Reports with page numbers?

[Steve W. Jackson]

I previously used AppleWorks until I updated to Mac OS X Lion some time back and it stopped working. Before that, I created reports to share with family members which I simply "printed" into PDF files since those tend to be platform agnostic.

I recently tried creating a report using first Pages and then TextEdit, since both are said to handle the RTF format Reunion creates. But in neither can I get page numbers to appear when I try producing a PDF.

So...can some kind soul perhaps help me see what I'm missing? Barring that, can someone perhaps suggest a free alternative I could try (purchasing Word is not an option) that would properly handle the RTF output to include page numbers and other goodies Reunion puts into the output?

Thanks for any assistance.

[kmgenealogy]

Re: Reports with page numbers?

...Barring that, can someone perhaps suggest a free alternative I could try (purchasing Word is not an option) that would properly handle the RTF output to include page numbers and other goodies Reunion puts into the output?

Thanks for any assistance.

Take a look at Apache's OpenOffice - free software - http://www.openoffice.org/porting/mac/
I just double-checked and you can add page numbers...search page numbers in the help section.

If you Google "alternative to microsoft office", you'll get some reviews of top alternatives.

HTH

[Steve B]

Re: Reports with page numbers?

I may be missing something, in which case I apologise, but as far as I can see, Pages will do what you want. Create the report in Reunion, setting preferences to open it in Pages. Reunion will open an RTF document in Pages (if you've upgraded to Pages 5 you'll need to use Pages 4 which should still be in your applications folder as it does not get deleted during the upgrade - it will be in the iWorks 09 folder).

Then add page numbers in Pages using Insert>Auto page numbers...

Then output to PDF.

[Steve W. Jackson]

Re: Reports with page numbers?

I may be missing something, in which case I apologise, but as far as I can see, Pages will do what you want. Create the report in Reunion, setting preferences to open it in Pages. Reunion will open an RTF document in Pages (if you've upgraded to Pages 5 you'll need to use Pages 4 which should still be in your applications folder as it does not get deleted during the upgrade - it will be in the iWorks 09 folder).

Then add page numbers in Pages using Insert>Auto page numbers...

Then output to PDF.

Adding the page numbers myself is exactly what I do *not* want to do, unless there's no other way to accomplish it.

If you visit Reunion's Preferences and select Reports, there's an item labeled RTF where you can choose the font and check whether or not to include page numbers. But despite having that checked, I can find no indication in the raw RTF that page numbers are actually being generated in the report. In all the years I've previously created reports with AppleWorks, the pages were numbered and I frequently referred my family members to particular pages for information on themselves or others of interest.

I'm wondering if perhaps it's time for Reunion to begin getting away from RTF, since that so-called "standard" has been lagging for years!

And I just looked a little closer at the raw RTF...where I discovered that the page number is in fact in there and simply isn't being recognized by Pages...

[Steve B]

Re: Reports with page numbers?

Sorry - didn't realise that. I know you don't want to purchase Word - but interestingly if you use Word it DOES have both a page number and a header consisting of the Report Title. Clearly then a failing of Pages rather than of Reunion.

[Frank]

Re: Reports with page numbers?

...I just looked a little closer at the raw RTF...where I discovered that the page number is in fact in there and simply isn't being recognized by Pages...

That's correct. The problem is with Pages, as explained in the Reunion manual (search for "pages rtf" [without the quotes]).

What's worse is that Apple dropped support for the RTF file format altogether in the latest version of Pages, as explained here...

http://www.leisterpro.com/doc/version10/questions/answers/newpagesrtf.php

Perhaps RTF support and some other features Apple dropped in the latest version of Pages may return someday. The following Apple support document gives some indications (although nothing specifically about RTF)...

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6049?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

[Steve W. Jackson]

Re: Reports with page numbers?

That's correct. The problem is with Pages, as explained in the Reunion manual (search for "pages rtf" [without the quotes]).

