When I double-click a Pagesmith PDF file, it opens in Preview. Why?
Because Snow Leopard and later does not allow you to open files with the same extension in different applications. By allowing applications to assign creator codes to files, the Mac heretofore allowed you to associate your files with the application that created them.
By default, Snow Leopard opens every PDF file in Preview. Pagesmith 1.0.6 has an option that allows you to have PDF files opened in Pagesmith if they are Pagesmith PDFs, and in Preview (or another application of your choosing) if they are not. Just go to Preferences and check “Manage double-clicks on PDF files.”
Can Pagesmith import documents in Word and other formats?
Yes. Pagesmith does an excellent job of translating simple RTF documents, such as those produced by TextEdit. It can translate documents in .doc, .docx, .odt, .odt, .sxw, .stw, .html, and .webarchive formats, too. But let’s be honest. The more complex the document, the poorer the translation. Pagesmith uses Apple’s basic document translation system, the same that TextEdit uses. Some other applications, such as Pages and Nisus, have more powerful translators.
Can Pagesmith edit all PDF files? Can I edit a Pagesmith PDF in Preview or Acrobat?
Pagesmith saves your documents in PDF format. The PDF file includes data that Pagesmith uses when it opens the document. If a PDF file was not created by Pagesmith, then it lacks the information that Pagesmith needs.
Converting a regular read-only PDF file to an editable format entails some data loss. We think that the amount of data loss is too great to make the conversion practical. This conclusion might change in the future as technologies improve.
Applications such as Preview and Acrobat not only ignore the special Pagesmith data, they destroy it. When you edit a Pagesmith PDF in Preview or Acrobat, the resulting file is very different from the original. You are not “editing” the file in any normal sense of the word; you are creating an entirely new document that bears only a superficial resemblance to the original.
To summarize: a Pagesmith PDF can be edited in Pagesmith, and only in Pagesmith. A regular PDF cannot be edited.
Why should I use Pagesmith?
The PDF file format is one good reason. Another is the Pagesmith user interface. Pagesmith differs from other word processors in important ways. We believe that when you are writing, your mind is focused on words. That’s why we use text labels instead of icons on nearly all our controls. We don’t obscure your writing with dialog boxes and inspector panels. The controls that you use in normal work appear either in the sidebar or the toolbar, both of which intelligently change to as needed.
Because Pagesmith is so easy to use, we expect that you will routinely use features such as styles that you could never figure out in other word processors. You will also work with ornaments, accented characters, proper fractions, and attractive fonts because Pagesmith helps you in those areas, too.
OK. Where does Pagesmith come up short?
Version 1.0 of Pagesmith supports styles, sections, columns, tables, tab leaders, document properties, autosave, document templates, keep together, keep with next, widow/orphan control (we call it Prevent Stragglers), tabbed or single windows, automatic formatting and replacement of text, two kinds of numbered paragraphs, bullets, text shadows, fractions, adjustable hyphenation, layout and print guides, split views, small caps, and much more.
Pagesmith does not support footnotes, text boxes, flowing text around objects, bordered paragraphs, Applescript, or plugins.
Ack! What happened to my toolbar?
In addition to the regular toolbar, Pagesmith has some special toolbars that fly in to replace the regular toolbar when you need some special editing controls. To make the special toolbar go away, just click anywhere in the main body of the document.