nwhit

I think there is a problem with the importing of the ID master pages, so hopefully that can be sorted out in future betas or the final.
Also, if it's of any help, be aware that there is a script provided that creates IDML files from ID files without the need for ID itself. Can do a single or multiple files, plus it's free. You can find it on the Publisher forum in that looooooooooooong thread on Opening InDesign files (can't remember exactly where it is, but a search should turn it up). Someone provided it and it works fine.

Also notice that after a restart of the app, the New doc window expands full-size, which on a 27" screen is waaaaaaaaaaay too large. I would think that once the window is resized by the user, that size should be retained/sticky even after a restart. 

My feelings for improvements on the "New" window/pane:
1. Agree, should be resizable.
2. Recent Items and Templates tabs should be off/collapsed by default. Recent Items are more commonly/intuitively accessed through the File menu (although it's nice to be able to access them in the New panel); and creating a new doc from the Templates would be less common than using Presets. Thus for visual clarity, speed, etc., nice to have those collapsed. 
3. User-created Presets should be at the top of the top-most pane. Most people will want to set up their own "complete" presets for common projects/docs, thus it would be faster/easier to have those topmost.
4. As mentioned, should be able to select and designate a Preset as the default, which would be selected initially when opening the New window/pane. Many users do a reasonable amount of work with a standard layout (for them). Again, ease of use and speed.
 
Love the new flexibility and options of the "New" dialog, but think there are some good improvements to be made for ease of use, intuitiveness and speed. Thanks!

Thanks! I've tried it in the beta and so far it seems like it's exactly what was needed. Looks like it will solve our issue.

Narrowed the issue.
Looks like this is not an IDML or beta 518 bug. I just tried this in 1.7.3 and now see that I can't insert a cursor within a text frame that is linked to the one where I did a Select All. In the docs we've created to date with Publisher, my best guess is that we have used multi-column text frames as opposed to linked text frames. 
But not sure that this is not a bug Publisher. I would think that if you are working in docs with linked text frames that you should be able to select all text for linked text frames, apply formatting, etc., then click within any of the linked frames and have it clear the Select All.
As it is now, after doing a Select All within one of the linked text frames, you can click the cursor in another of the linked text frames as many times as you want and it will not insert the cursor nor clear the Select All of the text shared by the linked text frames. I can see that with our upcoming work where we will now be importing older IDML files that will most certainly have linked text frames (as opposed to multi-column text frames due to the import process), we will VERY often be doing a Select All of all linked text in order to apply formatting, etc. Just makes sense that we could then click within any of the linked text frames to reinsert the cursor rather than having to remember which text frame we started in (with the Select All). With multiple linked text frames on a page, it can be difficult to remember which frame the Select All was done in, thereby making a person wonder why he can't get the cursor to insert within a text frame! (An idiot like me, for example!)
Thanks. At least I've narrowed down the issue. Hopefully it can show up in future fixes.

After fixing the issues described above, I do have to say that the file turned out 100% accurate with no adjustments required (other than the problems itemized in previous posts), and the pdf-x4 seems to be identical to the original ID file submitted to the printer previously. While this is a simple single page advert, I am impressed that it can be done! 
Thanks! Looks like we're on the way! 
WWT Wastewater Conference Delegate Pack 2019 - v2.idml.pdf

Just tried a 4-page cmyk-print brochure (2-sided A3 facing pages). I see that a benefit of the IDML import vs. pdf is the ability to keep text blocks discrete and in place, and linked blocks stay linked for proper flow, even across pages/spreads. Text is not combined into odd blocks like with pdf opening. 
Minor cleanup involved redoing a few wraps, relinking/updating in RM the PS-cmyk images ( a known bug), and tidying up the bottoms of text blocks for matching paragraph ends/positioning. Also need to change the Document setup to 300 dpi (it creates the new doc at 72 dpi for some reason, but easy to change).
Again, very encouraging. And while not a complete solution for everyone, it is quite encouraging how well it is working in this initial beta. It's just getting a lot of it right. Yes, still a fairly simple project but a common project for us over the years.

