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Highlighting Text - Cannot use same color next time.

I am a pastor using Pages to write sermons and teaching documents. I like to review the text and highlight certain sentences, words and paragraphs. If I want to highlight two selections back to back, it will not let me use the same color. I have to select a different color then select the color I want. I think this is an improvement that needs to be made, allowing you to select the same color overtime but how do I do do it differently or how do I get the requested change in for some future update?


John

Posted on Feb 13, 2016 4:43 PM

Reply
14 replies

Feb 14, 2016 4:10 AM in response to John Daniel

Hi John,


It will help us to help you if you tell us which version of Pages and the operating system you are using.

I am using Pages 5.6.1 under OS X El Capitan version 10.11.1


There is a difference between:

  • Highlight (Menu > Insert Highlight) that does not print; and
  • Format Panel > Text > Advanced Options > Character Fill Color which does print).

User uploaded file


Please give more information on what you want to do.

I have not tested this in Pages '09.


More information will lead to a solution 🙂.


Regards,

Ian.

Feb 14, 2016 4:20 AM in response to Yellowbox

I am using the latest version of Pages 5.6.1, very up to date. I am on El Captain - latest update is installed - 10.11.13


I select the text I want to highlight

I go to FORMAT....

I choose ADVANCED Options wheel (beside the color selector)

Choose Character Fill Color

IF THE COLOR SELECTED IS THE SAME LAST COLOR I USED

Pages will not put that color in.

I have to select a different color, then return to the color I want (all in the color selector box) and click the

color I wanted.


It is annoying. Why not select the same color over and over from the beginning - if I want.


Hope that helps. Thanks for reply. I am grateful.


John

Feb 14, 2016 4:43 AM in response to John Daniel

Hi John,


Here is some nonsense text (Lorum ipsum)


Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet

Consectetur adipiscing elit

Eset eiusmod tempor incidunt et labore et dolore magna aliquam. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerc. Irure dolor in reprehend incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse molestaie cillum. Tia non ob ea soluad incommod quae egen ium improb fugiend. Officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum Et harumd dereud facilis est er expedit distinct.


To add colour to selected text, I used the "boring" colour palette on the left, not the "glorious" colour wheel on the right.

User uploaded file


Please call back with questions.


Regards,

Ian.

Feb 14, 2016 5:00 AM in response to John Daniel

I can not reproduce what you describe in Pages 5.6.1.


There are 2 options in the Advanced > Character Fill Color:


To select from the Preset color swatches or click on the Color Wheel and select from that.


Both work for me I can apply them once on one selection, make another selection and apply it again. No need to toggle it off and on again.


Peter

Feb 14, 2016 5:03 AM in response to John Daniel

I would suggest you select a word you want in a certain colour, perform your colour change as you are doing then save the Character Style.


Saving a Character Style is performed by selecting a word with the style you want then accessing the drop-down beside Character Style and tap the + in the top right. Name your style (and if desired add a shortcut). If the + seems to be grey make sure you have selected just a word and not say a following paragraph break.

Feb 14, 2016 5:11 AM in response to PeterBreis0807

I am so grateful for these responses. Clearly I am not communicating. This one is hard to describe.


1. I highlight a word in let's say YELLOW

2. I continue writing and come to a place where I want to highlight another word in YELLOW. It will not let me. If I click on Yellow again, and go back to the text, it has NOT BEEN HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW. It has NO highlighting.

3. If I want YELLOW, I have to click on let's say GREEN. Then come back and click on yellow and it works.

4. I use about 4 colors. But may use yellow for four consecutive selections. Each time, I have to select a different color then come back to yellow. (the

color I choose makes no difference.)


I hope that helps.


John

Feb 14, 2016 5:19 AM in response to pamfrombalwyn

Hi Pam,


Your solution worked!

Macbook Pro with Pages 5.6.1 on OS X 10.10.11


I would suggest you select a word you want in a certain colour, perform your colour change as you are doing then save the Character Style.


