nwhit

Just noticed that a couple docs created in 1.7.3 that are designed to be both printed (cmyk) as well as used for web download/viewing as rgb cannot be exported for pdf in 1.8 (not sure which beta this started in). The doc (4-pages) is a cmyk. But in 1.7.3 we exported a Web 192dpi rgb version using the More/Convert Image Color Space. In 1.7.3, the resulting pdf is rgb and no problems with it. In b549 using the same doc (opened in b549) and same export settings, several pics, graphics, etc are not being exported at all or correctly. Problems all over the doc. You should already have this doc (Clean Water 2019 - FW - 4pg.afpub) but can upload if you need it. I'm guessing that it is having problems converting some of the items. Worked fine in 1.7.3, so looks like a regression of some sort. "More" pane settings attached. Started with PDF/Web/192 dpi + the More settings.

I guess I can see where for some workflows, always having the same number of pages for numerous presets might work. But I guess I see the main advantage of having specific format presets is that I can easily open/create a specific common blank document with all the specs "pre-set". Examples being a single page A4 bleed; a 2-sided A4 sell sheet; an A4 newsletter that's always 4 pages; the same 4-page newsletter set up for facing pages instead of scrolling pages; etc. Additionally, since some of the presets are for "photos", "web", etc., can't see those as typically being multiple pages. I guess I look at presets as just that -- all specs are specific to each preset, but can be changed prior to creating the new doc for one-off variations of the "normal" preset. I'm also guessing that most users will assume that what they set for specs when they create a preset will be how a doc is created. Currently, prior to creating the doc, it appears one has to review the specs in a preset to make sure they are what is desired for that common doc. Are there other specs that aren't saved when I create a preset? If it is just the number of pages, then that would seem inconsistent and lead to questions. Overriding a preset's specs for one-off jobs makes sense, but I really think a preset should be just that -- all specs should be preset for simple, quick new doc creation.

I did notice just now that the tooltips don't always show when hovering. I found I had to scroll the preflight window up and down several times in order to get the tooltips to show again after double-clicking on one of them. Happened several times, although not every time I tried, so not sure what the "formula" is for it to happen.

Found the issue. Preflight correctly flagged the issue, but could not locate the item with the missing font. Nor did it show in the Font Manager. What it turned out to be is a linked graphic, a pdf of a site plan CAD supplied to us by the client. As with other discussions of Affinity apps having problems with pdfs with missing fonts, this showed up when Placed within the APub doc and not only showed up as a mysterious Missing Font in Preflight, but was also causing an unidentified error (failure) in trying to export the doc as an X4 pdf. Affinity and I have been working on this doc for a month trying to figure out why it would not export. The good news is the new version of Preflight caught the missing font issue. The bad news is that Preflight could not locate or identify where that missing font was within the doc! Guess the result is that Preflight could use some improvement (hopefully it is possible), and the x4 export error message needs to better identify why the export fails. But at least both issues are somewhat solved for now! 😉

Tracked down both issues (missing font and X4 export). The doc had a linked pdf graphic element (a site plan) that had that missing font within that pdf. That not only caused the mysterious Missing Font warning (but Preflight could not show it was in that item), but also caused the failure of the X4 export. I'm guessing because of the missing font. Seems this could be an issue. I'm sure many people get pdf graphics sent to them where the fonts used might not be 100% matching to theirs. If including them within an APub doc causes this much grief (can't easily find the problems), might it not be better to handle the export error better? Or at least with Preflight have the ability locate the item/resource with the missing font? Both the Affinity team and I have been scratching our heads as to why this doc created in APub would not export. Preflight ALMOST found the problem, but maybe needs a little better capability to actually track down the problem item -- if that's at all possible. My workaround for that doc has been to open that pdf in Designer (which converted the missing font to curves, I'm assuming), then exporting it back out as an eps for inclusion in the APub doc. Perhaps it might be better to just link to the now converted Designer file??? That's assuming liniked Designer files are not presenting any issues within an APub doc. At least this mystery has be solved, assuming Preflight can be improved to find this type of error. We routinely use placed pdf graphics in our page layout docs, so it would be nice to catch this problem before it becomes a time-consuming output error. Never had this problem in ID, which I understand is an issue with pdfs with missing fonts opening or being used in Affinity apps.

