Far more than Apple ’s “ variation of Word,”Pages ( ) is full of potent , meter - saving features that assist you make gravid word swear out documents quickly . Three of the good are styles , template , and tables . Gain some familiarity with these features and you ’ll make dependable document in less clock time than ever before . Here are nine gratuity to get you commence .

1. Apply styles quickly

Use styles to format text quickly and systematically . Paragraph way affect an entire paragraph , whether you ’ve highlighted every character of it or simply clicked anywhere in it . Clicking is faster , so do n’t bother with the careful selecting . To apply a style , you’re able to use the Styles Drawer ( View - > Show Styles Drawer ) , or better yet , use keyboard shortcuts . With the Styles Drawer open , ascendence - click a style name and then , in the menu that look , choose Hot Key , and select from the shortcut choices in the menu . Now , applying a style is as simple as clicking in a paragraph and pressing this key .

2. Define your own styles

require to redefine a paragraph style ? Format one instance of it by hand , click anywhere in it , and then ( in the Styles Drawer ) Control - dawn its name and choose Redefine Style From Selection . Voila ! Every paragraph with that style is updated with the newfangled data format . Character formatting is similar — just be sure you ’ve highlighted the formatted text before Control - click the style name in the Styles Drawer .

Defining a novel elan from scratch is also a snap : format a paragraph or some role by bridge player , then click the plus - signal ( + ) button at the bottom of the Styles Drawer . In the New Paragraph Style or New Character Style windowpane that appear , typewrite in a name , and click OK . For paragraph styles , you could master - dawn in the paragraph and select Create New Paragraph Style From Selection .

When you use Pages ’ styles , it only takes a few click to transform your papers ’s look .

Quick styles

When you use Pages’ styles, it only takes a few clicks to transform your document’s look.

3. Import styles from other documents

If you already have stylus in one Pages text file , you’re able to reuse them in another , save time and ensure consistency in your written materials . Choose Format - > Import Styles , navigate to the text file in the clear dialog box that appears , and then flick Open . You ’ll see a list of every style in that document . While you may for sure spell them all , if you oblige the Command key down you may pick just the I you want . you could select to supercede duplicates with the spell styles , or to keep both ( in that grammatical case , a “ 2 ” is added to the imported style name ) .

4. Take advantage of templates

Many templates contain more than one character of page . For representative , the Reports templates include Covers , Tables of Contents , Chapter pages , text edition page , and bibliography . unwrap these different page types in the Template Chooser by tardily moving your shiner horizontally across a template ’s thumbnail .

Once you ’ve chosen a template , tot page to your text file using the Sections button ( in Word Processing text file ) or the Pages button ( in Page Layout documents ) in the Toolbar .

5. Include Address Book info

Some of the templates — for instance , Envelopes and Letters in Word Processing , and many in the Page Layout segment — accept vCards , a standard format for electronic business organisation cards . If your template has placeholders for name and computer address , drag in a vCard , or an Address Book entry , to fill in the selective information automatically . Bonus tip : if you select multiple people in Address Book ( or multiple vCards ) and drag them to an gasbag guide , Pages will create an envelope for each one .

written document created using a Business Card template show data from your own Address Book card . To make this piece of work in good order , create an ingress for yourself in Address Book — over with Home and oeuvre addresses — and then choose Card - > Make This My Card .

Drag contact from Address Book onto a Pages template to quick address a bunch of envelopes at once .

Template Chooser

Pages’ Template Chooser lets you browse through templates for all different kinds of documents. Use the slider at the bottom to adjust the thumbnails’ size.

6. Make your own templates

pick out File - > Save as Template to save a papers ( you opine it ) as a template . You do n’t need to vex aboutwhereto save it , as Pages will store your template into ~/Library / program Support / iWork / Pages / Templates / My Templates by default . If ( and only if ) you accept the nonremittal location , your templet will appear in the Template Chooser , in a discussion section called “ My Templates , ” complete with auto - generate thumbnails . This is a double-dyed piazza for clientele - related documents such as letterhead , envelope , and contracts . parcel templates with colleague by copying them to the corresponding pamphlet on their mack .

7. Tweak your tables

If you like things organized in neat rowing and columns , you ’ll find Pages ’ table far childlike to apply than those in Microsoft Excel or Word . add up a table to a Pages document by clicking the Table push in the Toolbar , or by choose Insert - > Table . A three - column , three - row table appears , topped by a Header row . Need more rowing or column ? Control - snap any cell in the mesa and a bug out - up menu give you options to tot up rowing and chromatography column before or after the cell you ’re in . Need a first-rate - lazy way to bring a row ? Press Tab while in the last jail cell of a table .

8. Enjoy table time-savers

If your table crosses a page break , Pages puts a heading quarrel on the second page too , repeating the header text from the previous page automatically . Edit a coping rowing by changing the text or data format , for representative , and Pages update any other header associated with the mesa .

While you’re able to resize columns ( or row ) by draw , most table formatting is perform with the Inspector ( View - > Show Inspector ) . Click the Table clitoris in the Inspector to reveal an all-embracing set of controls . My favorite : the option for Alternating Row Color .

The Table panelling in the Inspector has two tablet : mesa and Format . The Format tab lets you arrange table entries automatically , much as you might in Excel . Select a cellular phone , row , or pillar , then choose from options in the Cell Format menu , including Currency , Percentage , and Date and Time . Once you ’ve qualify the formatting , Pages applies it mechanically as you come in data into those cells . For example , you could type7/27/62and have Pages exchange it toFriday , July 27 , 1962 .

Easy addressing

Drag contacts from Address Book onto a Pages template to quickly address a bunch of envelopes at once.

9. Easily apply formulas

Christian Boyceteaches people how to get more from their Macs , iPhones , and iPads . He has offices in Santa Monica , California and Austin , Texas .