how do I move/find the next non empty cell in a column in numbers on a macbook pro is there a short cut

I do not know. Why do you want to do this? That may help understand what you want to do.

<command> + <down arrow> will jump to the last row of a column

<command> + <up arrow> will jump to the top of a column

<command> + <left arrow> will jump to the left-most cell of a row

<command> + <right arrow> will jump to the right-most cell of a row

I have a long order list and I want (in the quantity column) to jump to the next order item without scrolling down the blank cells

Have you considered using a filter on the column that contains the quantities?

Here the quantities are in E.

It's easy to set a filter and work with just the rows that have a quantity in them:

Then just uncheck the box to temporarily deactivate the filter:

Or delete it permanently like this:

SG

I should have mentioned that since Numbers tables are not a sea of cells, but instead, a table that only shows cells necessary for the content you can simply jump to the bottom, then use the <option> + <down arrow> to add additional rows.

If you limit the number of empty rows in the table to only a few the <command> + <down arrow> will work well

VassilisM's question is a very good one and one that I have, too.

Spreadsheets have been used for years to easily and quickly work with large amounts of data from other sources, text files, etc. It's so easy to just copy it in from a CSV (or whatever), put some sort/filters on the header row and then go to town making large numbers of edits quickly. I've even used Excel/OpenOffice to normalize some data in my clients' Contact lists.

Similar to Control/Command C, X, and V being a universal shortcut for Copy, Cut and Paste, the End-Down/Up/Left/Right (also Command/Control) shortcut has been around for probably 20 years in spreadsheets and remains today in at least Excel and OpenOffice Calc. Extremely useful. It treats sequences of blank and non-blank cells as one, and jumps to the first/last non-blank cell for each sequence.

Imagine you have Column 1 configured as follows: five non-blank cells, five blank cells, five non-blank cells, five blank cells, five non-blank, and so on. Now, if the currently selected cell is A1 and you press Command-Right Arrow once. You'll now be in A5. Again, and you're in A11. Then, A15, A21, A25, A31, etc.

This is really useful if you have thousands of rows/columns and you're trying to quickly find the blank ones, a case I have right now with a data file extracted from Palm and trying to get into Calendar.

Setting up filters is not as useful (because it's slower) than Command-Arrow.

Does anyone know if this capability is present in Numbers?

Setting up filters is fast. But if you prefer seeing all your data while you move to the next blank (or non-blank) cell in a column, you can use the script below.

Either run it from AppleScript Editor or place it in an Automator Service and assign a keyboard shortcut.

Works with Numbers 3. Numbers 2 requires some modifications.

SG

--finds next next blank (or non-blank) cell in column
--select starting cell, and run
property searchFor : missing value
tell application "Numbers"
  set t to front document's active sheet's first table whose selection range's class is range
  tell t's selection range
  set currentRow to its first cell's row's address
  set searchCol to its first cell's column's address
  end tell
  tell t's column searchCol
  repeat with i from currentRow + 1 to count cells
  if cell i's value is searchFor then --add not if want to find non-blank
  set t's selection range to cell i
  return
  end if
  end repeat
  end tell
end tell

I can't believe this functionality doesn't exist in Numbers. Sticking with Excel for now.

Zonker actually answers the question: Command Arrow. I want to copy a formula into many rows of a column, but not to the very last cell in the sheet. So - I place a character, any character, in the last cell of the column where I want the formula. Then go back up to the cell with my formula, copy, move to the next cell and Shift Command Down-Arrow highlights the area into which to copy the formula, then Ctrl-V and voila!

"This is really useful if you have thousands of rows/columns and you're trying to quickly find the blank ones, a case I have right now with a data file extracted from Palm and trying to get into Calendar."

Which makes it 'really useful' in Excel, but somewhat less useful in Numbers, where the maximum number of columns in a single table is 255, the maximum number of rows in a single table is 16,535, and the practical limit is far less if you want 'acceptable' speed.

Numbers is not designed for, and not suitable for handling large data sets.

Regards,

Barry

And yet, I'm using Numbers (well, trying) for just such a case and it's fine. Whether it's dozens, hundreds or thousands, the question remains: how does one use the keyboard to move to the next blank cell in a row or a column.

As I said before, this is functionality that's been around since Excel 1.0 (ok, maybe 2.0) and is quite common, so it's frustrating to say the least, that it doesn't appear to be a standard shortcut in Numbers. It's cool that scripting can help, but that's not nearly as convenient as built-in functionality.

"(T)he question remains: how does one use the keyboard to move to the next blank cell in a row or a column."

Hi Zonker,

The answer remains: Except by

a. pressing (repeatedly or continuously) the down or right (or up or left) arrow key (and maintaining a vigilant watch on the passing rows or columns), or

b. by using a custom keystroke to trigger a script or service (such as the one posted about two years ago by SGIII), you don't.

You are posting in a user to user forum. Making the keystroke shortcuts you want is a request better directed to Apple, which does not closely monitor these discussions.

In Numbers, go to the Numbers menu and choose Provide Numbers Fedback.

Make a Feature request. Describe what you want. Explain why would be useful to the majority of Numbers users, and send it in.

Regards,

Barry

Zonker in Russia wrote:

It's cool that scripting can help, but that's not nearly as convenient as built-in functionality.

I'm always puzzled when people say scripts aren't convenient to use. They can be installed in your menu so using them is just as convenient as built-in functionality that is accessed via the menu.

Also note that Excel is designed around a large grid of cells. In Excel often you have no choice but to have blank areas between one "island" of data or calculations in that grid and other islands on the grid. So Excel users need the ability to locate the blanks at the edges of those islands.

Numbers, on the other hand, contains a canvas on each sheet on which you can place tables wherever you need them. Within tables themselves you typically don't need or want blank areas and hence don't need the ability to locate the next blank cell, etc. You'll get the most out of Numbers by taking advantage of its native table-based design rather than just trying to replicate what you do in Excel; the included templates at File > New in your menu provide good examples.

(Excel now has tables too but they aren't integral to the design and aren't as easy to use.)

SG

I got an email saying that SGIII had replied, but I can't see the reply at the moment in order to reply.

In case it's gone, here's the part I want to reply to:

"I'm always puzzled when people say scripts aren't convenient to use. They can be installed in your menu so using them is just as convenient as built-in functionality that is accessed via the menu."

Yes, I can do it, but the fact that it needs to be done. A simple, well-known feature that's not included - oversight. Plus, I do *everything* via keyboard, if at all possible. So, not only do I have to install the script, I have to assign it to a keystroke. Again, very possible, but .... really?

And the last part of this problem is this..... while I am capable and even willing to install/use scripts, my clients are not as tech-y as I am. These are the people who still use the mouse to click on the Edit menu and then select Copy, Cut or Paste instead of using keyboard. So, this "solution" is not a solution, but a work-around, which will not work for everyone. And if I ever go to someone else's computer to work in Numbers, I'll be missing a feature that I've gotten used to.

I prefer to use only the included features of a given program. So that no matter what computer I use it on, the functionality is the same.

Accessing something from the menu is not convient, in my humble opinion.