11. Working with Pages, Numbers, and Keynote

For business users, three of the best designed, most versatile, and feature-packed apps available for the iPad are Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, which together make up Apple’s trio of iWork for iPad apps. Each app, however, is sold separately for $9.99. Although each has its own purpose, they all utilize the same basic user interface and menu structure. This design similarity between apps greatly reduces the learning curve for getting the most use out of them.

If you’re not familiar with what each app in the iWork for iPad trio is designed for, here’s a quick overview:

• Pages is a full-featured word processor for the iPad. It is Microsoft Word (for PC and Mac) compatible, as well as fully compatible with the Pages software for the Mac.

• Numbers is an extremely powerful spreadsheet management tool that was designed specifically for the iPad. However, its capabilities rival Microsoft Excel running on a desktop computer. In fact, Numbers is compatible with Excel (for PC and Mac), as well as with the Numbers software for the Mac.

• Keynote is a versatile digital slideshow presentation tool that enables you to create and showcase presentations on your iPad. After you create a presentation, you can connect your iPad to an HD television or LCD projector, for example, to share it with a group. Or, you can take advantage of the iPad’s Retina display to convey information graphically (using animated digital slides) to one or two people at a time. Keynote is compatible with both Microsoft PowerPoint (for PC and Mac) and Keynote for the Mac.

In addition to enabling you to import Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents or files into the appropriate app to view, edit, print, or share them, you also can create documents or files from scratch on your tablet and then export them into Word, Excel, or PowerPoint format, as well as PDF format, before transferring them to your primary computer or another device.

One of the most useful features of the iWork for iPad apps is that you have several options for easily importing and exporting files between your Mac or PC (or another iOS device) and your tablet. You can email files as attachments to or from the iPad, or you can sync files using the iTunes Sync process. However, the easiest method of transferring files is to use iCloud or another compatible cloud-based file sharing service.

Unlike most other iPad apps, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote can be seamlessly integrated with iCloud, so your files and documents always remain synchronized (wirelessly) with your primary computer and other devices. Using this feature, if you make a change to a Pages document on your iPad, for example, within seconds, the revisions are transferred to iCloud and sent to all the computers and iOS mobile devices that are linked to the same iCloud account. The process happens in the background and is fully automated.

Thanks to Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, the capability of your iPad to serve as a powerful business-oriented tool increases exponentially. Using these apps, many businesspeople find they can rely on their iPads for a much broader range of tasks while on the go, and they can often leave their laptop computers or netbooks behind in favor of being able to work directly from the iPad.

Working with Pages

When you launch Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, the main Library screen showcases thumbnails of the documents or files stored in that app (shown in Figure 11.1).

Figure 11.1. The main Library screen of Pages. From here, you can manage, import, or export your document files. Similar functionality is offered by Numbers and Keynote.

From the Library screen, you can create a new document or file from scratch; rename a document; or import a document or file manually by tapping on the plus-sign icon. Or, you can tap on the Edit button to select and then share (export), copy, or delete a document or file from the app you’re working with.

To open a document or file, tap on its thumbnail while viewing the Library screen. In the document editing mode of Pages (shown in Figure 11.2), several command icons and buttons appear at the top of the screen. Near the top-left corner of the screen is the Documents button, which returns you to the app’s Library screen. To the immediate right is the Undo icon, which enables you to undo your most recent actions in the app.

Figure 11.2. The main document editing mode screen of Pages.

Displayed near the top center of Pages’ editing mode screen is the active document’s filename. Near the top-right corner of the screen are three command icons that are used for accessing a variety of submenus.

Using the Formatting Commands Within Pages

The Formatting icon (which looks like a paintbrush) is context sensitive and adapts based on what type of content you’re working with in Pages. For example, if you’re working with traditional text, tapping this icon reveals a pop-up window containing menu options for formatting text. Near the top of this window are three command tabs: Style, List, and Layout (shown in Figure 11.3).

Figure 11.3. The formatting command icon reveals a pop-up menu window with three command tabs.

Use the Style tab to easily apply a font, type style (bold, italics, underlined, and so on), paragraph style, or heading style, or add a bulleted or numbered list to a document. You also can create a header and footer.