As a comment, I just tried the IDML import on a single page A4 magazine advert with lultiple pics, type, graphics, lines, blocks, layers. Despite a few glitches (itemized in the Beta forum), the import was 100% accurate with no adjustments needed (other than the glitches mentioned). Type, pictures, graphics, lines, etc. all imported 100% accurate. While the process still has bugs to be worked out (had a couple crash issues), I have to say that I am impressed that I could effectively take an ID file and get an APub file with a th exported PDF x4 that was same as the ID that had been submitted to the printer previously. 
Obviously, more complex documents are going to expose multiple issues with the import process. But for many production houses like ours, this will certainly allow us to work with our years of older client files. And the import was significantly better than what we get with opening a pdf version due to the text frame issues, layers, etc. with opening pdfs. We've successfully been using the open pdf capability, but from this test, I can see that the IDML might have some advantages in some cases.
Just providing some initial feedback and not suggesting the ID import issue is 100% solved. But it has taken an important step forward. 

When trying to add multiple links in a document (v 1.7.3), cannot see the full hyperlinks, thereby making it very difficult to select the desired link from the dropdown. The popup should either be resizable or at least have a hover tooltip that shows the entire link. In many documents the links simply are too long to show in the rather small dropdown pane. As it is now, required to select each hyperlink one at a time, then use the arrow key to move the insert cursor to the right in order to read the link. Very tiresome when doing a lot of links in a simple document.
Thanks.
 

When trying to add multiple links in a document (v 1.7.3), cannot see the full hyperlinks, thereby making it very difficult to select the desired link from the dropdown. The popup should either be resizable or at least have a hover tooltip that shows the entire link. In many documents the links simply are too long to show in the rather small dropdown pane. As it is now, required to select each hyperlink one at a time, then use the arrow key to move the insert cursor to the right in order to read the link. Very tiresome when doing a lot of links in a simple document.
Thanks.
 

SOLVED! Stumbled across the Layer/New Live Filter/Depth of Field Filter. This is, essentially, the typical and common blur vignette, but also has the option for the "Tiny Town"/Tilt-Shift effect. 
 
IMPORTANT: Took me a while to figure out why I was getting a white border around my picture after applying the filter. Apparently you need to check the Preserve Alpha option in the adjustment pane. Not covered in the Help, but found a reference to it in the forum.

As per the thread below, many are concerned that even in the latest Affinity betas any changes made in APub via SL to a linked file, the changes made within SL are not saved to the original APh or AD file, nor is the newly modified graphic changed to an embedded file. Just curious when/if this will be addressed so that we can really start to use this potentially great feature. I was hoping to see this in 1.7.2 but in testing today, still not working.
 

As per the thread below, many are concerned that even in the latest Affinity betas any changes made in APub via SL to a linked file, the changes made within SL are not saved to the original APh or AD file, nor is the newly modified graphic changed to an embedded file. Just curious when/if this will be addressed so that we can really start to use this potentially great feature. I was hoping to see this in 1.7.2 but in testing today, still not working.
 

Was replying to OP that there was no problem with text wrap for me in the new beta.

I kind of assumed that. Really wished it worked like so many other Mac apps. The reason for this "desire" is that it is not uncommon to mistype (or even misthink!!) a file name when originally saving, thus requiring a file name change. Hate to have to close the file, go to the Finder to change the name, then manually reopen the file with the new name (since the Recent Files dialog won't work after a file name change. Also saves having to do a Save As, then remembering to trash the old file later.
Over the years, have had to do these Finder file name changes many, many times, and for a few other reasons as well. Always been simple on a Mac with apps automatically updating with the changed file name. 
The other worry I have is that if a person is not aware of this "limitation",  and they do change the Finder file name, they may not be aware that changes made to the open file from then on will be a a newly created file using the original name, which may be quite different than the original name. And while I cannot say for sure, that might possibly lose Undos and History in the process. And it could create confusion when later looking for the correct and latest version of the file if the file name change is significant, thus putting it out of sequence in the Finder and Open dialogs. 
Don't know how tough it is to get this to work, but seems other apps do it reliably, so perhaps worth thinking about. Or at least providing some type of warning dialog if someone does this, and before the app "secretly" creates a new file with the old name (you won't know this until much later when you try to open the new file name and discover it's not the latest version).
Thanks.