What's worse is that Apple dropped support for the RTF file format altogether in the latest version of Pages, as explained here...

http://www.leisterpro.com/doc/version10/questions/answers/newpagesrtf.php

Perhaps RFT support and some other features Apple dropped in the latest version of Pages may return someday. The following Apple support document gives some indications (although nothing specifically about RTF)...

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6049?v...S&locale=en_US

Interestingly, that link says that the problem is with Pages 5, which I don't have. And I tried changing my preference to use TextEdit and got the same thing.

I've done some development work with reading RTF and I'm (unfortunately) all too well aware that the standard has languished. So I'd be rather surprised if Apple bothers paying too much attention to RTF support. As I said, I know for certain that the RTF content *does* include the Page number as output by Reunion, so I guess I'll just need to look at getting another application to use instead of Pages or TextEdit.

[Bob White]

Re: Reports with page numbers?

Take a look at Bean at http://www.bean-osx.com/Bean.html.

[dmittman]

Re: Reports with page numbers?

Take a look at Bean at http://www.bean-osx.com/Bean.html.

Looks like Bean is no longer being actively developed.

I see the original problem as being that the RTF produced by Reunion contains header and footer specifications:

{\header \pard\plain\margl72 \qc\f0\fs24\lang1033 {\b Family History Report}\par}
{\footer \pard\plain\margl72 \qc\f0\fs20\lang1033 Page \chpgn \par}

and that TextEdit doesn't render them, either on screen or in a produced PDF, because TextEdit doesn't include support for headers and footers.

NeoOffice is able to open the Reunion-produced RTF file and properly render the header and footer. NeoOffice is $9.99 in the App Store.

[Bob White]

Re: Reports with page numbers?

Looks like Bean is no longer being actively developed........

True but it works just fine in Mavericks and does page numbers from Reunion reports without problems.

Also, I am of the opinion that a future update of Pages 5 will pick up RTF again. My reasoning? Generally, if Apple leaves a technology or format behind, they tell us. So, I generally think something is either being worked on or is on the back burner for awhile if they are silent about the subject.

[kmgenealogy]

Re: Reports with page numbers?

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, Apache's OpenOffice for Mac is free. I just tested it. Changed my Report Preferences word processor to OpenOffice. Did a Descendant Report and OpenOffice opened it with no problem. The page numbers were there. I made this PDF and you can see the page numbers...I didn't do anything to put them there except to make sure the "include page number" box is checked under RTF in Report Preferences.

(Note that the title doesn't go with the report. That's because I didn't bother changing the title from the last report I did. I just wanted to get this done! )

[Steve B]

Re: Reports with page numbers?

I am of the opinion that a future update of Pages 5 will pick up RTF again

Well it might Bob - but Pages 4 supports RTF but still won't handle Reunion Headers and Footers.

[Steve W. Jackson]

Re: Reports with page numbers?

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, Apache's OpenOffice for Mac is free. I just tested it. Changed my Report Preferences word processor to OpenOffice. Did a Descendant Report and OpenOffice opened it with no problem. The page numbers were there. I made this PDF and you can see the page numbers...I didn't do anything to put them there except to make sure the "include page number" box is checked under RTF in Report Preferences.

(Note that the title doesn't go with the report. That's because I didn't bother changing the title from the last report I did. I just wanted to get this done! )

I forgot to go look into OpenOffice when I first read your reply. And when I go there just now I see that it does not include 10.9 among the supported releases of Mac OS X. I haven't yet upgraded to Mavericks, but I plan to do so before I retire this MacBook Pro (meaning hand it off to the wife for very occasional use) and get a new one. Any idea whether there's a specific schedule for supporting it?

[Steve B]

Re: Reports with page numbers?

If you look on the forum on the Apache Open Office site, there seem to be people already using it successfully with Mavericks.

[SVass]

Re: Reports with page numbers?

LibreOffice is the latest free version of Open Office and it works with Mavericks.
Sam