After you tap on the List tab, you can adjust tabs and indents, and/or format a bulleted or numbered list. For example, you can control the size of the bullet or opt to use letters or numbers to create an outline. Tap the Layout tab to create multiple columns within a document and control line spacing.

Using the Plus-Sign Icon Within Pages

When you tap on the plus-sign icon displayed near the top-right corner of the Pages’ editing mode screen, a pop-up menu window displays with four command tabs along the top. Each command tab reveals separate submenu options.

Tap the Media tab to import a photo that’s stored on your iPad into the document you’re working on. Tap the Tables tab to create and format a table in the document. When you tap the Charts tab, two additional command tabs appear to enable you to create colorful 2D or 3D bar, line, area, or pie charts that can be fully customized. As you’re looking at this menu, be sure to scroll up, down, left, and right in the menu window to reveal all your chart options.

Tap the Shapes tab to import and customize colorful shapes into your document. You can resize these shapes and place them over or under text, or make the text wrap around the shapes.

Accessing the Tools Menu Within Pages

By tapping on the Tools icon, which is the wrench-shaped icon displayed near the top-right corner of the Pages app’s editing screen, the Tools menu is revealed (shown in Figure 11.4).

Figure 11.4. The Tools icon reveals a handful of submenu options for customizing documents in Pages. Similar functionality is offered when you access this menu in Numbers or Keynote.

The following options are available from the Tools menu:

• Share and Print: Reveals a submenu that enables you to email a document from within Pages, print a document wirelessly to a printer that’s set up to work with your iPad, or upload and share the document on which you’re working. You can also open the document in another compatible app by tapping on the Open In Another App option and then exporting the file as a Pages, PDF, or Word file. Other Share options include Copy to iTunes and Copy to WebDAV.

• Find: Enables you to search for any keyword or phrase in the document you’re using. When the Search field appears, tap the gear icon to access the Find, Find and Replace, Match Case, and Whole Words features. Or, if multiple results are found for your search, tap the left- or right-pointing arrow keys to scroll through and display each result in the document.

• Document Setup: Enables you to adjust the margins of the document you’re working with, including the header and footer. For example, you can add and format page numbers or line breaks from the Document Setup screen. Tap on the Done button to exit out of this screen.

• Settings: Enables you to control the auto Spell Check feature built in to Pages, as well as the Word Count feature. You also can turn on or off the Center Guides, Edge Guides, and Spacing Guides that can be displayed within a document. These guides are useful when sizing and placing photos, charts, or graphics into a document.

• Help: Accesses the interactive help feature that’s built in to each iWork for iPad app.

Using the Document Navigator Feature

If you’re working with a multipage document, you can easily scan thumbnails of the entire document thanks to the Document Navigator (shown in Figure 11.5). As you’re viewing, creating, or editing a document, hold your finger on the right margin of the document. An oversized magnifying glass icon displays along with a vertical slider. Drag your finger up or down to scan the entire document.

Figure 11.5. The Document Navigator feature is exclusive to the new version of Pages. It makes it easier to scroll through a long document to see thumbnails of each page or jump to a specific page in the document you’re using.

Working in Full-Screen Mode

As you’re proofreading a document, or if you’re using an optional external keyboard for typing, position your iPad in portrait mode and take advantage of Pages’ full-screen viewing mode to fully utilize the on-screen real estate to view your document (shown in Figure 11.6).

Figure 11.6. When you position your iPad in a portrait position and use the full-screen viewing mode, you can see an entire page on the screen at once.

In full-screen mode, most of the formatting buttons, the on-screen ruler, and the virtual keyboard disappear, giving you almost the entire screen to see and read your document.

To remove the on-screen keyboard, tap the hide keyboard key on the virtual keyboard. It’s the key located at the bottom-right corner of the keyboard.

To remove the formatting bar and on-screen ruler from the screen, tap the circular X icon that’s displayed on the right side of the toolbar.

Swipe your finger on the screen to scroll up, down, left, or right while in full-screen mode. Tap and hold your finger anywhere on the screen (in the document) for a second or two to exit out of full-screen mode.

