Creating Simple Database Lists In Mac Numbers

macmost.com/e-2134 Not all Numbers spreadsheets need to have complex formulas and perform calculations. Some of the most useful spreadsheets simply help you keep track of members of a group or items you own. Create a simple database like this is easy and can come in handy, especially if you save it to iCloud Drive for mobiel access as well.
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[@danpride2804]

As a former apple programmer active in the first user interface guidelines group, my sincere contradulations and kudus to the designer of numbers, somebody actually got it right for a change. So much facebook contortions show up nowadays its pure pleasure seeing someone still understands user interface.

[@boatman222345]

As usual learned more about numbers basics watching this short video than from several hours reading manuals! Gary never ceases to amaze me!

[@rudyatgmail7839]

As a long time Excel user, I never 'got' numbers and how the layout worked. Your explanations answered a lot of my questions and opened up more possibilities in my mind. I can now see cases when Numbers will be more useful for me than Excel. Another excellent video. Thank you.

[@MrFrattinivincenzo]

Excel and Numbers they are quite different, I believe Numbers is better if you need to create something which is really attractive. Excel is really powerful, instead. It has plenty of functions not even possibile on Numbers.

[@Keith72360]

I am always AMAZED at how little I know (when I thought I knew more) after viewing these videos!!!! GREAT material and I so appreciate this virtual learning lab! :-)

[@lakegardarealestate6179]

Great concise video, learnt so much in just 10 minutes. Just need to remember it now. Thanks Gary!

[@CC-iq2pe]

Gary. I really enjoy your intuitive and extensive teaching for Mac users. I use these apps on an iPad Pro. I understand they’re very different in how the app are implemented and wish to learn more on the iPad.

[@homemixer]

Thanks Gary for this tutorial...this helped me to make my dvd database much better! Didn't know how to do the star rating...so helpfull!!

[@lindamuir5990]

just excellent. I'd love to see more of these types of videos using numbers without formulas & functions - like something gardeners might use. thank you

[@JDiHayes]

Great intro to databases and as always some Number nuggets I didn't know. Thanks Gary.

[@yossibar-negev6784]

Thanks so much Gary. Greetings from Israel. Always appreciate your clear explanations. Stay safe!

[@mijaba71]

This way of thinking about tables, with database fields in columns and records in rows, also grows nicely to more substantial databases. The table structure is what you want for working with filters, categories, and pivot tables for summary reports. The various lookup functions can bring tables together. That's all a bit beyond what would fit in this more introductory material, but it is pretty easy to explore!

[@johnmcquade7201]

Thank YOU 'Simply the Best' comes to mind

[@dacheburashka]

Finally! Someone who makes clear sense without the waffle. i look forward to the new tutorials. Many thanks!

[@mariareneecruz7914]

Thanks for helping me today 😅 keep it up ! You make it so easy to understand and watch ❤️

[@ImeldaFagin]

Needed this desperately. Thank you.

[@drottie963c]

Great video and so easy to follow thank you

[@mikemiles3068]

Good video, I use Numbers like this all the time❗️👍✅

[@g.r.2985]

Such a helpful video!!! Thanks!

[@denizgun672]

I though I could never learn this but I DID IT! thank you thank you thank you!!! I'm so happyyyyyy 😂

[@DFReuter415]

Excellent presentation.

[@drea4161]

Outstanding! Thanks

[@flyski6666]

very useful tips thanks!

[@denhamk]

Thank you so much!

[@markzlatic7620]

Very informative video!

[@mopm5188]

Your explanations is the best I didn't find anyone that explains the features of apple better than you I need your help can you explain how to convert a pdf file with a picture to pages to be able to make changes and to write on it if you have a video let me know and if not if you can explain it many people including me will be happy Thanks

[@roopace55]

This is exactly what I wanted

[@MrFrattinivincenzo]

Thank you for this tutorial. I've been using Numbers since 2009 but there's always something new to learn about! :) At the moment I'm facing a weird problem with my Numbers. If I try to create a new style it works only with the file I'm working on. But if I try to get the same style in a new file, the style I created doesn't appear. Is that normal? Sounds really weird to me. Hope I explain myself good enough!

