Section A.5. The Format Menu | iWork 05: The Missing Manual

A.5. The Format Menu

The Format menu contains commands for adjusting the appearance of various elements on your page: text, tables, charts , and so on.

A.5.1. Font

When you choose Font, Pages displays a submenu listing various commands that apply to fontor characterformatting. You can apply font formatting to one or more characters , from a single character to an entire document. The Font submenu contains the following commands, which will affect only selected text or, if no text is selected, whatever you type next at the insertion point:

Show Fonts . When you choose this command, the Font Panel appears: this is Mac OS X's font control headquarters, in which you can choose fonts, adjust their size , and view a sample of the lettering in a preview pane. Additional controls allow you to apply an underline, a strikethrough , or a drop shadow, or change the font color or the paragraph's background color . If the Font Panel's already onscreen, the menu reads Hide Fonts; choosing this makes the Font Panel disappear. Keyboard equivalent: -T.
Bold . Choose this command to turn your text bold; this works only if the current font contains a bold typeface. Choose this command a second time to remove the bolding. Keyboard equivalent: -B.
Italic . Use this command to italicize your text, as long as the current font contains an italic typeface. Choosing this command the second time removes the italics. Keyboard equivalent: -I.
Underline . When you choose this command, Pages adds a single underline to your text; choose it a second time to remove the underline. Keyboard equivalent: -U.
Outline . Pages changes your text's solid strokes into hollow characters with a fine outline. Since the outline style is created by Pages, it may not appear correctly if you transfer your document to another computer and open it in, for example, Microsoft Word. To share a document that contains outline text with people who don't have Pages, export it as a PDF file.
Bigger . Choose this command to make the text one point size larger. Keyboard equivalent: -+.
Smaller . Choose this command to make the text one point size smaller. Keyboard equivalent: -.
Tracking . Also known as kerning , tracking is the amount of space between two characters. Use this submenu to tighten or loosen that spacing, or select Use None to restore the font's standard spacing. Use the Text Inspector's Character slider for better control of tracking.
Ligature . Ligatures are pairs of characters that are treated as onefi and fl, for example. Some fonts contain more than one set of ligatures. Use this submenu to select the common ligatures (default), all the ligature sets, or none at all.
Baseline . This submenu allows you to raise or lower the text in relation to other text on the line. You can also create superscript (keyboard equivalent: -Control-+) or subscript text (keyboard equivalent: -Control-), raising or lowering the text and also reducing its font size. You'll find this useful when writing mathematical expressions or chemical formulae. Choose Use Default to restore the text to its standard baseline.
Capitalization . The commands in this submenu allow you to change the text to all capitals, or to small capsan elegant style that changes lowercase letters into small capitals and leaves capitalized letters at their normal, larger, size. If you choose None, Pages removes the all-caps formatting, but doesn't remove capitalization you've applied manually.

A.5.2. Text

The commands in the Text submenu affect paragraph alignment and indenting for the paragraph containing the insertion point or any selected text.

Align Left . This command produces text aligned on the left margin (also known as ragged right ). Keyboard equivalent: -{.
Center . Choose this command to create centered text alignment, popular for invitations and posters . Keyboard equivalent: -.
Align Right . Pages aligns the paragraph text with the right margin when you choose this command (also known as ragged left ). Keyboard equivalent: -}.
Justify . This command produces paragraphs with text aligned to both margins, giving the column of text an especially tidy appearance. Also known as fully justified or force justified , you'll often see this style used in books and magazines. Keyboard equivalent: -Option-.
Decrease List Indent Level . This command is designed to be used when you're formatting an indented list or outline, to move the current topic to the left (to the next higher indent level). Keyboard equivalent: -[.
Increase List Indent Level . When you're formatting an indented list or outline, choose this command to move the current topic to the right (to the next lower indent level). Keyboard equivalent: -].

A.5.3. Table

When you choose Table, a submenu appears containing the following commands, which you can use to modify a table. (Use the Insert menu to add a table to your document.)

Add Row Above . Use this command to add a row above a selected cell or row. If you select multiple rows, Pages adds the same number of rows above. If you select multiple cells that aren't the entire row, then Pages adds an equal number of cells above only the selected cells . You can't use this command if the selected cell is in the top row or if you've selected the entire table.
Add Row Below . Use this command to add a row below the selected cell or row. If you select multiple rows, Pages adds the same number of rows below. If you select multiple cells that don't make up an entire row, Pages adds an equal number of cells below only the selected cells. If you select the entire table, Pages adds a row to the bottom.
Add Column Before . Use this command to add a column to the left of the selected cell or column. If you've selected multiple columns, Pages adds the same number of columns to the left. If you select multiple cells, but not an entire column, Pages adds an equal number of cells to the left of the selected cells. If you select the entire table, Pages adds a column to the left.
Add Column After . Use this command to add a column to the right of the selected cell or column. If you've selected multiple columns, Pages adds the same number of columns to the right. If you select multiple cells, but not an entire column, Pages adds an equal number of cells to the right of the selected cells. If you select the entire table, Pages adds a column to the right.
Select Row . Use this command to select the entire row, or rows, containing selected cells.
Select Column . Use this command to select the entire column, or columns, containing selected cells.
Delete Row . This command deletes the entire row containing one or more selected cells.
Delete Column . This command deletes the entire column containing one or more selected cells.
Add/Delete Header Row . Use this command to add or remove the header row at the top of the table. If the table spans multiple pages, columns, or linked text boxes, Pages adds or deletes the header row on each page, column, or text box.
Add/Delete Header Column . This command adds or removes the header column to or from the left side of the table.
Merge Cells . When you choose this command, two or more selected cells become one large cell. You can only merge a group of cells that form a rectangular outline.
Split Into Rows . Use this command to split in half horizontally a selected cell, or each cell in a group of selected cells.
Split Into Columns . Use this command to split in half vertically a selected cell, or each cell in a group of selected cells.
Distribute Rows Evenly . Select the table or a group of rows and use this command to resize their row height equal to the tallest row.
Distribute Columns Evenly . Select the table or a group of columns and use this command to equalize their column width, without changing the outer dimensions of the table.