Working with Numbers

Whereas Pages is for word processing, the Numbers app is used for organizing, analyzing, and crunching numbers and creating powerful spreadsheets. Numbers also enables you to create, display, and print customizable, 3D bar, line, area, and pie charts in full color using spreadsheet data (as shown in Figure 11.7).

Figure 11.7. Create 3D charts from spreadsheet data that look amazing. Charts created in Numbers can be cut and pasted into Pages documents or Keynote presentations.

When it comes to performing complex mathematical calculations, Numbers has it covered. Built into the app is a calculations engine that can handle more than 250 different functions. When the numbers have been crunched, you can decide exactly how you want to view them in either a spreadsheet, table, or graphical form, and customize every aspect of the option you choose.

Like all the iWork for iPad apps, Numbers is fully AirPrint compatible. Before printing, however, you can see an on-screen preview of exactly what a spreadsheet, chart, table, or graph will look like. Then, you can format the printed page with headers, footers, and page numbers.

If you’re already familiar with the Pages app, the Numbers app (and the Keynote app) offers a similar user interface and menu layout. When you launch the Numbers app, you see the Library screen. From here, you can create a new spreadsheet from scratch, rename an existing spreadsheet, open a spreadsheet file that’s stored on your tablet, or manually import a spreadsheet from other sources. (Remember, iCloud file syncing can be automatic.)

Tap on the Edit icon on the Numbers’ Library screen to select a file, and then manually share (export) it via email or a cloud-based service, copy the file (to make a duplicate of it with a different filename), or delete the file altogether from your iPad.

To open a spreadsheet file, tap on its thumbnail on the app’s Library screen. Just like in the Pages app, as you’re viewing, creating, or editing a spreadsheet in Numbers, you see a handful of command icons displayed along the top of the screen.

Located near the top-left corner of the screen is the Spreadsheets button. Tap on it to return to the Library screen within Numbers. Next to the Spreadsheets icon is the Undo button. Tap on it to undo the last actions (or last several actions) you performed in the app.

Displayed near the top-right corner of the Numbers screen are three command icons (which are similar to what’s offered in Pages). These icons include the Formatting icon (which is shaped like a paintbrush), the plus-sign icon, and the Tools menu icon (which is shaped like a wrench).

Using the Formatting Commands in Numbers

When you tap the Formatting icon, it reveals a pop-up menu window. However, the command tabs and menu options displayed in this window vary based on the type of data you currently have selected in the spreadsheet. For example, if you have a headline or text highlighted, the command tabs displayed at the top of the menu window are Style, Text, and Arrange. When you tap on any of these command tabs, various formatting options are revealed. However, if you have a specific cell in a spreadsheet highlighted, the command tabs displayed are Table, Headers, Cells, and Format, and the command options relate to the number-crunching features of the app.

Likewise, if you have a chart or graph selected and you tap the Formatting icon, you see an entirely different selection of submenus, used for creating and editing 2D or 3D charts and graphics.

Using the Plus-Sign Icon in Numbers

When you want to import a photo or shape into your spreadsheet, or you want to create a table or chart from scratch, tap the plus-sign icon. The pop-up window that appears displays four command tabs at the top: Media, Tables, Charts, and Shapes. Each of these command tabs reveals a separate submenu. Tap the Chart tab (shown in Figure 11.8) to select a chart style and color scheme that you can fully customize.

Figure 11.8. Choose between full-color 2D or 3D graphs.

Accessing the Tools Menu in Numbers

The Tools menu includes a Share and Print submenu option, along with Find, Settings, and Help features. The menu layout and what’s offered here is similar to what’s offered in Pages.

Working with Keynote

When it comes to creating, viewing, and giving presentations on the iPad, one of the most powerful tools at your disposal is the Keynote app. Using Keynote, you can create a digital slide show, complete with animated slides and eye-catching transitions. Or, you can import and utilize presentations created on a PC or Mac using Microsoft PowerPoint.

In addition to creating and showcasing basic text-based slides, Keynote enables you to create, animate, and display visually impressive 3D bar, line, area, and pie charts in your presentations. You can utilize the app’s built-in templates to create professional-looking presentations with minimal formatting on your part.

