IWork '09 features question

Question

I have used AppleWorks for a long time and appreciate some of the features that Pages has not been able to match so far. There are three that I was wondering if the newer version has been able to supply.
1. Paragraph shifting - In AppleWorks a paragraph can be selected by clicking on the indention at the first line, then moving it up or down in a series of adjacent paragraphs to reorder its location. Can Pages co this? If not is there a script or some third party that con do this?
2. Checkboxes - IN AppleWorks a checkbox can be inserted anywhere allowing it to be clicked to show a red check, or clicked to remove the check - similar to the checkbox in Numbers. I assume that this is not present in Pages [I have sent many requests for such]. Is there a script or third party solution?
3. Auto Save - Has this been added to the new version? Any way to install this third party?
Thanks for the help. I really like Pages but these limitations, especially the first two, make it much more difficult to use in the manner I am accustomed.

Answer 1

Dlawn wrote:
I have used AppleWorks for a long time and appreciate some of the features that Pages has not been able to match so far. There are three that I was wondering if the newer version has been able to supply.
1. Paragraph shifting - In AppleWorks a paragraph can be selected by clicking on the indention at the first line, then moving it up or down in a series of adjacent paragraphs to reorder its location. Can Pages co this?
NO
If not is there a script or some third party that con do this?
If such tool exists, I'm unaware of it.
So, I wrote a quick and dirty script.
--(SCRIPT swap two ranges]
Enregistrer le script en tant que Script, Application ou Progiciel : swap two ranges.xxx
déplacer l'application créée dans le dossier
<VolumeDeDémarrage>:Users:<votreCompte>:Library:Scripts:Applications:Pages:
Il vous faudra peut-être créer le dossier Pages et peut-être même le dossier Applications.
Sélectionnez deux groupes de caractères disjoints.
menu Scripts > Pages > swap two ranges
Le script échangera les deux groupes (sans les styles).
--=====
L'aide du Finder explique:
L'Utilitaire AppleScript permet d'activer le Menu des scripts :
Ouvrez l'Utilitaire AppleScript situé dans le dossier Applications/AppleScript.
Cochez la case "Afficher le menu des scripts dans la barre de menus".
+++++++
Save the script as a Script, an Application or an Application Bundle: swap two ranges.xxx
Move the newly created application into the folder:
<startup Volume>:Users:<yourAccount>:Library:Scripts:Applications:Pages:
Maybe you would have to create the folder Pages and even the folder Applications by yourself.
Enter your Pages document select two separated ranges of text.
menu Scripts > Pages > swap two ranges
The script will swap the contents of the two ranges (without styles).
--=====
The Finder's Help explains:
To make the Script menu appear:
Open the AppleScript utility located in Applications/AppleScript.
Select the "Show Script Menu in menu bar" checkbox.
+++++++
Yvan KOENIG (Vallauris FRANCE)
11 mars 2009
tell application "Pages" to tell document 1
set theSel to (get selection)
if (count of theSel) is not 2 then error "Requires two selected ranges of text"
log contents of the selection
Now, ugly code to grab the location of the selected ranges of text *)
try
theSel * 1
on error errmsg number errnbr (*
The multiplication generates an error.
The script deciphers the error message to extract the offsets of the groups of selected characters *)
set l to my decoupe(item 2 of my decoupe(errmsg, "{"), space)
set d1 to (item 4 of l) as integer
set e1 to (item 7 of l) as integer
set d2 to (item 21 of l) as integer
set e2 to (item 24 of l) as integer
end try
select (characters d1 thru e1)
set bloc1 to contents of the selection
select (characters d2 thru e2)
set bloc2 to contents of the selection
set the selection to bloc1
select (characters d1 thru e1)
set the selection to bloc2
end tell -- Pages
--=====
on decoupe(t, d)
local l
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to d
set l to text items of t
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to ""
return l
end decoupe
--=====
--[/SCRIPT]
2. Checkboxes - IN AppleWorks a checkbox can be inserted anywhere allowing it to be clicked to show a red check, or clicked to remove the check - similar to the checkbox in Numbers. I assume that this is not present in Pages [I have sent many requests for such]. Is there a script or third party solution?
If you send ten request for a feature it will count for one.
What is meaningful is when a feature is requested by many users.
No, the ability to use living checkboxes was not added.
If it is one day, I assume that it will be in tables.
3. Auto Save - Has this been added to the new version? Any way to install this third party?
Searching in the existing threads with the intricate keyword "autosave" returned:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=8759406
Yvan KOENIG (from FRANCE mercredi 11 mars 2009 21:52:41)