yukonPete

I stumbled on a neat aspect of stroke that I want to use in map making. I need to show multiple loop trails that overlap in a few places. I realized I could use hollowed out donuts as a stroke (using the design persona in publisher). I particularly need a set of lines that print clearly on a small map. I use the stroke values in overlaying two dashed strokes, with the inner set to erase. (see example in attached file, white circles over black background). I needed to make varying stroke widths so the donut would print well on my local Staples machines. I hoped to easily be able to play with the strength of the circle. Issue #1: it would be a nice option if the length of the dashes and spaces could be in pure measurements. Currently it is related to the stroke width so it's not intuitive (at least from my illustrator life). Issue #2: I thought I could assign 'scale with object' to the stroke, and then be able to use 'paste style' from the sample stroke in the attached file to my working map in publisher. And that seems to only scale one of the two strokes properly. Latest osx 13.4, MacBook Pro M1, 16 GB, 14", 2021, and affinity suite 2.1.0 Peter LINE styles.afpub

Thanks all. Exactly what I wanted. Short answer: use design abilities for the pencil tool and sculpt mode. I think the help file needs better cross linking from node tool to pencil tool workings. Peter

Thanks. Say I have a straight line segment with 10 nodes, within a long path. I want to make that segment an irregular winding path. In Illustrator the pen tool will remake that segment. I don't see this in affinity. It seems I can modify a node, or even treat a group of nodes, but I don't see how to completely modify a segment within a line.

I make maps and would like the ability of modifying a path. In Illustrator you can use the pencil tool on a selected line to redraw sections of a line. I can't see this ability in design or publisher. It would work that the line is redrawn from where the pencil first touches to where the action stops. Peter

https://help.dropbox.com/installs/macos-support-for-expected-changes Watching the issues that happened in V2 around dropbox links, I am hesitant to update dropbox until Affinity support says it will work correctly. Thanks, Peter

I get this sometimes now in v2. Should I think it''s a new type of error, or a bug that resurrected a fixed error? I am working in dropbox and have latest affinity updates. Is there anything I could be doing wrong to generate this. One thing I find confusing is I want a base-level map that I can place in publisher and amend. Sometimes I want a publisher-annotated map to be a master in design. I get confused about process when I edit it in publisher and it opens as a publisher tab. It's complicated and not well explained in help, videos how this works with the performa abilities. It's even more complex for us illustrator-pagemaker-indesign mindset people. At the heart it seems that I should be protected by the program about doing anything wrong, especially to the extent of crashing a file and loosing changes. Peter

Not sure if this helps. When updating a designer file within the publisher persona, I hit save, and then get a message from resource manager. I would go there and find things greyed out and have to quit/reopen the file to get the update. Then I tried ignoring the resource manager window and the publisher file automatically was updated. Not sure what is going on but it made me think that the 2.0.4 update around dropbox files wasn't working. But it actually is. Peter

duh! I'm bad for that second button aspect. I think all the style things should work the same: para, char, object, (are there any others?) — double click the style and get all the attributes, the name included. then edit, or whatever. The object style I see sort of useless if using in a publication where things should be fluid, easily changeable. I hope I'm missing something here. For example, the railway tracks need to be one size if close in, and another if farther out. Thanks for persisting in my questions. I find the video answers too long and convoluted and needing an index.... Lack of patience? Too many things to do. Longing for early mac pagemaker days when my mantra was if I could think of it, I could do it!

Thanks. I'd tried styles before but haven't figured them out. I just want to change the name of the new style to tracks, not style 11. I've used styles in pagemaker, indesign for decades. But I just don't seem to be able to make the affinity style, I think of it as object style, editable like text and char styles. I guess I should look in help or in help videos. Hints? Peter

thanks. Sometimes my brain just puts up roadblocks. So only in designer or designer persona. Couldn't find where your second pic was taken. peter

I'd also like railway tracks but a 2 rails + railway ties kind. I want a one object solution, preferably in publisher V2, but in Design V2 if necessary. (I want a simple line so it can also be in map legend.) I've played around and come up empty. My confusion is partly around "Use the Appearance panel and make a two stroke curve. One is thin and solid the other is thick and dashed" and any role that layer effects can play. Also previous discussion is V1, and now we're on V2. Thanks, Peter