The functionality available from the Library screen of the app is pretty much the same as the other iWork for iPad apps. You can create a new presentation from scratch; rename an existing presentation; import a presentation; email a presentation; export a presentation; copy a presentation and save it with a new filename; or delete a presentation from your iPad.

From the Library screen, you also can load an existing presentation to view or edit it. Tap any presentation thumbnail to load it from the iPad’s internal storage into the app.

After you begin creating or editing a Keynote presentation, the now-familiar command icons from the other iWork for iPad apps are displayed along the top of the Keynote screen.

Tap the Presentations button to return to the Library screen of the app. Use the Undo button (displayed to the immediate right of the Presentations button) to undo the last action you took using the app. The presentation’s filename that you’re working with is displayed near the top center of the screen.

Near the upper-right corner of the Keynote screen are four command icons, including the Formatting, plus-sign, Tools, and Play icons. As you can see in Figure 11.9, the thumbnails for each slide in your presentation are displayed along the left margin of the screen while you’re creating or editing slides.

Figure 11.9. You can change the order of slides by using your finger to drag their thumbnails (displayed along the left margin of the screen) up or down.

Using the Formatting Commands in Keynote

When you tap the Formatting icon (the paintbrush) in Keynote, you see three command tabs: Style, Text, and Arrange. Each reveals a separate submenu you can use to format text in slides. For example, from the Style command tab, you can change the appearance of text, including font and background colors, borders, shadows, and other effects.

The Text command tab offers menu options for choosing a font, type size, typestyle, and justification, among other things. Tap the Arrange tab to access the Move to Back/Front feature to create layers within a slide. You can also adjust text alignment, adjust spacing, or add multiple columns to a slide.

However, if a graphic or photo is selected within a slide, the Formatting icon reveals the Style and Arrange tabs, which offer commands used to customize the appearance of graphics and photos.

Using the Plus-Sign Icon in Keynote

Just like in the other iWork for iPad apps, tapping the plus-sign icon enables you to import photos or shapes into a slide, create or modify tables, or create 2D or 3D charts, depending on which command tab you tap.

Accessing the Tools Menu in Keynote

From the Tools menu in Keynote, you can access the Share and Print, Find, and Help features (which are similar to what’s found in Pages and Numbers).

The Tools pop-up window also reveals a Transitions and Builds submenu you can use to add animations to individual slides or to establish slide transition effects for the presentation (as shown in Figure 11.10). There’s also a Presenter Notes feature that enables you to compose and later view notes to yourself as you’re giving the presentation.

Figure 11.10. The latest version of Keynote includes many slide animations and transitions.

The Advanced menu option enables you to automatically number each slide in the presentation, add on-screen guidelines when formatting your slides, incorporate interactive hyperlinks into slides, set up a presentation type, turn on and off the Loop presentation or self-playing features, and turn on or off the Enable Remotes feature (also used when giving a presentation).

It’s Showtime: Using the Play Icon in Keynote

The Play icon (the right-pointing arrow) is used to transition the Keynote app from the slide creation and edit mode to the app’s presentation mode. Tap it to display your presentation in full-screen mode. You can use the iPad’s AirPlay feature (or optional cables) to showcase the presentation on an HD television, monitor, or LCD projector.

Using the iWork for iPad Apps with iCloud

After you set up a free iCloud account, you can set up Pages, Numbers, and Keynote to automatically sync documents and files with your other Mac and iOS devices via iCloud.

For each of the iWork for iPad apps, the iCloud functionality must be set up separately; however, after you’ve set it up, as long as your iPad has access to the Internet, changes you make to a document or file are reflected almost instantly on your Mac and other iOS devices. Most other apps that are compatible with iCloud have a manual sync feature. Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are among the very few apps that offer automatic iCloud integration and file synchronization that works behind the scenes.

To set up Pages, Numbers, and Keynote on your iPad to work with iCloud, follow these steps:

1. After installing Pages, Numbers, and Keynote onto your iPad, launch the Settings app from the tablet’s Home Screen.

2. From the main Settings menu, tap the iCloud option.

3. At the top of the iCloud screen, turn on iCloud functionality and enter your Apple ID and password.

4. Also on the iCloud screen within Settings, tap the Documents & Data option.

5. When the Documents & Data screen is displayed, tap the virtual switch associated with Documents & Data to turn it on.

6. If you have Pages installed on your iPad, on the left side of the Settings screen, scroll down in the Settings menu to the Pages option, and tap it.