[@notkate142]

VERY HELPFUL TYYYYYY

[@leondennis4659]

I really appreciate your videos,they are very informative.I wonder if it would be possible to use Numbers to make a checkbook register for the computer?

[@macmost]

Certainly, yes.

[@hyungchulkim5734]

good thank you

[@therkels1]

Is there a function where i can search up one of the items ? Ex. Where i can type in the title, genre, year etc?

[@dcnpijepcnmijfmc]

I might have missed it but how di I write vertically on a spreadsheet? I would need my top row to do that and I've tried but I can't find the solution. Thank you.

[@jimmaccormaic6689]

The single most helpful tip is double-clicking the column header to select data cells only. I never knew about that.

[@CescoCDN]

Ditto. These are little gems we'd have a hard time finding on Apple's support site if available in the first place. Thanks, Gary1

[@moniquebarnes7801]

Thank you for this video. This may have been asked but is there a quick way to reset all checkboxes back to false so I won’t have to go through my list to deselect them all?

[@macmost]

Uncheck one. Copy it. Select all of the checked cells. Paste.

[@franksoler598]

example if I click on row five to paste the phone # and they are three different phone # it go to 5 6 7 rows.

[@Spent2MuchDiecast]

Referring to your book checklist I would like to do something for my diecast collection is there any way you can add a picture so then when you click on it you also see a picture of the vehicle or a book or DVD thanks. I do this without taking up too much space or making a spreadsheet to big when inserting an image

[@macmost]

No, you really can't use pictures. They are only allowed as cell backgrounds, not as values.

[@u2acrobata]

Hi! Great teaching vid .... i have one doubt ... after we clic on a sort of the whole table .. is there a way to undo the sort selction and come back to the "un-sorted" list ? Thanks so much Greetings from Portugal

[@macmost]

If you just implemented the sort, just use Command+Z to undo. Or, sort it by something else you have, like a date or name.

[@deeapple1096]

Thanks. Do you have a vid on ways to create and sort sheets with large amounts of data? I assume it's very similar to Excel.

[@macmost]

Do you mean sorting the data inside tables? Lots of ways to sort the data in tables as you would expect. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5Xcc4iDepuAqZo

[@hotdogagua]

Can you add a link to an image or add an image in a cell to help identify, say - a painting?

[@nounix]

Why can you not right-click on a cell in Numbers and just add a hyperlink to a file on your hard disk, just like you can do in Excel?? In Excel (even in a very old 2011 version..) I can just right click on a cell, and add a hyperlink to a file anywhere on my disk (and if it's a video, for example, the video files is opened with VLC player which is the default player I have selected to open videos. Simple.). Is it possible that in the year 2020 Numbers is still so far behind Excel?? Or is this function "hidden" somewhere Numbers and I just can't find it??

[@annyaa1276]

Good morning, I like the way you teach. It is very easy to follow. Can you please tell me how can I create a vocabulary database for interpretation proposes?

[@macmost]

Like a document? You can build it in Pages or Numbers, depending on whether you want a freeform document or a large table of entries. Play around with each and create a sample to see which strategy works best before embarking on a huge project.

[@MoniaOz]

Thank you so much! All your tutorials are clear and very helpful! Is there any way to copy a list of emails from one column to be able to copy more then one in case one needs to do this? Thanks in advance!

[@macmost]

Not sure what you are asking here.

[@MoniaOz]

@@macmost Im sorry, I wasn’t clear. English is my second language. :) So if I have list if contacts, f.e. Name, company, telephone, email and so on… Can I then select and copy/or export all the emails wchich are in one column not in one row. Or select just all the names, or like in your example all the titles of the books? :) Is this more clear?

[@macmost]

@@MoniaOz If you just want to copy some cells, then select just those cells and copy. If you want to export them it depends on what format. For instance, you could hide all of the columns you don't want and then export as a PDF what remains visible.

