willyt

Python for me. It's used in most other software that has pro scripting now. Others have mentioned graphics software, it's also pretty common in CAD. Also, if you need to do stuff to AppleScript other applications on Mac it's easy to call out to AppleScript from python. Here's a bit of Python code I wrote in my CAD software that takes some regenerated renderings and replaces them in a report using AppleScript:
if os.path.exists(reportDoc): log("Looking for report {} to update".format(self.chosenReport)) script = """ set imgs to {{""}} set replaceList to {{{}}} set reportDoc to POSIX file "{}" set diagramsFolder to "{}" tell application "Pages" activate set the activeDoc to open reportDoc tell activeDoc repeat with theImage in images set theFile to file name of theImage set theFilePath to diagramsFolder & "/" & theFile if file name of theImage is in replaceList then try set file name of theImage to POSIX file theFilePath on error errMsg display dialog "A problem occurred while trying to replace the image: " & theFile end try end if copy theFilePath to end of imgs end repeat end tell end tell get imgs """.format(replaceList, reportDoc, self.diagramsFolder) log("Report {} located".format(self.chosenReport)) p = Popen(['osascript', '-'], stdin=PIPE, stdout=PIPE, stderr=PIPE) stdout, stderr = p.communicate(bytes(script,'UTF-8')) log("{} {} {}".format(p.returncode, stdout, stderr)) If you use javascript you lose access to the whole ecosystem of python packages that can be used to do basically anything. e.g. I've written stuff that takes images taken on my phone and uses a python library to extract the EXIF data to get the lat long and direction and then uses another python library to do GIS calcs to translate them into the coordinate space of my CAD drawing and then uses the python integration in my CAD software to place the lines representing the points and direction of the photos on a site plan. Took me about a day to put that together in python. I have no idea where I would start trying to do that in javascript because, as afar as I am aware, there are no easy to use libraries available to do this stuff in Javascript.

I really need the ability to both name pages, sections, spreads and have the name show up in the Pages Panel.  Right now, although I can name a section, the section name does not show in the Pages Panel, which doesn't help me organize for find necessary sections.
I also need the ability to append/stack multiple pages per spread for three scenarios: 1) gatefolds; 2) brochures; 3) a way to organize section pages in a single spread to more easily manipulate objects within a section.  I use this third scenario a lot when I am working with forms that have to stay together but want all forms to be designed in a single document for easier updates and publishing.
In addition to more than two pages in a spread, I need the ability to have unique page sizes within that, especially for gatefolds/brochures, covers with spines, etc, where I need to account for page creep.

For sure. I think I am looking at it from the point of view of workflow scripting that interacts with other software and files on my machine and probably remote servers. If you were looking at it from the point of view of coding graphics and page layout using a DOM like system without leaving whichever Affinity product you are in then javascript probably makes sense as most people with javascript experience that you will be getting to write code in your graphics apps will be coming from a DOM scripting background. I have to say that I'm already compromising by choosing Python though, Ruby is my favourite. 😅

The main reason why Javascript is in the discussion is that this is what is used in InDesign and the other Adobe creative apps. Many of the people looking for scripting in Affinity apps will no doubt have built scripts in those and so using Javascript would make sense in that there would be an easier transition in that regard. I havn't used Quark in a long time (v6.5) so I have no idea what that uses other than just Applescript.
There are plenty of Javascript libraries out there, for example https://github.com/exif-js/exif-js - however, that is where the argument for Javascript does fall down in that because Adobe's Javascript implementation hasn't been updated in well over a decade you cannot actually use any Javascript libraries because they are all using newer features that break in Adobe's environment. For example when I built my last large InDesign script I needed something to write tests in - the best I could manage was getting 14 tests running in Jasmine before it would die.
I don't know Python but that's only because I have not yet had a need to learn it. If we get Python-based scripting in Affinity then great, I guess I will have a reason to learn it. I just feel like the focus really needs to be on making sure that whatever implementation is chosen gives us the depth comparable (or better) to that of InDesign as opposed to the half-assed implementation of Acrobat Professional.

Is there the ability export and import master pages?
Could NOT find it.

Been doing that.
Maybe a future feature.
Been converting a lot of my books from InDesign and several have the same master pages. Would be nice to be able to simply load from a common file.

In illustrator and lots of other software you can choose the point about which you want to rotate or scale something. I don't seem to be able to do this in Affinity. I would really like this feature.
 
Best
Will

Hi I'm Will from Scotland
 
I'm an Architect and have used Adobe Illustrator quite a bit over the years for doing architectural illustrations. We can't justify the expense of renting Illustrator/Indesign/Photoshop for occasional use; we are desperate for a serious replacement for Adobe CS and it looks like you might be on to something here.
 
By the way, in architecture school, we do a lot of intensive illustration work. You might consider giving away free copies to students. A lot of practices license Adobe CS because students who figured out how to use it at Uni have persuaded them its required to do good illustration / colour reports / rendering post production etc. If you can go in and get them hooked on your products instead, they will then go on to demand that practices buy it when they get a job. I noticed that some of the developers are based in Nottingham, UK. It's worth having a look at the degree shows at the top schools like the the Bartlett School of Architecture and the Royal College of Art to see how your software might be used in this industry.
 
All the best,
Will

In illustrator you can select something and then select everything else which has the same fill or stroke colour. This feature in illustrator is quite limited compared to CAD software. Affinity does't need anything as complicated as a CAD program but some kind of select by attributes feature would be great and it would be easy to make it better thought out than the one in illustrator.
 
Thanks,
W

Hi willyt,
This was already requested. And Affinity team confirmed it's coming. It may not be ready for 1.0 release, but it's coming as a free update.