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Publisher. (Sorry, I always think of tagging at the end. ) This graduation across standard rectangle objects is as sophisticated as this artwork gets, so chose Publisher.

I'm going to ask this, though to be fair, I'm expecting a 'no-can-do'. The above is a row of shapes (created via the rectangle tool). I've not booleaned them (Layer > Geometry > Add, say), so they are still very separate objects. They're not even grouped. Question: Can I do the same with a row of text frames? (Indesign does it) I have tried simply dragging the gradient tool over some text frames and it applied it to the text. So... will it do the fill instead? Just out of interest - I've learned giving text frame objects fills gets a no vote. Instead, one has to "decorate the text" to look like a fill (Buried under Text > show paragraph > decorations). So 2nd question: If I'd used text decorations to create the look of a fill, could the text decoration be graduated as the above? ------------------- btw, though I'm one for keeping files simple and clean, with one object where others use three, this is one of those exceptions that proves my rule. So I'm expecting to remove all the fills I have on the text frames, and to draw rectangles that the text frames sit over. So 50 objects where I currently have 25. (It may well not matter computationally, but it sure as heck does when you come to edit it. The more complex the file, the more hard work it is to edit)

Cool, thank you. Should have thought of that because it occurs in another app (don't think it's affinity). Been a long day. Thank you.

Thank for this @thomaso. I don't know, I like things to behave in an obvious logical way. "Text decoration" says decoration for text, amazingly to me, not 'fill' for an object (which is what a text frame is). Decorating text is an entirely different thing. It just doesn't make sense. I hear what you're saying, but when I open files with multiple objects where there should be one ( 6 instead of 3 in your above example), my heart sinks. It's always a bind to edit them. And text boxes enlarged beyond the text (like the first in the row in your example) inevitably end up being selected instead of the thing you need to select. So a designer has to spend time resizing and reordering, and figuring out, rather than cracking on. Even freelancers can find the client asking for their file which then gets dumped on another designer. End of the day, this is a work around for basic feature, and I'm abit tired of ending up explaining these things. No offence intended, You've tried to help and that's generous of you.

And no doubt I will trip on it again too.

@thomaso Hum, my publisher is 1.9.0, when I look in apps it's now 1.10.5!!! Hadn't realised I let it get so behind! Been too busy elsewhere. - - - - - - - - - - - - @Old Bruce Yeah, that's a work-around. So the motto is: never use the fill feature on a text frame 😁?

The important thing here is the text frame has a fill. So consistent space at the bottom becomes visually important. When you've got boxes with different amounts of text in them (whether they're aligned top, or distributed around a spread/document), the missing auto size feature becomes really important. See my initial screen capture. Serif have failed to understand this too @Old Bruce

That's a logic I can relate to. It might explain why the action didn't always seem to result in any detectable change to the text style. When you have one text box frame with one style of text in it, the natural thing to do is to just select the frame. It might be something others are falling foul of @Old Bruce, should you find yourself trying to help someone with this.

It worked for me, but not in an expected way - see my post above yours (Mac).

I tried double-clicking the central node of the selected objects. It resized all the text frames from their top to a huge height. I couldn't see what the logic was at all. It ended up off the page and didn't match either the height of the page or the height between the page margins.

Thanks @walt.farrell. Yeah, I meant and understood it to be inset, but typed margin automatically. I expected this answer, thanks. ------------------------------------------------ Another 'no can do' with this software.

When I alt-drag an object to duplicate and move it in one seamless action, the smart guides don't kick in. When I just drag (without touching the keyboard) they're behaving as I expect. Is there a setting I've not found for this? (Mac, can you alt-drag on a PC?)

Four text frames with an inset applied (see attached). All of them are set to show overflow. All with a fill (Edited to highlight this important thing to understand here as it's the reason for wanting this). Changing left/right/top inset amount, squashes the text to accommodate it. Bottom margin inset changes = nothing. (Edit, I meant inset. Edited in response to correction below). Can I avoid having to select each one individually, and double-clicking the centre node at the bottom, before moving on to repeat it on the next one? Questions: Am I missing a setting somewhere? (Convinced I've searched before, but worth asking) Is there some way to do this that's not obvious? Is there a work around? ------------------------- BTW: I get this is because Serif have dropped a big-big one here, by not having Automatic Resize for text frames (see second image attached). They've assumed no one ever needs to give a text frame a fill while keeping the number of objects on the page low. (Edit: Don't worry that this is a Windows dialogue screenshot evidencing the 'auto-sizing' I'm referring to. I grabbed it off the internet because it's more up to date than my mac version of Indesign.)