[@spankey2u]

can I create two identical tables (or lists) and LINK / connect them for sorting purposes? Each table is only 4 columns so this allows me to see both tables on one sheet of paper. I'd like to link them so I can sort alphabetically by name or other column of interest and have ALL four data columns for that person move together as one. So I don't have Jane Does NAME and someone elses data. I hope I'm making sense to others, sometimes I have difficulity articulating my thoughts. CAN I link two "lists" in Numbers?

[@macmost]

Sounds like what you really want is one table. Just make it one table.

[@franksoler598]

can you make a video on how copy Information online and paste on numbers spreadsheet without have those problem?.

[@hogo118]

I tried to use Numbers (and am still trying), but Apple is trying too hard to be a PC. Maybe I'm just misunderstanding, but Numbers didn't make sense to me as a Mac person. I designed FileMaker relational databases for years and there's nothing else like it out there. Too bad they don't sell it anymore. BTW, your videos are excellent. You are the Mac go-to guy for me. Thanks!

[@reallifelegend4781]

Hi. Great video. As I'm entering data and come to the end of the row, I'd like to be able to hit enter and for the first cell in the next row to be selected, instead of having to click there or use the keyboard to navigate there. Is there any way to do that?

[@macmost]

That's the way it should work by default. But if you manually select a cell a Return will go back to that same column. So select the first cell in the row. Use only Tab to move to the right. Then press Return and it will go to the first cell in the next row.

[@reallifelegend4781]

@@macmost Ohhh!!!! hahaha You're the BEST!!! Thanks! I've been trying to figure that out for the longest time! Thanks again!

[@kansascityshuffle8526]

Can numbers link database info and fill it to a spreadsheet.

[@Jonny_C73]

Hi Gary, I’ve created a rather large database for my record collection, and I’m finding it a bit unwieldy to navigate the document. It has about 2000 entries, and if I am at the top of the document in the “A’s”, I just don’t know how to quickly get to the lower part of the spreadsheet without scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. Is there something I am missing? I can’t even get the scroll bar to stay visible on the iOS version for very long...so it’s just constant flicking up and down. Thank you.

[@macmost]

2000 isn't that big, compared to some spreadsheets. Scrolling should be pretty quick using two finders on the trackpad or Magic Mouse. There's no need to use the scroll bar.

[@Jonny_C73]

How about on the iPad? I’m not using a mouse or anything. It takes about 20 flicks to get from the top of the database to the bottom....which gets old when you’re going back and forth.

[@rogerbarnett2170]

I managed to create a membership table, from that I need to create an attendance register for each session held throughout the course of a week. I only want the name of those attending the session to appear. Do you have a tutorial that covers this?

[@macmost]

Just use a filter for that. You can make it only show the rows that have a check in the attendance column for that day. kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5e3oqZ5nMmUr6s

[@johnmcquade7201]

Hi Can you tell me how to, or, if it is possible. I created a pop-up menu for stock items, the pop up menu appears in my Table 2 no problem, however, is it possible to add the 'cost cell' automatically beside the item. Hope that makes sense :-)

[@macmost]

Sorry, I don't understand. If you want to add an item to the pop-up, then you have to add it manually. Maybe see kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3bXq2ZqYs-DnJI

[@johnmcquade7201]

@@macmost No, I want to pick an item from the pop up menu and include for example the price of that item, when I choose an item in Column A the price for that item will automatically go into Column B.

[@macmost]

@@johnmcquade7201 In that case see kzbin.info/www/bejne/gH68eX5re7-IoLc

[@penny-gahreisenhart3346]

How to add email addresses to this membership list?

[@pac-man7231]

Hello. How do I split a text in a cell into two separate columns? for example, if I have a name and last name in the same cell, how do I separate so the last name is in a different column? Thank You.

[@macmost]

See kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipLSZZWIg8mShNE

[@pac-man7231]

@@macmost Thank You.

[@pac-man7231]

How about if I have a full name and number data in the same cell? How will I separate the data into a separate column from the full name? Thank You.

[@Jhovan33]

Can you embed a gif or jpeg into mac numbers cells?