Aha! The preset for Preflight had the Hidden Objects pref set to Look Inside Placed Documents checked. I'm guessing it somehow was trying to look within the linked Photoshop file and saying that something in that file was Hidden. I looked at the PS file and there are a couple layers/items hidden. Thus I guess the answer is to not use that checkbox when Preflighting for hidden objects!

With beta 549, this file still does not export as a pdf x4, nor does it calculate est size, same as before. In playing with this in the newest beta, I also made a thread on how it shows a missing (tekton), but the Font Manager doesn't show that font nor does the preflight error click take you to anything. Another oddity is that in running a preflight for Hidden Objects, it shows the top header graphic element as Hidden, but it clearly is not. In fact it shows the error twice, taking you to the same item with each error. If I remember right, this is an item put into the original doc in 1.7.3 from the Assets panel. The Resource manager shows it as a Linked resource, but when I use the Resource Manager's new Show in Finder, it does take me to the original PS file. So, in all, can't export as an x4, showing a missing font that supposedly isn't in the doc, and it shows a resource item as Hidden (twice) when it is not Hidden. You already have this file (Clean Water 2019 - WW -4pg) as well as the matching doc that hasn't had a problem exporting.

Ran the preflight a couple times and it shows Tekton as a missing font. Can double-click on the preflight error but it goes nowhere. Open the Font Manager and that font isn't listed much less show as missing. Tried a Search for the font and it doesn't come up with anything. You already have this file and resources (Clean Water 2019 - WW -4pg - CMYK) from previous issues.

Just tried the improved New Document. However, I noticed on of my presets didn't have the correct number of pages (had 1 and should have had 4), so I changed the number of pages to 4. I tried to save it but couldn't since it said I already had one the same (which I didn't). Strangely, if I thin clicked on any other preset, every preset no matter what tab (photos, web, print, etc) all now had 4 pages as part of the preset. I canceled out of the dialog and tried another New. The 4 pages spec was still there in each and every preset. I am assuming this is a bug since each preset should be able to have as part of it the desired number of pages as the starting point.

Apparently we have the same problem in APub that's in the latest Photo beta where a Share to Email results in an error popup, but the email is actually created. However, I did notice that not only do I get the error but the attachment to the email is only a single page of a multiple page doc. Is that correct for APub or a bug?

In the newest beta, tried the Document/Add Pages from File to see about the previous hangs/crashing. Didn't crash but it did add several blank pages at the end of the doc in addition to the pages from the 2-3 files I added. Not the end of the world, but probably not right.

Thanks, Walt. A bit complex but it works. Kinda still wish there were a doc pref to set the document spelling language like in ID. Small point, but sure would help with importing older done ID/IDML files. As I've said before, when we create our newest docs in APub (which we are now doing, so having a hard time keeping the two workflows/features straight!), we start with defaults already set to the appropriate language, which with a new doc is easy. It's just the importation of docs more than a single page with a bunch of text blocks that are an issue. But at least your workaround makes it possible to fix in short order.

Aha! Now I see! That is a VERY strange way of creating presets! And it now ties to the other thread where it appears that you cannot edit exiting presets. Looks like you have to select the one you want to change, make the changes, then save as the same name, then you have to use the Manage Presets to delete the original and perhaps move the new one into the right order. Quite clumsy and non-intuitive at the moment.

Is this something happening in the latest beta that doesn't happen in the release version?

Unfortunately, the Select All on the imported IDML doesn't do it. In playing with the new beta (549), I see that a Select All does not allow a change to any Grouped text frames/layers. Thus many of the text blocks remain in the wrong spelling language. And unfortunately most of the imported IDML documents won't come in with Text Styles from ID since on many, many shorter docs (less than 6-pages), we seldom used styles. Thus it appears that many text blocks are coming in as No Style, where it appears that we can't set a spelling language for No Style based on what I'm seeing (might be overlooking something obvious). Just wish there were a way to be able to take an imported document like this, or even a pdf imported/opened (although haven't looked at this issue in a pdf yet), and set the spelling language for everything. Very tedious to have to go to each and every text block/frame to check and change the language.