Works correctly! Thanks!

I did that for sending the file to you so that you'd have the images that are normally linked (as per a common instruction prior to uploading a problem file). Have been doing some more work this weekend with the new beta and have not had a reoccurrence of the crash when opening other files, so maybe a one-off for whatever reason.

As per my other post on the newest beta speed improvements, with the new 1.7.2 betas, my speed is massively faster than 1.6.x or 1.7.1. And that's processing 24MP RAW 3-bracket HDR merging, tone mapping, plus other touch-up tools, then custom export. 
High Sierra, iMac 2017 i5, Radeon Pro 580 8192 MB, Metal display and compute.
Cleared up the slowness with the 1.7.2 betas and made it significantly faster than 1.6.7. In fact, too fast for me to even get some coffee drinking done while I work!   (I typically do several hundred of these RAW develop/merge/tone map/touch up/exports a day, so am very familiar with typical speeds.) 

As per my other post on the newest beta speed improvements, with the new 1.7.2 betas, my speed is massively faster than 1.6.x or 1.7.1. And that's processing 24MP RAW 3-bracket HDR merging, tone mapping, plus other touch-up tools, then custom export. 
High Sierra, iMac 2017 i5, Radeon Pro 580 8192 MB, Metal display and compute.
Cleared up the slowness with the 1.7.2 betas and made it significantly faster than 1.6.7. In fact, too fast for me to even get some coffee drinking done while I work!   (I typically do several hundred of these RAW develop/merge/tone map/touch up/exports a day, so am very familiar with typical speeds.) 

Just did a group of 100 RAW/NEF pics, processed, cropped, tone mapped and custom exported. I used to be able to get some coffee drinking done and checking email etc. during each stage! Now APh is TOO FAST! I'm not even getting my coffee consumption where it needs to be! 
Thanks for getting this version working so much faster! 

Just did a group of 100 RAW/NEF pics, processed, cropped, tone mapped and custom exported. I used to be able to get some coffee drinking done and checking email etc. during each stage! Now APh is TOO FAST! I'm not even getting my coffee consumption where it needs to be! 
Thanks for getting this version working so much faster! 

Just did a group of 100 RAW/NEF pics, processed, cropped, tone mapped and custom exported. I used to be able to get some coffee drinking done and checking email etc. during each stage! Now APh is TOO FAST! I'm not even getting my coffee consumption where it needs to be! 
Thanks for getting this version working so much faster! 

Just did a group of 100 RAW/NEF pics, processed, cropped, tone mapped and custom exported. I used to be able to get some coffee drinking done and checking email etc. during each stage! Now APh is TOO FAST! I'm not even getting my coffee consumption where it needs to be! 
Thanks for getting this version working so much faster! 

Just did a group of 100 RAW/NEF pics, processed, cropped, tone mapped and custom exported. I used to be able to get some coffee drinking done and checking email etc. during each stage! Now APh is TOO FAST! I'm not even getting my coffee consumption where it needs to be! 
Thanks for getting this version working so much faster! 

Just did a group of 100 RAW/NEF pics, processed, cropped, tone mapped and custom exported. I used to be able to get some coffee drinking done and checking email etc. during each stage! Now APh is TOO FAST! I'm not even getting my coffee consumption where it needs to be! 
Thanks for getting this version working so much faster!