Need critical feature in Mac word-processor...

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Hello--new forum member here, seriously considering dumping my PC and buying an iMac.

Wonder if someone familiar with word-processors for Mac can help me.

I'm a writer and I need one critical feature in a word-processing program--"one-click" hidden text. In MSWord, you do this by adding a custom toolbar button. Click it, selected text gets hidden. It's exactly like selecting text and clicking Italic, Bold, Underline, etc.

Unfortunately, you can't do this in OpenOffice Writer. You have to follow the menu path, which takes 5-6 clicks to open a format font dbox, then click the hidden-text checkbox. Can't add a custom toolbar button.

I checked out a few other freeware/open source WPs [for PC--Linux], and none offer this seemingly trivial feature.

So before I switch, I need to know: Do any WP pgms for Mac [other than MSWord] offer this feature? I'm a fairly undemanding user so I don't need all the bloat of MSWord, but I do need this one feature. If no other wp pgm has it, I'd have to get MSWord for Mac--and I don't need all the other stuff in the MSOffice suite.

Does anyone know?

[ Btw, is there a subforum here where traumatized long-time PC users can go for psychological counseling? ;D ]

Thx for help!
tom09
 
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Microsoft Word runs on the Mac. 2011 even has the ribbon interface (It is the closest to the PC version) It has the hidden function just like you are used to - you can put it on a toolbar.

The switcher hangout is where you can talk about your PC woes.
 
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Thanks for replies--I probably should have been more explicit:

I'm looking for an alternative to MSWord--but the alternative wp pgm must have the same ability to add a button for "one-click" hidden text.

Since I use only a tiny subset of MSWord's features, I'd use MSWord on the iMac only if I can't find anything else. And I don't even know offhand if one can buy MSWord for Mac by itself, or if you're forced to buy the entire MSOffice suite--which I don't need!

Thx again!
 
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Does Pages have this feature? I thought it did but I'm not 100% sure.
 
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I download the Pages User Guide, and found no explicit mention of what I need; I think what I need is, to apply hidden text as a character style:

--pasted from the Pages User Guide:
Character styles: You can apply a character style to any group of characters, including individual words or groups of words, or letters within a paragraph. Common examples of character styles are different colors or font sizes used to emphasize individual words or phrases. Character styles can be applied to text within a paragraph without changing its paragraph style.
--end paste

So I assume that bold, italic, colors, font size, are all character styles; my Q: is hidden text also implemented as a one-click character style?
 
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Thanks for replies--I probably should have been more explicit:

I'm looking for an alternative to MSWord--but the alternative wp pgm must have the same ability to add a button for "one-click" hidden text.

Since I use only a tiny subset of MSWord's features, I'd use MSWord on the iMac only if I can't find anything else. And I don't even know offhand if one can buy MSWord for Mac by itself, or if you're forced to buy the entire MSOffice suite--which I don't need!

Thx again!

You have to buy the whole suite, but it's only $149.99 on the Mac:
Buy Office for Mac | Office For Mac
 
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Have a look at Open Office or Neo Office for Mac.
 
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Bite the bullet and go for Office 2011.
 
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Thx for link, IvanLasston. I might visit my local Mac store, ask them to demo that Pages workaround.

I chkd out a few pgms for Linux--OOWriter, AbiWord, Atlantis--none had this feature.

This feature is extremely useful for writing/editing different versions of sentences/paragraphs, or for misc brain dumps, etc--thoughts/ideas you want to save to deal with later. So you just select text, click Hidden, and keep writing.

I emailed a few inquiries re other pgms--Nisus Writer, Bean, Scrivener--haven't heard back yet.

But I may end up w/Office2011.
 
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You can't just do those things within comments? I believe there's a keyboard shortcut for comments, which would disrupt your workflow even less.
 
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chas_m

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In addition to the comments above, it turns out that my old standby Mariner Write can do this: it explicitly offers a "hidden" text option exactly as you're describing.


While I respect that this is the way that works for you and you want to keep doing it that way, as mentioned there are MANY alternative options to your method that are equally easy: for example, I do a lot of my "raw" writing in xPad (think "Notepad") and can with one click switch to a different "page" I keep handy for exactly this purpose.

In Pages, I can create a character style called "White text" that accomplishes the same thing in a single click.

Stickies and Dashboard stickies can also do the trick, though these are separate documents from the ones you are working on so that may not work for you. Of course, as mentioned earlier, MS Word does the trick.

Or, taking a devil's advocate tack, you might want to look instead at a word processor that specialises in a fullscreen mode (Pages, WriteRoom, OmmWriter) to PREVENT your mind from wandering and instead focus on the writing you are doing at the moment. :)
 
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Check with your companies IT department. I got MSOffice 2011 for MAC (full professional edition) for $9.95 under their Home User Program (HUP).

Why fool around when you can get what you need for $10

Tom
 
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I have a question. The OP mentions Open office does this but with some menu clicks, could he create a keyboard shortcut for that function in the system prefs?
 
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"In addition to the comments above, it turns out that my old standby Mariner Write can do this: it explicitly offers a "hidden" text option exactly as you're describing."
Yes, thank you! I downloaded the user guide--they have it.

I checked these:
Nisus Writer--no
Bean--no
Scrivener--no

"Why fool around when you can get what you need for $10"
This is my kind of person--

I'm aware that an attachment to a particular working method can create inertia or resistance to considering alternatives, so I'll probably chk out trial versions of various pgms--

Thx again--
 

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