This is late in the game but after my quick search for a how to I didn't see solution. To be specific, I have maps over spreads and pages that are meant to be seen together, as in an open print booklet. (ie, doc is letter sized, prints as tabloid booklet after I impose it) My solution will be to just have the two cover letter pages show up centred on a tabloid page. Rest of pages as normal tabloid spreads. Apologies if this is answered somewhere else in forums. I see we're now on V2.0.4 so maybe it's now possible and I just didn't see solution. Peter

Daniel, to keep the mystery going, I find that sometimes I get a repeatable crash when calling the resource manager. (all this is dropbox) Solution then is to relink by using the replace button on each graphic, save, test until the problem gets away (ie I can call resource manager without a crash). Sometimes i delete a graphic rather than replacing. During this beta version process, I make life messy for myself by keeping all graphic and publisher files in one folder, except one file (my letterhead logo) which is likely from an upgraded V1 to V2. Maybe it is linked by the odd link route you talk about. I too look forward to working normally when this glitch gets fixed. Peter

Just to say, that I had to close then reopen before it would update an affinity link. Tedious spending more time fighting than doing. I accept that programmers need input, but think that this should be a beta version rather than a production version.

Replying to myself, I then went back to the original file copied the deleted graphics, one at a time, closed the original file and was able to open the resource window each time so the error seems to be more in the state of the program, not the file itself, if that helps the programmers fixing these glitches.

I just had repeating instant crash on resource manager. I removed two linked files and now it doesn't crash. All the files are in dropbox if that matters to troubleshoot. Pain. Still one link left. File was created by duplicating another file that used to work but now also has this error. Peter

I installed 2.0.3, then selected all the text from the 2 bad frames, selected the text tool, dragged out a frame and pasted and got the dreaded small text, large text thing so clearly the error is still able to bypass any internal checks. Next I'll start a new file (bad text file 1) and paste the text. Back in a sec.... Still bad text so I see that the text itself on the clipboard contains the error. Next I made a different style, then reapplied styles and now it works. Hopefully that works onward. Would have been a pain with a lot of text. Thanks team, Peter Selkirk letter 2.0.3.afpub bad text file 1.afpub

I had this last night. It would seem that the only reliable solution is for this bug to be fixed. OSX Ventura on M1. I shouldn't need to come here looking for solutions. This should simply work. It happened in V1 and is still a bug in V2. Peter

And let me add, that I was restarting computer to clear up a system thing and by mistake told publisher not to save a version since I knew that it hadn't been open without saving changes and I got the can't open because it's using older feature error. Ouch. Poor to have such a data-destroying bug still active.

On M1 Pro 14", dropbox on internal drive, updating doesn't work on a jpg from Google Earth. My workaround is to simply replace the image with itself. Clunky, but....

yes, I understand sale and independence. However, specs say v2 doesn't work on my older macPro so I want to only go forward if I trust that Affinity will fix glaring errors. They state that they are done fixing V1. The beauty of v1 is it works on old and new macs, or at least that's what I think specs for v2 imply.

gotta admit, I see this as a statement of intent from Affinity. If this isn't fixed that doesn't bode well. I haven't upgraded yet as I have stuff that needs doing and don't want to be testing software at this point. I need stuff that I can trust! Peter

Anyone looked to see if new V2 has corrected this issue. V2 states that no updates to V1 so they will not fix.

I think the first save after a few smaller moves might get a bit bigger, up to a hundred+ MB, but after that it balloons to GBs. So my work process is to select all, embed, the make linked, then save. Crude and slow but it functions.

My working process with my 6.1 mb file that can go to+10GB: routinely select all the links in resource manager and embed them and then make them links, then close and save. How often? Every time I've done many changes. One per half hour of so. Seems to reliably grow to 1-300 mb all of a sudden. Next save is a GB+. I never want to go into the GB territory, so reset links and save often! This is a simple 16 page, ~200 images. Every once in a while, save as a new version. Earlier, I lost a couple of versions when it became inoperable. Peter