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Pages Doesn't Include Bullet Point in Styles

I don't use Pages much. I've been using Word for Mac at work. I quite like Word but it's not worth $100+ dollars.


But I've been using Pages today and I noticed something in Pages that annoys me. Maybe there is a way around it:


I have a paragraph that's a "List" -- that is, it has a bullet point. In Pages's Style settings I've selected a text bullet and I've used the Size arrows to increase the size of the bullet so it's 135%. I then saved that paragraph as a Style.


When I select another paragraph and apply the Style I'd just created, the paragraph doesn't include the List settings at all. There's no bullet point and it's not formatted as a List.


This seems crazy. Word will include List settings in its Styles.


Am I not understanding how Pages works? Is there a way to create a custom List Style and then apply that Style to other paragraphs?


Thanks!

Mac mini, macOS Sierra (10.12.4)

Posted on May 6, 2017 2:59 PM

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Posted on May 6, 2017 3:52 PM

Yes. One can set List styles in Pages '09, and v6.1.1 on macOS Sierra. When you have your List styled, the Bullets & Lists selector panel in Pages v6.1.1 will have a blue + symbol on it. Click that, and give your new List Style a mnemonic name. Then you can apply that to future paragraphs.


In Pages '09, the Styles tray has a section for adding List Styles.


No version of Pages was ever designed to be a Word clone, or even work like Word. Whether one is a consumer, or professional, MS Word is a professional grade word processing application that has received 34 years of continuous updates demanded by corporations. Pages was designed to be a low-end, consumer application, and is priced accordingly.


If your employer has a MS Office Site license, that would very likely include Office 2016 for Mac coverage. Ask the management team if you can install a corporate licensed, Office 2016 for Mac on your personal Mac.

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May 6, 2017 3:52 PM in response to Mirsky

Yes. One can set List styles in Pages '09, and v6.1.1 on macOS Sierra. When you have your List styled, the Bullets & Lists selector panel in Pages v6.1.1 will have a blue + symbol on it. Click that, and give your new List Style a mnemonic name. Then you can apply that to future paragraphs.


In Pages '09, the Styles tray has a section for adding List Styles.


No version of Pages was ever designed to be a Word clone, or even work like Word. Whether one is a consumer, or professional, MS Word is a professional grade word processing application that has received 34 years of continuous updates demanded by corporations. Pages was designed to be a low-end, consumer application, and is priced accordingly.


If your employer has a MS Office Site license, that would very likely include Office 2016 for Mac coverage. Ask the management team if you can install a corporate licensed, Office 2016 for Mac on your personal Mac.

May 6, 2017 3:52 PM in response to Mirsky

You need to state what version of Pages you are talking about.


Presumably because of your question it is Pages 5 or 6.


Pages was completely rewritten from the ground up three and a half years ago, Apple claimed that was to improve compatibility with iCloud and iOS. In the process well over a hundred features and a good part of the UI disappeared.


One of those features was Paragraph Styles that combined the type/layout settings plus List Styles which could be quite intricate in its formatting. The whole List function in Pages 5 and 6 is a mess, pure and simple. I consider myself expert in Pages but I've given up on using it beyond simple numbers and bullet points.


List Styles are completely separate and must be applied over the Paragraph Style to work, which is frankly stupid, but as Forest Gump said "Stupid is as stupid does" and "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get"


So unfortunately this is missing in action with Pages 5 and 6. Who knows if Apple will reintroduce this along with the long list of other productivity features that are in Pages '09.


You can always buy iWork '09 from Amazon, install that and make sure you update it to v4.3, or try other software that is more functional such as LibreOffice [free]. There are a wide range of Word Processors for Mac, any of which may suit you more.


Peter

May 6, 2017 6:46 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

Peter, hi again.


So I went into Time Machine and found Pages version 4.3 in an iWork '09 folder.


So I restored it.


However, I'm running OS 10.12.4 and it doesn't look like Pages 4.3 is compatible.


When I try to run Pages 4.3, I get the following error message:


Pages cannot be opened because of a problem.

Check with the developer to make sure Pages works with this version of macOS. You may need to reinstall the application. Be sure to install any available updates for the application and macOS.

Click Report to see more detailed information and send a report to Apple.

So I guess that's why I deleted it a while back. Is there something I can do it get it working?

May 6, 2017 6:56 PM in response to Mirsky

Actually, I did a little more research: It sounds like I need to reinstall iWork 09 from a DVD if I want to get it working under sierra. I believe iWork came installed on my previous Mac, so I don't have a DVD. I transferred the apps on that Mac to my current Mac in 2015 and I no longer have the previous Mac. I don't have a huge need for Pages 4.3, so I don't plan to buy the DVD on Amazon. But thanks for your help.

Pages Doesn't Include Bullet Point in Styles

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