Columns in Pages

Question

Level 1

56 points

Columns in Pages

I want to translate text and therefor I want to insert 2 columns in a Pages document, so that the first column contains the original text and the second (most right) the translated text.

When columns are filled with text the overflow goes from top>down and than from left to right. Then next page from top>down and than from left to right etc. What I want to accomplish is that my text stays in the column where I started it and whatever length it has. A textbox is also not possible, because it doesn't adapt to the length of the text automatically, and it remains on the page where it is put/created.

Is that possible?

regards

Hans

iMac (27-inch Mid 2010), OS X El Capitan (10.11.1)

Posted on Jan 6, 2016 7:22 AM

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Answer 1

VikingOSX

Level 10

123,458 points

Jan 7, 2016 1:54 PM in response to hanyvo

Columns in Pages are not independent, and text flows from the first into the second, and on a page break, the prior second column text flows into the first column on the new page. You will instead, need to use a two-column table that spills over page boundaries. Content in individual table columns will remain in those columns on subsequent pages.

With the table selected, visit the Format panel's Arrange tab, and set Object Placement to Move with Text, and Text Wrap to Inline with Text. This will allow the table to overflow across a page boundary. In the table's Text tab, there will be an option to Wrap text in cell, so that your text will wrap as needed. You can also remove all table gridlines if that is your presentation requirement. The View menu : Show Layout may assist you in positioning your table content.

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Answer 2

hanyvo Author

Level 1

56 points

Jan 6, 2016 11:12 AM in response to VikingOSX

A big THANK YOU for this quick answer. I didn't expect it this fast:)

Does that mean I have to use a table with 2 columns and 2 cells?

Hans

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Answer 3

hanyvo Author

Level 1

56 points

Jan 7, 2016 2:41 PM in response to VikingOSX

I am very sorry to say that the proposed settings doesn't work at all!! The cell doen't spill over to the next page. Instead it stops at the end of the page. Are there anymore options?

Hans

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Answer 4

VikingOSX

Level 10

123,458 points

Jan 7, 2016 3:03 PM in response to hanyvo

I would propose a two-column table, and use one-row per translation. This keeps things organized with cell wrap as appropriate.

There is only one Arrange tab setting (with table selected) in the right Format panel, that permits a table to flow past the page boundary and onto the next page. That is Object Placement: Move with Text, and Text Wrap: Inline with Text. Any other setting will freeze the table, regardless of its length at the bottom of the first page.

Before my previous post, I tested this with a 40-row table in Pages v5.6.1 on El Capitan 10.11.2. It works as specified, and will not cooperate if the Object Placement, and Text Wrap are set differently. Tested it again, five minutes ago, with the 40-row table, and it flowed from the first page to a second page.

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Answer 5

hanyvo Author

Level 1

56 points

Jan 8, 2016 4:29 AM in response to VikingOSX

Hello.

I did all of the things as suggested, and I have the same software as you have but it still don't work the way you described and as I wanted it. Please have a look at this screen. You can see that the cell adepts to the text but only ONE page, it stops at the first page and doesn't go further on the next page. You can check my Arrange settings as well. Are there perhaps more settings I have to deal with?

To be honest: I don't understand what these Arrange settings have to do with text inside the Object which now happens to be a Cell of a Table. I thought Arrange settings are meant to control the relative positioning of an image/object inside the accompanying text and not with the relative positioning of text inside an image/object.

And in the mean time I tried the text editor of Open Office. I inserted a table with 2 columns, copied 3 pages, pasted and there it is. One cell stretching over 9+ pages. Without any arcane settings to make. I decide to use OpenOffice for this project because of its straight forward design capabilities

Thanks for your help, anyway.

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Answer 6

Jan 8, 2016 7:46 AM in response to hanyvo

Viking forgot that Pages won't let you split cells. His solution works if you have only whole cells on a page. The Table continues on but with another cell.

There is a solution in Pages '09 which has Textbox linking, but Pages 5.x can't do that:

Peter

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Answer 7

hanyvo Author

Level 1

56 points

Jan 8, 2016 7:26 AM in response to PeterBreis0807

Okay.

That looks better.

Are these cells from a table or text boxes? Or: how do I link these cells?

Thanks for your help (and Viking as well)

Hans

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Answer 8

Jan 8, 2016 1:18 PM in response to hanyvo

As I said they are linked Textboxes in Pages '09, Pages 5.6.1 can not do them, too many features lost.

Peter

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Answer 9

hanyvo Author

Level 1

56 points

Jan 9, 2016 3:13 AM in response to PeterBreis0807

Yes, thanks a lot again for your answer, Peter. As far as I know updates from Apple programs will update automatically on my iMac so I should have the latest version:

so I am not sure what version Pages '09 is. Anyway, this is all too difficult for me. Up till this date I have spent too much time in trying to accomplish what I had in mind with Pages, and zero result. The text editor of Open Office can do the job I had in mind. Pages has other capabilities, I'm sure.

Thanks for your help.

Hans

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