iWork - Pages questions

I don't know about the mail app but it's easy to get documents to/from the Pages app via iTunes.

Assuming you have Pages installed --

Plug your iPad into your computer, launch iTunes and select your iPad in your Devices list. Click over to the Apps tab and scroll to the bottom. There you will see a File Sharing section. This is how you get files to and from Pages via iTunes.

To Transfer Files To Pages from Your Computer

1. In the File Sharing section, select Pages.
2. On the right side, in the Pages Documents pane, click the Add button. You'll get a typical Finder open dialog box with which to choose files.
3. Although one can seemingly choose any file type and add them to the Pages Documents list, the only ones I've seen actually show up on the iPad in Pages are .doc and .pages files.
4. Once you've chosen the files and added them to Pages Documents, launch Pages on your iPad and click the folder icon on the coverflow screen. This brings up the Import Document window which should be showing you the documents you added via iTunes.

To Transfer Files From Pages to Your Computer

1. On the coverflow screen in the Pages iPad app, swipe until you get to the document you wish to export.
2. Tap the arrow icon at the left-center bottom of the coverflow screen. Choose Export.
3. Select the format you wish to export as. Currently this is one of .pages, .doc, or .pdf
4. Make sure your iPad is connected to your computer and iTunes is running. Select the iPad in the Devices list and navigate to the Apps tab. Scroll down to File Sharing.
5. In File Sharing, choose Pages in the Apps list. Your exported document should now show up in the Pages Documents pane.

The screenshots here show the File Sharing section in iTunes and the Import Document dialog in the Pages app. Although in the File Sharing screenshot is shows files of all different types, the only ones that showed up on the iPad are .doc and .pages files.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

Thank you f00f! This is a very thorough and helpful explanation.

I have to admit, I'm a little frustrated by Pages so far. I've never used Pages much on the Mac, so that might be part of the problem. But I've found myself struggling to figure out how to do relatively basic things -- or to just give up and conclude that they can't be done.

For instance: I gather that it's not possible to make new user-created templates on the iPad. You can work around that by duplicating existing documents, editing those and changing the name. But is that the only way?

I've also been unable to create a document with landscape (i.e. horizontal) page orientation -- for example a text-only, two-column document that looks like two adjacent pages of a printed book.

Fortunately I have a student who is amazingly iPad-savvy, despite not yet having an iPad of his own. Without him, I'd be a bit more clueless. I wonder if this casts some doubt on the "Buy an iPad for your father" line of thought?

 

This may be a simple question, but how do I name a document in pages? Whenever I use a blank document it just says blank at the top and the bottom, I would really prefer to name my files. Thanks!

 

You tap "My Documents," which takes you to a sort of cover-flow view with the current document at the center. Type on "Blank" and the keyboard pops up to type in an actual title. You can also change existing titles this way.

It took me a while to figure this out, too. I've got the Pages "Help" page perpetually open in Safari. I suspect there are many other cool things I could be doing that I just haven't stumbled upon yet.