Change footers, and 115 pages vanish.

[sv650kd]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Processor: Intel

I am working on a 121 page publication, doing most of the work in Publishing Layout view. However, to view footers I would switch to Print Layout view. The first sign that something might be wrong is that when I switched from header to footer view, I would have two divider lines, you know, the ones with the little tabs above that say "Even Footer / Close X." The tabs appeared above the top line and below the second, lower line. Odd, but I pressed on.

I finally got the frames exactly where I wanted them and when I closed the footer, my document was only 6 pages long.

Could there possibly be a solution for this, or do I just have a buggy copy of Word? Or is Word for the Mac just buggy software? I have had nothing but problems trying to layout this publication, but the case of the disappearing pages takes the cake. I can't figure out a work around for this one.

 

[CyberTaz]

Well, I don't know if it's actually a "bug", but IMHO it certainly suggests
a very irresponsible software design decision

Pub documents are structured quite differently from "regular" documents in a
number of respects. The one you're running into is that they do not employ
Headers & Footers in the same way - that's why you can't select H/F from the
View menu when you're in Pub View. The H/F for that type of document should
be done on the Master Page for those pages the H/F is to appear on.

Pub Layout doesn't support standard H/F, Print Layout doesn't support Master
Pages. Switching back & forth essentially causes the type of anomalies
you're witnessing. It's best to go one way or the other & stick with it.
IOW, if the feature you seek isn't available among those offered in Pub
Layout View it isn't supported in a Pub document. That's where I see the
flaw - when a Pub doc is created the user shouldn't even be able to switch
to anything other than Print Preview. In my experience doing so is a
surefire recipe for disaster... It's just a matter of degree.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Clive Huggan]

Ah, Apple's Pages application looks so good...

CH
===

 

[sv650kd]

Bob, thank you for that clear and well-reasoned response. I don't know why I didn't think to look on the master pages for the Insert Page Numbers function. Unfortunately, at the end of a long struggle to get the page numbers exactly where I wanted them on the master pages, I still lost 115 pages of my document. Perhaps if I had set up the page numbers right at the beginning when I was setting my margins and guides it would have worked.

Now I'm trying to decide if I should start another document and move all the elements over, or if I should start from scratch with Quark Express with a laptop a friend of mine lent me for the weekend.

Talk about a Hobbsian choice...

Thanks again,

Kayne

 

[sv650kd]

Hey! No fair talking about software I don't own! ;-)

 

[Clive Huggan]

Or if the document isn't too complex (but if Word could handle it I presume
it won't be) and if you are not expert in Quark XPress, maybe Apple's Pages?
It's very quick and controllable; short learning curve needed; good-looking
and easily changed templates.

Cheers,

Clive Huggan
============

 

[sv650kd]

Okay! This story just get weirder!

I tried starting another document. I created three pages so that I could have a first page master, an even page master, and an odd page master. I got the page number on the even page master positioned perfectly, and then the odd page master disappeared. So I switched back to All Contents and couldn't select the third page, then it disappeared too, and then nothing happened when I tried to insert a new page.

That's it. I'm off to Quark Express. And I'm going to see if it's possible to return this copy of Microsoft Office that I purchased to be able to do this book project.

 

[Clive Huggan]

Sorry, Kayne -- forgot I had already suggested this earlier. :-\

But seeing your comment "No fair talking about software I don't own!" -- see
the downloadable 30-day free trial: http://www.apple.com/iwork/trial/

You'd think I had shares in Apple Inc. (wish I did, actually).

Clive
======

 

[CyberTaz]

Well, I can't say I blame you - although in some degree of fairness I really
haven't pushed Pub view very much. However, it's inconceivable to me that
even mighty MS can stuff a DTP *mode* inside another application that
doesn't support the requisite document file structure in the first place...
and make it work worth a tinker's darn

I can see where it has potential for a casual user & simple docs comprising
perhaps 4-8 pages, but IMHO it still has to earn its stripes for any type of
professional project. Again, it's still in its infancy & could evolve to a
higher plateau, but as it stands right now community newsletters & basic
flyers are about all I'd entrust to its stability. For anything with a fee
and/or deadline attached InDesign or Quark are the only choice. Although if
Clive has sniffed the cork of Pages & blessed the bottle I'd not hesitate to
drink from it - the man knows well that of which he speaks.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac