=0

Version Naming:

To avoid confusion when you post a question, please state your OS X version and Numbers version. iOS users have also posted in this forum; as Numbers 3 continues to bring OS X and iOS closer, the differences between those operating systems are slowly fading.

Numbers 2.3 = Numbers '09, not Numbers '08. (Numbers 3 can not open a Numbers '08 document or an Appleworks document).

Numbers 3.0 = the first release of Numbers 3 (Numbers '13)

Numbers 3.0.1 = the next update of Numbers 3 with some features restored.

Numbers 3.1 = the current (2014) version of Numbers with more features restored.

Compatibility:

Numbers 2.3 (= Numbers '09) will run on OS X up to Mountain Lion (10.8.x).

Numbers 3 requires OS X Mavericks (10.9.x)

Perhaps an iOS Guru can comment on the requirements for iDevices?

Coming soon (in my next reply): a summary of workarounds and reinstated features that I hope will clarify recent changes and make it easier to follow the discussions in this thread.

Happy Numbers!

Regards,

Ian.

Yellowbox Author

Level 7

20,383 points

Feb 3, 2014 6:25 AM in response to Yellowbox

Late edit (Oops):

Compatibility:

Numbers 2.3 (= Numbers '09) will run on OS X up to Mountain Lion (10.8.x).

Should read:

Compatibility:

Numbers 2.3 (= Numbers '09) will run on OS X up to Mountain Lion (10.8.x)

and perfectly well in Mavericks (10.9.x).

Both Numbers 2 and 3 work fine in Mavericks.

Regards,

Ian.

SGIII

Level 8

35,306 points

Feb 3, 2014 9:04 AM in response to Yellowbox

Thanks Ian. The summary of workarounds and reinstated features will be very helpful.

On iOS there is less version profusion confusion. Whenever you update an older version automatically is removed. You have little choice in the matter. And for Numbers to play well with iCloud and the Mac (in keeping with the apparent vision of "Numbers wherever you are on whatever computing device you happen to have handy") you need the latest version. As of this post, for iOS it's Numbers 2.1.

Yellowbox Author

Level 7

20,383 points

Feb 6, 2014 8:07 AM in response to Yellowbox

Dear Fellow Numbers 3 users,

Here is a summary of Workarounds in Numbers 3. Please keep this discussion positive. You can complain elsewhere.

Numbers '09 is in a folder called iWork '09 within your Applications folder. Use that if you prefer.

This discussion is named "Workarounds in Numbers 3.0?". Perhaps a better name would be Workarounds in Numbers 3.1 (or Numbers 3.x) because Apple has added back some "lost" features, and more features may be reinstated... but who knows?

Here we go...

Autofill is back in Numbers 3.1, now named "Show suggestions when editing table cells"

See Numbers > Preferences > General > Editing

However, SGIII came up with a useful workaround while we were waiting for this feature to be reinstated. 3rd November 2013 on Page 1 of this thread. Use Pop-Up Menus. The advantage is that Pop-Ups help prevent errors in spelling and capitals. Pop-Ups are a useful tool even now that Autofill (Suggest) is back.

Custom Format has gone. Workaround is to create a Custom format in Numbers '09 (Numbers 2.3) then save and then open that document in Numbers 3. See 4th November 2013 on Page 1 of this thread.

Print View and Layout View have gone. Yes, now we have the lame and non-editable Print Preview. Try Alignment Guides and Rulers as suggested on 8th November 2013 of this thread.

Reorganize Panel has gone. How do I Sort selected rows?

Now we use Sort and Filter in Numbers 3.1:

In some language settings, month names (intended to be simply that, names of months) are converted to dates. Workaround: in this thread, https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5484435?start=0&tstart=0 the consensus from users seems to be that date recognition in Numbers 3.0 is a bit too clever. Force the month names to Text Format by typing a single quote (apostrophe, ') before each date name. Or, type a space after each date name.

I can't change the name of an axis in a chart. Workaround: click on the chart to select it, then in Format Inspector > Axis > X or Y > Axis Options > put a tick in Axis Name. From Numbers 3 Help: "If you selected an Axis Name checkbox, Numbers adds a placeholder axis name to the chart. To change it, triple-click the name on the chart, then type your own." [I am not sure if this a workaround or a GAIN in Numbers 3.]

Categories have gone.

See this:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5468401?answerId=23578336022#23578336022

"I suspect Categories was removed because the Categories feature was hindering the use of the functions that were designed to provide the same functionality in a cleaner, richer, more flexible way."

