iWork ’09 For Dummies

How to Show and Hide Tools in iWork

Sometimes you want to see the format bar, sometimes you don’t. When you’re working in iWork, you can toggle between showing and hiding a variety of tools and toolbars by pressing two or three keys at once. The table here shows a few options, which you can get to, along with others, in the View menu for iWork applications as well as the drop-down menu available by clicking View on the toolbar.

How to Use Your Keyboard for iWork Formatting

The commands in the following sections and tables are just a sampling of those available in the Format menu of iWork. The Apple key combinations affect selected text or, if no text is selected, the text you type next. Keep in mind that you probably can’t use the commands with objects that don’t support text.

iWork Formatting fonts

Use the menus under Format→Font or the shortcuts here to change typeface and fonts.

Formatting paragraphs with iWork

The options in the Format→Text menu let you choose how to align your text. The table here tells you what to press to align left, right, or center — and justify as well.

Inserting files in iWork

You want to put a file into your iWork document? Nothing is be easier. Just choose the file to insert, then press the Apple command key, the Shift key, and the letter V.

Setting margin and tab stops in Keynote

You simply copy and paste rulers to bring margin and tab stops to a new paragraph, and to do that, use the tips in this table:

Showing the iWork Chart Data Editor

The Chart Date Editor can be front-and-center or shy and retiring. To toggle between the two personalities, press Shift, the Apple command key, and D.

Copying and pasting styles with iWork

The commands in the following table useful for making inserted or pasted text fit the style of its new location; the text itself is unchanged except for the style information.

How to Arrange Objects with the Keyboard in iWork

The iWork Arrange menu is the place to go to move objects around. You can move objects forward or backward; You can also move them all the way to the front or back. Select the objects you want to arrange before issuing the command or using the keyboard equivalent set out in the following table.

Keyboard Shortcuts for iWork Applications

iWork and its applications can do every office task you need and then some. And with keyboard shortcuts to make your iWork life easier, you can create documents with Pages, build spreadsheets with Numbers, and compose presentations in Keynote. The next sections offer useful shortcuts for each app.

iWork's Pages

As iWork’s text editor, Pages is where you create documents. You can use the shortcuts in the following table to get the view you want.

Numbers in iWork

Use these commands for iWork’s spreadsheet application. Select a table or table element beforehand.

The Keynote app in iWork

The presentation application in iWork is called Keynote. Use the commands in the following table to maneuver through your presentation.