[@macmost]

As a cell background, yes. Drag and drop or edit the cell's background. Try it.

[@MaheshKarkera]

Can I combine two columns?

[@macmost]

What do you mean? One column flows into the next, so what would combining them do? You can certainly set the number of columns back down to 1.

[@MykalHall]

Is it possible to create a page break in numbers like in pages?

[@macmost]

No. Numbers sheets are a large "canvas" horizontally and vertically so a simple page break wouldn't mean anything.

[@MykalHall]

macmostvideo Thanks Gary. I just have to space out lines to stop spreads spanning 2 pages.

[@jerseypete6674]

Help. When I print from numbers, the gridlines don't show. What am I doing wrong?

[@macmost]

Maybe you are printing with your printer options set to black and white, and the light gray of the lines is closer to white?

[@nounix]

can you make a link on Numbers that opens a video (and possibly choose vlc player to open it) or photo that's stored on your drive, rather than link a webpage?

[@macmost]

The link will open in your default browser. You can create a URL to a local file (like file:///Users/macmost/Desktop/mypic.jpg) and use it there. Drag a photo or video to your browser's window. Then copy the URL. No way to make it open in another app though as those apps don't handle URLs.

[@nounix]

macmostvideo so if I create a link inside a cell in numbers and this is a link that “points“ to a file on my disk (instead of a page on the Internet) then what will happen? Safari will open up? I don’t get it. How can safari play a video that’s on my hard disk? Or open a photo on it? What I need is some way to be able to launch a video player (I use vlc as it just plays everything hassle-free) by clicking on that cell to play the video I am trying to link to that cell. Isn’t this possible? So imagine I have a list of my favorite video plug-ins. And for each plug-in I have a small video demo (on my disk) that quickly shows a short preview of what this plugin does. So say column A has the name of the plug-in column B will have the links to the video files on my disk that correspond to this plug-in on the same row. These videos do not exist online so I can’t just link a URL. Besides I don’t want to do that even if they did because I want to be able to do it without Internet connection. I just want to somehow click on the cell that’s on the same row with the plug-in name, And by clicking on this cell I will immediately launch the video via my media player. Nothing online - all internally. No “URLs“, per se, and no Safari either as it’s irrelevant to what I want to do. Just a way to launch my video internally using an internal player without Internet and with no more than one step which is the clicking of this “link“. Can this be done? (maybe “link“ is not the right name for what I’m trying to do - maybe it’s called something else - but you understand what I need to do now) 😇

[@macmost]

@@nounix Right. Safari (or whatever you have as a default browser will open). Try it and see. If Safari can show media on a server, it can show it from your drive too. Try it. If it can handle the video type, it can do it. Just try it and you'll see how it works. Is "

[@nounix]

@@macmost ah ok - thanks! :) I just thought that you might have known if there was an altogether different way to link videos/photos on our disk to Numbers's cells (maybe a different way of linking these files to a cell so that a browser is not involved at all - since it's really not the right tool anyway :P). But if you say (from what I understand) that the only way that a cell in Numbers can be linked to a file on our drives, and tigger it to play, is via a browser, then although it's very disappointing to know, at least I now know that Numbers just cannot do this, so I can give up searching for how to do this. ;) Thanks again for your time bro!

[@franksoler598]

my job requires the use of google to get a lot information like names, addresses and phone #, But when I copy the information and paste on my numbers spreadsheet I get the information on different rows how do I can fix that?. thanks in advance.

[@macmost]

It all depends on how the numbers are formatted on the web page. Try copying and pasting into a text document in TextEdit first. Maybe try pasting with Edit, Paste and Match Style to see if that helps.

[@franksoler598]

macmostvideo thank you I gonna try that.

[@justkailash]

Is Number is like pages? .. is it free tool from Apple?

[@macmost]

Yes. It is free from Apple. Get it in the Mac App Store.

[@randomrandy3059]

How come "Alternating Row Color" didn't quite work for me? Could it be because I manually changed all cell colors?

[@macmost]

Yes.