7. When the Pages screen appears in Settings (shown in Figure 11.11), tap the virtual switch that’s associated with the Use iCloud feature to turn on the auto file-syncing feature with iCloud that kicks in each time the Pages app is launched. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for the Numbers and Keynote apps, if applicable.

Figure 11.11. In addition to turning on the Documents & Data feature from the iCloud menu screen in Settings, you also need to turn on the iCloud feature for Pages, Numbers, or Keynote separately.

8. Repeat this process on each of your other iOS devices on which you have Pages, Numbers, and Keynote installed, including your iPhone and iPod touch.

9. On your Mac, launch System Preferences.

10. From the System Preferences menu, click the iCloud icon (displayed under the Internet & Wireless heading).

11. When the iCloud window appears, make sure you sign in to iCloud using the same account username and password you used on your iPad (and other iOS devices).

12. On the right side of the iCloud window (on your Mac), add a check mark to the checkbox associated with the Documents & Data option.

13. In the Pages, Numbers, and Keynote software running on your Mac, turn on the iCloud functionality for each program.

Third-Party Apps That also Offer Microsoft Office Compatibility

When you begin experiencing the word-processing capabilities of Pages, the number-crunching functionality of Numbers, and the digital-slide creation and viewing tools offered by Keynote on your iPad, and combine these capabilities with your iPad’s 10-hour battery life and other functionality, you’ll see why so many businesspeople are incorporating the iPad into their daily work lives instead of using laptop computers or netbooks.

However, as you’re about to discover, you also have other options, including Documents To Go and Quickoffice, that offer Microsoft Office document and file compatibility as well as file-sharing options, plus other features that are not offered by the iWork apps.

One of the key features that enables many business people to use their iPads as a powerful tool in their everyday work lives is the ability to view, create, edit, print, and share Microsoft Office documents and files on their iPads. This includes using the iPad to access documents and files created on a PC or Mac using Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint, and sharing documents and files created from scratch on the tablet with a PC or Mac.

In addition, when an iPad is connected to the Internet, third-party apps enable you to easily connect to and take control of your PC or Mac computer and actually run software remotely from it. So, while you’re on the go, you can use your iPad to control Microsoft Word on your desktop computer and see everything from your tablet’s screen. Thus, file compatibility is no longer an issue, and you have full access to all the Microsoft Office features and functions you need because you’re actually controlling the Microsoft Office software from your iPad.

Working with Microsoft Office Documents and Files Using the Documents To Go App

The Documents To Go Premium – Office Suite app ($16.99) from DataViz, Inc. (www.dataviz.com) offers document and file compatibility with Microsoft Office. This single app offers the same core functionality and features you’d get using Microsoft Office on a desktop or laptop computer, but it’s designed for the iPad. This includes the ability to create, view, edit, print, and share Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents and files.

This app also makes it easy to share (import/export) Office-compatible documents and files via email or one of several popular cloud-based file sharing services, including Google Docs and Dropbox. Documents To Go Premium – Office Suite comes with free software for a PC or Mac to make file syncing and transfers within a wireless network easy.

Documents To Go Premium – Office Suite has a unique user interface and menu layout. In other words, the available editing and formatting tools are similar to what’s available from Microsoft Office running on a PC or Mac, but the app’s menu structure and layout is vastly different.

There are several versions of the Documents To Go app in the App Store. Only the Documents To Go Premium – Office Suite edition enables you to create, edit, and view Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF documents and files as well as utilize a handful of cloud-based file sharing services. The less-expensive version of the app does not enable you to edit or create PowerPoint-compatible files, for example, and has other limitations. Both versions, however, are compatible with Apple’s iWork software.

