MacMost Newsletter Issue #576 for January 16, 2020

If you have a list of names in Numbers it is very difficult to sort by last name unless you have the last name in a separate column. However, you can use a series of formulas to extract the last name and first name, format them properly as Last, First, and then sort them. It will take some extra effort to deal with middle names and initials as well. You can even get rare last names that include spaces to sort properly.
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Creating Circular Text On Your Mac With Acorn

If you need to draw text along a circular path on your Mac, you'll find you need a third-party app to do it. One general image editing app that will do it is Acorn, available in the Mac App Store at a much lower cost than anything from Adobe. You can easily add text outside or inside of a circle, and make adjustments to the text afterward. You can then export the result to use in any app.
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How To Make and Export a Slideshow On Your iPhone

You can quickly and easily made a slideshow in the Photos app, but those can't be exported to share. By using the free iMovie app from Apple, you can build a slideshow from a set of photos in minutes and then export it as video to share. You can also customize each photo with filters, cropping, movement and text. You can add music, audio and narration to the slideshow too. The basic idea works on the iPad as well.
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How To Create Custom Folder And Drive Icons For Your Mac

You can create custom folder icons by using only the software that comes with your Mac. By taking the existing folder icon graphic and bringing it into Preview, you can tint the color and then add text, emoji or shapes to create a useful custom folder icon. Changing folder icons can be a little tricky and buggy, however. You can also use graphics apps to create more highly-customized icons and download icons online to use.
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Which App To Use: Calendar vs. Reminders

You can schedule notifications of important items at specific times using eithe the Calendar app or the Reminders app on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. So why are there two apps that seem to do the same thing? These apps do overlap somewhat, but they also have their own unique functionality. When you need to schedule something, however, it can be hard to decide which app to use. But there are good reasons to choose one over the other in most situations.
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Quick Tip: Contacts App Companies

When creating or editing a contact in the Contacts app, there is a checkbox for "Company" under the name. When you check it, the company name and first name and last name fields swap positions. You can then ignore the first name and last name fields and just enter a company. This is useful for having entries for utility companies and other service companies so you have their customer service or billing contact info in your Contacts app. It is also handy for other non-person contacts like your local police non-emergency number and local restaurants where you sometimes call for delivery or reservations.

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