The proper method is to use the SUMIFS, the COUNTIFS and the AVERAGEIFS functions and others like them to build your pivot tables.

******

Fellow Numbers 3 Users,

I have done my best to summarise this thread. I may have missed some important points. Don't shoot the messenger.

Further Reading:

Features that Apple has promised to reinstate:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6049

What has been GAINED in Numbers 3 is here:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5473882?start=45&tstart=0

What has been lost in Numbers 3 is here:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5470448?start=240&tstart=0

Who Moved My Cheese?

http://www.spencerjohnson.com/Book-WhoMovedMyCheese.html

Regards,

Ian.

Shawn L.

Level 1

6 points

Feb 6, 2014 10:40 AM in response to Yellowbox

One workaround for margins in Numbers 3 that I hadn't seen mentioned.

Create a document in Numbers 2.3, set the margins to your preferred settings, and save it.

Open the document in v3 and save it as a template. You can now use that template to create spreadsheets with your preferred margins.

Margin settings saved in v2.3 are honored in v3. There's no way to CHANGE them, but given that it does recognise the settings, it is for Apple to restore that funtion in the future without too much fuss.

Yellowbox Author

Level 7

20,383 points

Feb 7, 2014 4:48 AM in response to Shawn L.

Hi Shawn,

Margin settings saved in v2.3 are honored in v3.

Thanks for that tip. I followed your advice and created a document in Numbers 2.3 and used Inspector > Sheet to set the Page Margins to 1 cm.

Menu > File > Print... shows this Print Preview in Numbers 2.3:

Page 1 of 1.

Save, Close, then Open that document in Numbers 3.1.

Menu > File > Print...

Still Page 1 of 1.

Bravo, Shawn!

Regards,

Ian.

Feb 7, 2014 5:57 AM in response to Yellowbox

Hi Guys.

I have read this discussion with awe! So positive, so helpful and with a sense of humour too. You are all so expert on Numbers 2.3 and 3.1 that I hope you can help me with my problem. I upgraded from 2.3 to 3.1 a week or so ago. (I have a mid 2009 iMac, 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, running OS X 10.9.1.) However, 3.1 won't open properly. No menu appears at the top of the screen and the icon just bounces away in the dock. Right clicking shows all my Numbers files ( all 2.3 version except for the latest and current file with this years business accounts on it which has been automatically converted to 3.1) and tells me the App is "Not Responding" and gives the "Force Quit" option. I have been unable to open the converted file with 2.3 as a dialogue box tells me I need the newer version. I can't open the file with 3.1 because 3.1 won't open properly - so this rules out the option of exporting the file back to iWork 09. Excel won't open the file either. I have tried uninstalling, reinstalling, rebooting, etc without success. Can anyone suggest a workaround that will get me back to my business accounts.

PS: I can see the contents of the file using Preview but can't cut and paste into a new spreadsheet.

Yellowbox Author

Level 7

20,383 points

Feb 7, 2014 10:31 PM in response to peterbraney

Hi Peter,

the icon just bounces away in the dock

Just a thought, but Numbers make be trying to open a corrupted document. Hold down the shift key while launching numbers. That will stop it re-opening documents that were open when you quit.

A setting that I use in System Preferences > General:

I also have this setting for Shutdown and Restart (untick Reopen windows when logging back in:

Those settings give my Mac a chance for rest and recuperation!

If this does not help, please start a new discussion.

Regards,

Ian.

SGIII

Level 8

35,306 points

Feb 10, 2014 8:50 AM in response to Yellowbox

In the old Numbers you could just drag people from Contacts and drop onto the canvas in a sheet.

We all thought such easy import of data from Contacts was one of the "lost" features in Numbers 3.

Until ronniefromcalifornia set us straight. As described in this post:

"Open Contacts

Select all the cards you want

Copy

In Numbers, in a table, select cell A1

Paste

Boom. Works great. Even brought in the pictures. Cool."

SGIII

Level 8

35,306 points

Mar 1, 2014 2:04 PM in response to Yellowbox

Hyperlinks in pdf's created from Numbers 3 often aren't active. The workaround is described here. The short version: create a new document in Numbers 2.3 with a blank template. Save. Open that document in Numbers 3 and Save as Template. Hyperlinks in pdfs from documents created in Numbers 3 using that template will be active.

Workarounds in Numbers 3.0?