[@randomrandy3059]

@@macmost Ahhh... I knew I was doing it wrong. Thanks

[@randomrandy3059]

@@macmost I notice that on some of my Table's the column all the way to the left don't change when I use Alternating Row Color, what am I missing or doing wrong?

[@macmost]

@@randomrandy3059 Is it a header column? Only the body columns and rows will alternate colors. The header columns and rows will not.

[@randomrandy3059]

@@macmost Thank you. Apologize for wasting your time for such a simple question.

[@maypoman2]

Is there an advantage to creating simple database list in Numbers as opposed to Pages?

[@macmost]

Many: Sorting, filtering, counting, re-arranging (particularly columns), inserting columns, etc.

[@maypoman2]

@@macmost Thank you. I will give Numbers a try. As a non-math person, Numbers always scared me. But you provided a very helpful - and easy - use for it.

[@karinevandecatsije9677]

Hello, I've got my list. How do I search for something ? For ex. a name ?

[@macmost]

Edit, Find, Find. Or just Command+F.

[@karinevandecatsije9677]

@@macmost Thanks a lot ! 🙂

[@helenstepien851]

I'm having trouble figuring out how to create a bullet list inside a single cell in Numbers... any ideas?

[@macmost]

What are you trying to do? The big picture? I can't think of why you would want a bullet list as a spreadsheet value. Maybe if I knew more I could suggest an appropriate solution. Otherwise, you'll need to do it manually using bullet characters and new lines.

[@helenstepien851]

@@macmost Thanks so much for replying. I am a tutor and I need to set up a lesson plan for my agency. I prefer Numbers to Pages and under a column titled ‘Activities’ I need to list in one cell, all the activities I have planned for that day. If you think I should just do it in Pages, I’d have to learn it. I prefer using Numbers and have not needed to do before, what I have been asked to do by the agency. Does this make sense?

[@macmost]

@@helenstepien851 If you want to do it in Numbers, then why not use cells for each item? As for Pages, it is a straight-forward word processor, and should be much easier to use than a spreadsheet app.

[@helenstepien851]

@@macmost Numbers is my rough copy; then I need to cut and paste it into a word doc template for submission. I just assumed copying and paste with all those formats probably wouldn’t go quietly into the template which has its own bullets/formats/etc. I was watching a KZbin video where bullets are entered into 1 cell in Excel. I thought since it was backward compatible with Numbers, I might learn something I could use but then I thought I’d ask your opinion. I’ll try what you suggest but I’m not hopeful. Thanks again👍🏻

[@black_baron_net]

Okay, so now your list contains thousands of entries on one single spread, where is the search field to easily search for a name or title of your books? Why do some thumbnails of number files appear in my OS X finder in portrait and others in landscape format?

[@davebullock3517]

Can you sort names alphabetically?

[@davebullock3517]

Figured it out, I missed it the first time I watched.

[@burnieburns7754]

Could you show a better how to for splitting cells diagonally in numbers than the one I found (kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6jIfHSZqb-ld9k)? After watching the video three times I still can't figure it out due to poor video quality.

[@dsigner]

why this is easier than ms excel?

[@Trackhoe075]

No good to use as a database over a couple pages! There is no way to search or find a record or records! Thanks for the info but I’ll stick to a actual database program I’ve learned it’s best to stick with what a program is designed for is best Otherwise your sure to get very frustrated with its limitations

[@macmost]

Of course you can search. Command+F. If you have a database app you use and like, of course use it. But not everyone wants to pay for and learn how to use a new app.

[@Trackhoe075]

@@macmost Thanks I never knew that! I still prefer using a dedicated program Certainly though for a smaller database such as the ones you used as examples if kept reasonable in size this way is doable but there are some pretty cheap and very easy learning curve so Programs already out there and available that you don’t have to spend a lot of time or money on that are dedicated

[@Trackhoe075]

@@macmost Just did a search using filters and it worked like a charm! I even tested to see if I could get a range back and that worked to!! Hmmmm.. maybe I need to rethink my dedicated relational database at least for less complex databases Thanks again Gary you da man

[@macmost]

@@Trackhoe075 👍