A.5.4. Chart

The Chart menu and its submenus contain a variety of commands for formatting chartsafter you've added a chart to your document (using the Insert menu). Select the chart before choosing from the following commands:

Chart Type . Use this submenu to change the chart to one of the other chart types: Column, Stacked Column, Bar, Stacked Bar, Line, Area, Stacked Area, or Pie.
Format X-Axis . This submenu contains controls that turn on or off the various x -axis options: labels, label orientation, tick marks, and gridlines.
Format Y-Axis . This submenu contains controls that turn on or off the various y -axis options: labels, the minimum value, tick marks, and gridlines.
Axes & Borders . This submenu allows you to turn on or off the display of the xand y-axes, or add a border all the way around the chart.
Hide/Show Legend . This command removes or adds the chart legend to the document.
Hide/Show Data Editor . Choose this command to remove or display the Chart Data Editor window. Keyboard equivalent: -Shift-D.

A.5.5. Copy Character Style

Choose this command to copy the character formatting style from selected text in one part of a document and apply it to text in another part of the same or a different documentusing the Paste Style command. Keyboard equivalent: -Option-Shift-C.

A.5.6. Copy (object) Style

Choose this command to copy the style for a selected paragraph, graphic, chart, or table to apply it to another object using the next command. Keyboard equivalent: -Option-C.

A.5.7. Paste Style

After using one of the two previous commands to copy a style, select text or an object in another part of the document or a different document, and choose this command. Pages applies the copied style to your selected text or object. Keyboard equivalent: -Option-V.

A.5.8. Create New Paragraph Style From Selection

Place the insertion point within a paragraph and choose this command to save that paragraph's formatting as a paragraph style in the Styles Drawer. Pages displays a dialog box in which you can name the style and choose whether or not to apply the new style to the selected paragraph.

A.5.9. Import Styles

You can import styles from any other Pages document to the Styles Drawer using this command. When you choose it, the Open File dialog box appears. Select the document from which you wish to import the styles, and click Open. Another window appears showing all the styles the chosen Pages document contains. Select one or more styles from the list (hold down to select more than one), or click Select All to import all the styles. If you turn on the checkbox marked "Replace duplicates" the imported styles will replace the same-named styles in your document and instantly modify any of the document's text that uses those styles. Click OK to perform the import.

A.5.10. Mask

Select a photo or other image in your document and choose this command to crop it. Pages superimposes a semi-transparent mask over the image. Use the selection handles to resize the transparent window, -drag a selection handle to rotate it, or drag inside the window to reposition it. When you're happy with the cropping, click outside the image or press Return to hide the masked portion of the image. Double-click a masked picture to adjust your masking job.

If you click a masked image to select it, Pages changes this command to Unmask. Select it to remove the mask, restoring the picture to its un-cropped condition. Keyboard equivalent: -Shift-M.

A.5.11. Reapply Defaults to Image

Every Pages document has a standardor defaultimage configuration, controlling the border, wrapping, opacity, and shadow. Use this command to apply the standard settings to an image you've modified.

A.5.12. Advanced

When you choose Advanced, Pages displays a submenu holding a group of less commonly used formatting commands.

Capture Pages . Use this command to copy a page from your document so you can reuse it, just like the pages included in the document template. Click in the text of the page you want to copy and then choose this command. The "Create Pages from the current selection" dialog box appears. Give your new page a name, and use the Include pop-up menu to choose which pages to include, if the page is part of a multi-page section. Click OK and Pages adds the page (or pages) to the document's template, adding it to the Pages toolbar button menu and the Insert Pages menu.
Manage Pages . This command summons the Manage Pages window, in which you can rename, reorder, or remove pages from your document's template.
Define Default Style . Pages changes the wording of this command depending on the type of object you select: text box, image, shape, table, or chart. Select an object and choose this command to save its style as the standard configuration for all inserted objects of that type. You can set default styles for each of the eight chart typesalthough a bug in the software prevents those styles from working properly.
Make (chart type) the Default Chart Type . Pages changes the wording of this command depending on the type of chart you select. Choose this command, and Pages inserts that type of chart whenever you choose Insert Chart or click the Chart button in the toolbar.
Define as Placeholder Text . Use this command when you create a template to turn your selected sample text into placeholder text. Placeholder text helps to show the template's page layout, but once you start typing your own text, Pages deletes all of the placeholder text. Keyboard equivalent: -Option-Control-T.
Enable Placeholder Text Authoring . Select some placeholder text and choose this command to edit the text. When you're finished, choose this menu item againit now reads Disable Placeholder Text Authoring.
Define as Image Placeholder . Use this command when you're creating a template to turn a selected image into a placeholder. When you drop an image onto an image placeholder, it replaces the placeholder image and assumes its size, border, and other attributes. Keyboard equivalent: -Option-Control-I.
Make Master Objects Selectable . Pages' master objects appear on every page of a section and are normally immune to your selection efforts. Choose this command to make the master objects' selection handles appearso you can resize them, reposition them, and so forth. When you've finished editing the master objects, choose this command again to remove the checkmark from the menu, to once again make the master objects un-selectable.
Move Object to Section Master . Select an image, text box, shape, or other object and choose this command to turn it into a master object. Master objects appear on every page of a section. You can turn a master object back into a regular object by using the previous command, Make Master Objects Selectable, selecting the master object, and then choosing this menu item, which now reads Move Object to Page.