Working with Microsoft Office Documents and Files Using the Quickoffice Pro HD App

The Quickoffice Pro HD app ($19.99) from Quickoffice, Inc. (www.quickoffice.com/quickoffice_pro_hd_ipad) offers a comprehensive file and document creation and editing tool that is compatible with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint as well as a handful of cloud-based file sharing services and online-based software tools, such as Google Docs.

Using this app, you can import, view, edit, print, or share Microsoft Office–compatible files and documents with ease. You also can create documents or files from scratch on your tablet and then share them with other computers or mobile devices that are running Microsoft Office software.

Quickoffice Pro HD is one app with several distinct modules, used for word processing, managing spreadsheets, and working with digital slide presentations. The word processing module, however, is compatible with Microsoft Word (.doc and .docx) files, and the spreadsheet module is compatible with Excel (.xls and .xlsx) files. The digital slide presentation tools built in to the app are compatible with PowerPoint (.ppt and .pptx) files.

All three Quickoffice Pro HD modules can export files or documents into PDF format, and all offer AirPrint wireless printing capabilities. You can also use the app as a PDF file viewer.

When it comes to creating or editing Microsoft Office–compatible files and documents, the Quickoffice Pro HD app offers robust formatting tools that enable you to easily control fonts, type styles, page and paragraph formatting, and other elements of a file or document. The app also works nicely when the iPad is in either portrait or landscape mode, and it supports a variety of iOS features, such as select, copy, cut, and paste.

When using Quickoffice Pro HD on an iPad, you’ll discover that the app offers many of the same features and functions built in to Microsoft Office, but the user interface and menu layout of the app are vastly different from what running Microsoft Office software on a laptop or desktop computer looks like. However, when you get used to working with Quickoffice Pro HD, you’ll find that it offers the features and functionality you need to get work done while on the go, yet still be able to maintain file compatibility with other Windows PC or Mac OS X Microsoft Office users.

Like its competitors, Quickoffice enables you to import or export documents and files via email or sync documents and files using a handful of cloud-based file sharing services, including Evernote, Dropbox, Google Docs, Huddle, SugarSync, Egnyte, and Catch. You can also publish content to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other online social networking sites directly from the app.

Accessing Your Primary Computer Remotely with Your iPad

When you use Apple’s iWork apps or a third-party app to view, create, edit, print, or share Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files and documents, you need to worry about minor font and formatting compatibility issues. You also must successfully sync or transfer files and documents between your computer and tablet.

If your iPad has continuous Internet access, another option for working with truly compatible Microsoft Office files and documents is to utilize a remote desktop app, which enables you to wirelessly access and control your PC or Mac directly from your tablet via the Internet or a wireless network. After establishing a remote connection between your iPad and PC or Mac, whatever would be seen on your computer’s monitor is displayed in almost real time on your tablet’s screen.

Figure 11.12 shows an iPad remotely running Microsoft Word on a Mac using the Splashtop app. On the Mac, the free Splashtop Streamer software is running simultaneously so there is a secure connection between the computer and tablet.

Figure 11.12. Splashtop is one of the least expensive, yet easiest remote desktop apps available for the iPad.

One nice feature of Splashtop is that when the iPad’s virtual keyboard is being used, directional arrow keys are available just above the keyboard to make navigating in a document faster and more precise. Additional navigational arrow buttons can also be displayed on the screen without the iPad’s virtual keyboard. Thus, you can run software (including Word, Excel, or PowerPoint) on your computer but view what’s happening on your iPad’s screen from almost any remote location.

From the App Store, you can find a handful of remote desktop apps for the iPad, such as GoToMyPC (a free app, but there’s a monthly fee), Remote Desktop ($6.99), Splashtop Remote Desktop for iPad ($4.99), and Jump Desk ($14.99).

Not only does the remote desktop app make it easy to use your iPad to access and work with any Microsoft Office file or document that’s stored on your computer, you can create documents or files from scratch, run any other software that’s installed on your PC or Mac, and access data that’s stored on your other computer.

This solution requires your iPad to have a Wi-Fi Internet connection. Most of the remote desktop solutions do not function with a 3G/4G Internet connection. Also, each of these remote desktop apps displays content from the primary computer to which it’s connected in a slightly different way. However, viewing the content of a full-size monitor on your iPad’s smaller screen is an intuitive process.