Either I'm not understanding how this works or something isn't right. Here's what I did to test creating and using a custom preset/profile: 1) Create Preset and give it a name; 2) Select that new Profile name in the dropdown; 3) Select Edit Profile; 4) Go through all the listed checks and disable everything except one check; 5) Reselect the new test profile and do a Check Now. However, it proceeds to show me numerous errors from different checks instead of only from the single check I had specified. And I not understanding how to set up a custom check that can remain in the Profile dropdown to run my specified check(s) only? The beta Help on this is VERY unclear about how to do this. Thanks.

Just tried it on an IDML import and works fine. Went to an existing paragraph of text, added a <CR>, then used the Delete key to delete it. Worked okay here.

If it's not in the IDML, then, yes, be great to have an Pref to set for IDML imports. I've learned to reset the option, but other users may not be aware of this and start adding a bunch of resources to an imported IDML without realizing they are being embedded. Thanks.

In playing with a few multi-page IDML imports, I see that I can go to each page, do a Select All, then in the Character panel I can set it to UK English. A bit tedius but doable. Maybe there is an easier way to set a document's dictionary pref???

This may be something obvious that I'm not seeing, but can we set the default spelling dictionary for the imported document? We produce in both UK and US English, but the IDML imports are sometimes coming in as US instead of UK English. I cannot seem to find a place to set the document's default language within APub the way I can in ID. It's probably an obvious thing but I can't seem to find it.

I've noticed that in beta 535 when opening/importing an IDML that the document setup prefs still show Prefer Embedded for resources despite all resources for those docs being linked in the ID and IDML file. Easy to change after import. Assuming a person understands that they will have to do that each time they open an IDML! Hopefully there is a way to have it so that importing an IDML sets the resosurce pref as Linked, not embedded. Even if it can't be "read" from an IDML, still seems it would preferable to hard set it to Linked since I would not think many people have created ID files with embedded resources.

Aha! I thought I remember hearing about it, but when I looked, I didn't try the "Format" selection. Might be an idea for the interface/gui to show that selection with an ellipsis (...) to indicate there is a dialog with options. Then apparently for it to work with missing fonts, needs the fix Sean mentioned. I guess I had hoped that the Font Manager would provide that functionality like in ID. Missing fonts apparently will be an issue with both IDML and PDF importing of previous docs, so an easy method to permanently replace them is critically needed, especially when they are showing as missing (including those that are really there, but IDML and/or APub is not seeing as the same font).

I just redid the ID doc linking to all resources, having made sure all resources had filetype extensions. This time when opening in beta 535, no problems. All resources were found. With this opening in 535, it also cured the issue of several of the resources coming in inside a Picture Frame, but with no controls. This time only one graphic item didn't have any controls, which is a huge improvement. The remaining "mystery" graphic is the "Aero logo-3D-no shad-tiny.eps". Not sure why that is the only one that didn't have any controls. Yes, some of the linked graphics were old and possibly pre OSX. Good test of IDML importing on these old/legacy ID files to see where the issues are in retrieving legacy files like this. A few of our clients' documents were originally created in PageMaker and "refreshed", imported or recreated in ID. And soon they will be "recreated"/refreshed in APub!

Just tried opening that IDML file in beta 535 and it did not crash when using the Locate button in the Font Manager. On replacing missing fonts, I am at a loss on how to do that. In the panel for Find and Replace, I don't see any options for specifying finding a specific font family and style, or replacing fonts with another. With ID, there is the Find Font function that can find fonts throughout the document and permanently replace with another. With the upcoming IDML import, or even with PDF import, it will be a critical function to be able to find and replace all instances of "missing" or undesirable fonts. Without an equivalent Find Font functionality, I'm not seeing any practical way to do this in a somewhat complex text frame document with multiple fonts and locations on multiple pages, etc. Hopefully that will be something that will be available in the final 1.8.

You may have incorrectly posted this to the wrong forum. This is the Publisher beta forum, not the Photo beta forum.