I'm hoping to clarify what the difference is between using: Text > Text Styles > Save Text Styles As default and ( Edit > Defaults > Synchronise with Selection + Edit > Defaults > Save ) …when managing Text Style defaults. True/false: 1) is application defaults, and 2) is document defaults? True/false: the moment a user creates Text Styles, they are creating 2) anyway, wthout touching Text > Text Styles > Save Text Styles As default? Thank you

So I have a text frame and in that is two chunks of text, each with a different Text Style applied. The selection that Defaults > Synchronise with Selection is referring to is the text frame, or a portion of the text? (A or B) in the attached. Thank you -------------------------------------------------------- For info: Edit > Defaults > Synchronise with Selection + Edit > Defaults > Save is how we manage text style defaults in Affinity Publisher, not by using Text > Text Styles > Save Text Styles As default.

For info: I was responding to @PixelPest (albeit after a long gap), rather than 'bumping'. I know I used the word 'bumping' but the sentence makes it clear the meaning. I also had a faint hope things might have moved on and someone would come along with a more up to date view to add to this thread. Ever hopeful.

Found myself just bumping into this again. Hadn't seen @PixelPest's response. While good. It's stretching something with a texture? Ho hum..... I need to clone, with a feathered select (small feather). –––––––––––––––––––––––– To summarise: Select > Copy + paste (cmd+j) > move > merge = 4 actions Repeat to complete exercise ( 4, 8, 12, 16.. done) = 16 actions vs Select > copy+move (at the same time) = 2 actions Repeat ( 2, 4, 6, 8.. done) = 8 actions No contest. AF: fail. –––––––––––––––––––––––– One of the many reasons (this one comes under '1') why my signature says what it does....

Yeah, I had no idea I'd get such a great response. All credit goes to the contributers (in order of response): @Seneca , @garrettm30 and @MikeW. Glad you've found it valuable @Cealcrest.

Thanks for the responses. Unfortunately I've had to do other things and park this. Probably good as I need to step back, and then come at it with fresh eyes and clear head. Then I can take stock, review, and methodically work through the next bit. I'll do it when I'm released from other work, and post an update here.

Hello @Old Bruce. The purpose of the post you've quoted, and the illustration, was to answer @R C-Rwho had asked about No Style. I simply mentioned I tried another style to head off the inevitable "but but.. did you" question. This thread has ended up very confused for everyone because I've tried to answer every question asked of me, even those where the answer was already in a post above and whether the question was relevant or not. I'll maybe rethink that approach in future. If I post an illustration with the New Style I made in it, the illustration would be exactly the same in all respects except it would say "New Style" where it says "No Style". The behaviour is completely consistent. I assure you, whatever impression has been created here, I'm methodical when testing these things.

I know. It's why I suspect a corruption and trying to 'reset' things. Normally I'd move a .plist file so it forces an app to reset itself. Seems these apps don't use that tried and tested way. Don't know if it's because of where the Mac OS is going and 'universal' apps coming into being.

Thanks @walt.farrell. Interesting, it is Ctrl on the mac. I've done this now thank you. --------------------------- For anyone happening along here. Reset User Defaults Mac. If you have the app in your Dock, you'll get the pop-up menu and will need to choose Open while keeping the Ctrl key down. Then you'll get a panel you've probably not seen before with a long list of tick boxes. Great resource explaining the tick boxes:

Hum... I have a nasty feeling this issue has always been present, but not evident if you follow... until I've tried to clean-up what font settings the app defaults to. I'd been deliberately not updating the app for fear of incompatibilities given the age of my desktop machine... perhaps I'm damned if I don't, damned if I do. Anyway.. if you open the file and can alter the word spacing.. we'll know it's specific to my machine won't we. word-spacing-issue.afpub EDIT: The screen capture shows different word spacing settings, I think it's because the text is not selected. The text was selected when i recorded 25% 25% 25%

I've a feeling this is a Fonts bug / issue The app refuses to accept word spacing changes no matter what I do. If you've taken the time to look at my attachments, what's your thoughts?

I'm trying to reset everything in Publisher. I've gone through clicking each button to be really thorough. I get a confirmation screen for every button on the list except the last (Reset Fonts). Nothing happens when I click the button. Should it? Also Reset Default Text Styles.. should that result in No Style being set to Arial? (It's not). Hope that's plain English enough for folks.