Saving a Character Style is performed by selecting a word with the style you want then accessing the drop-down beside Character Style and tap the + in the top right. Name your style (and if desired add a shortcut). If the + seems to be grey make sure you have selected just a word and not say a following paragraph break.

User uploaded file


And it prints...

User uploaded file


Bravo!


Regards,

Ian.

Feb 14, 2016 7:02 AM in response to John Daniel

John Daniel wrote:


I am so grateful for these responses. Clearly I am not communicating. This one is hard to describe.


1. I highlight a word in let's say YELLOW

2. I continue writing and come to a place where I want to highlight another word in YELLOW. It will not let me. If I click on Yellow again, and go back to the text, it has NOT BEEN HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW. It has NO highlighting.

3. If I want YELLOW, I have to click on let's say GREEN. Then come back and click on yellow and it works.

4. I use about 4 colors. But may use yellow for four consecutive selections. Each time, I have to select a different color then come back to yellow. (the

color I choose makes no difference.)


I hope that helps.


John


Yes I understand, and if you read what I said that is what I did.


Just in case you meant that this is a problem while you type fresh words, I did that too and I can not reproduce your problem. In every case I have tried whether with swatches or color wheel, I can repeat the same highlight color, I can use different highlight colors, I can use no highlight color.


I tried it in Textboxes, I tried it in Tables, I tried it in Headers and Footers. Even in a Chart where Pages 5.6.1 calls it "Background Fill" just to be inconsistent.


It works.


I can not reproduce your problem.


The Character Style I would have thought was a given, but unnecessary, unless you want to use an f Key shortcut to save digging through Pages 5.6.1's arcane User Interface.


Peter

Feb 14, 2016 7:22 AM in response to PeterBreis0807

Once again I am so grateful for those of you trying hard to help me. BUT IT DOES NOT WORK. FYI, I went into Tech Support by phone, and the man there said "well, you are right" it does not work. Not sure why. That is as far as I got. suggested I try here. So that is what brought me here.


1. If I highlight text in yellow (just example) and then....

2. Type more text and want to highlight with YELLOW, it will not do it.

3. To get it to highlight yellow, I have to first choose any color that was NOT selected before AND THEN select YELLOW and it works.


Yellow.... work on text.... seek to choose yellow again .... I have to choose green (for example) and then in the same window, come back and choose YELLOW for it to work.


I don't know how else to describe it.


This has been true with this version of Pages and all its updates. Not new and did not suddenly start occurring.


John

Feb 14, 2016 8:37 AM in response to John Daniel

You are falling into the trap of only wanting to prove a problem. Not cross checking and narrowing down why it seems to work in one place but not another. Because that is how you debug problems.


I accept there is something going wrong. You have to narrow down what.


Either you are not doing what you say you are doing or there is another variable that hasn't been mentioned.


As you can see I am trying to establish what that is. Because you haven't been specific and actually described exactly what you are doing and where, I have experimented with as many options as I can think of. Each of those worked on my Mac.


Rather than expecting us to try every known possibility in the universe, you need to tell us exactly what it is you are doing, step by step. where and how. Then possibly we can spot the variable that causes the problem.


Peter

Feb 14, 2016 4:28 PM in response to VikingOSX

Thank you. At least you see the problem. Someone said to "Cross Check" which I have no idea what is being asked for. Sorry. At least VikingOSX verifies the problem. I do not believe there is anything I can do to FIX the problem. I think it is A PROBLEM but it will take Apple to fix it. This worked perfectly in the older versions. Never had a problem. My purpose is not to whine, but as I started out, how do I report this back to APPLE. I doubt they will be overly interested in fixing it, but they might. I am truly grateful for all the input here, but where it is not experienced, you are not doing the same steps I am doing. Even the telephone supprt said YES it is a problem. Suggested I come here to see if others could tell me how to fix it. Thank you all for trying. I am not knowledgable enough to do "CROSS CHECKING" (don't know what is being referred to) to find out. It did work in previous editions. Now it does not work properly. Sorry. I am truly grateful.


John

Highlighting Text - Cannot use same color next time.

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