I'm always so pleased when I find a way round some exasperating computer problem that I thought I'd share my moments of triumph ...

Friday 21 August 2015

Apple AppStore - can't download purchases

Well! Solved at last after literally hours of expert Apple support phone calls. Very grateful to Apple support, absolutely outstanding, but I finally twigged myself what the answer was.

Reverting to iTunes 11 had prevented me downloading apps or updates to ones I had already purchased. System updates downloaded fine but I was unable to download 3rd party application updates and even Apple's own software purchases such as Pages, Keynote and Numbers.

Finally, I installed iTunes 12 - problem gone!

Not sure I can live with iTunes 12, but I could still go back to iTunes 11 again as in my earlier instructions.



Word for Mac 2011 - Create a Table of Contents without text or page numbers

I'm editing quite a long complex book at present, and we want to be able to see the contents at a glance simply in a text outline and move them around.

Each chapter is a separate file, with the headings marked up using Word's Styles. But simply viewing as Outline doesn't do what we want - any kind of copy and paste means all the text comes as well. Using the standard Insert ToC (Table of Contents) gives page numbers too, which aren't needed.

Here's the solution I found.

1. Insert a new page at the top of the file (Insert Page Break or Section Break if you want to retain the existing page numbering)

2. Click the Document Elements tab in the ribbon bar.

3. Click Table of Contents - see a variety of styles, remember which you prefer but don't click it (if you do you will get it automatically generated but complete with page numbers)

4. Instead, click the Settings cogwheel, and see the styles listed. Then untick Show page numbers, (bottom left). You can also set other preferences if you want to.

5. Click OK - and there's your ToC with no page numbers, but it's greyed.

Then if you want the Contents as an outline in a completely new file, you can:

- Print the current page - it will print on paper without the grey
or
- Print the current page but save it or view it as a PDF in the print dialogue
or
- Highlight and copy the ToC,
- Open a new blank Word document
- Edit > Paste Special > Styled text

Wow! your outline in a completely new document. The font may not be the same but that's easily changed in the usual way.