Burny

Hi All,
We have just made a new build available of a 2.5.0 beta live - version 2.5.0.2415 - This was created to address improve the new features announced in this post
The fix list for this build is here
There is one very significant change in that Variable Fonts are supported in this beta for the first time
  Ash

Is there a complete list of all the Payload structure options available for QR Codes, e.g., email, MMS, vCard etc., or is it restricted to URL, SMS, GEO Location and WIFI?

Hi All,
Below is the list of all new feature and improvements which are included in the 2.5 beta (bug fix list is available here).
To learn more about these features please click on the link to go to each feature's dedicated post. To give feedback or report bugs against any of these features please reply to that same post (also check out bug reporting and feedback tips).
Variable Fonts  Line Width Tool Pencil Tool Improvements QR Code Object "Default preset" for grid Typography Dialog turned into a Panel Other Improvements Getting the 2.5 beta
If you have not enrolled into the beta program yet and would like to take part, you can do so here. This will immediately give you access to the latest 2.5 beta builds to try for yourself.
If you are already enrolled in the beta program you have two options:
1. If you still have the 2.4 beta installed, you can now run up those beta versions and you will be prompted to update them to the 2.4 beta.
2. If you have uninstalled the 2.4 beta, you will need to go back to Your Account -> Downloads and product keys and find your previous order for the Affinity Beta Software Program, and you can download the 2.5 beta from there.
Thanks,
Ash

There are a few other minor improvements to mention in 2.5:
1. Some new cameras have been added to LibRAW:
FujiFilm X100VI Leica SL3 Pentax KF (Rioch) Samsung Galaxy S23+ Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Sony ILCE-9M3 (A9 III) [improved] 2. As was requested in a few places before and on the last beta, when you have "Transform objects separately" checked and have a multi-selection, if you type a value in either the width or height field and precede it with an equals sign (e.g. H: '=100px') then it will set all objects in that selection to have that specific width or height value entered. This is opposed to scaling the other objects in your selection proportionally based on the key object which is he result you get without the equals sign.
3. DWG polylines import improvements
We have made some substantial improvements when importing polylines, which now ignores the cached points which AutoCAD creates. This simplifies the resulting curves substantially.

Apps: Designer
Platforms: macOS, Windows and iPad
Affinity Designer now includes a new width tool which is available by default alongside the pencil tool in your toolbar:

The Line Width Tool gives you an on-document way of editing the pressure profile of any curve. For example the curve below has 3 pressure points (5 including the start and end pressure). While in the Line Width tool the position of those points are shown along the curve, and you have the ability to drag to change the width and position of them. 
You can also click to add a new pressure point, or double click to remove any pressure point on a curve.

There are various modifiers available which you can see in the status bar:
Shift + Drag - allows you to modify the width at any point without adjusting it's position
Cmd (Mac) / Ctrl (Win) + Click - manually enter the width required at the chosen point
Ctrl (Mac) / Ctrl (Win) + Drag - move the point position without adjusting the width
Double click - remove pressure point
Additionally you will find some other options in the context toolbar when using this tool:

Adjust Line Weight - if this is turned on then should you drag the width of any point to be greater than the current line width (i.e. greater than 100% pressure) the line width will be increased to allow you to drag the width unrestricted. If it is turned off then the maximum width you can drag to is 100% of the set line width.
Allow point reordering - This option allows to you to specify whether you want to allow the tool to drag one point past another along the curve, effectively swapping their order, or not.
Snap to curve nodes - This will show any nodes on the curve as small white dots and will snap any pressure points to those nodes
Snap to widths on same curve - this will snap the width at any pressure point on a curve to other widths which already exist on that curve. This only applies when holding shift (i.e. you are adjusting the width without altering the point position).
Snap to curve geometry - this will snap the width to the geometry of any selected curves (again if you are holding shift). 

Apps: All
Platforms: macOS, Windows and iPad
A new QR Code tool is now available from the shapes flyout in the toolbar, making it easy to add a QR code to your documents. 
After creating or selecting a QR Code object you will find a 'Payload' option in the context toolbar. Here you can type whatever URL you want the QR code to link to when it is scanned.


In addition to URLs you can use other syntax as detailed below to have the QR code trigger other functions when scanned by a device:
SMS
Payload structure: SMSTO:number:text message
Eg. SMSTO:07513123456:Hello mate!
GEO location
Payload structure: GEO:lat:lon:height
Eg. GEO:40.71872,-73.98905,100
WIFI credentials
Payload structure: WIFI:S:ssid;T:type;P:password;;
Eg. WIFI:S:MyWiFiSSID;T:WPA;P:MyPassW0rd;;

Tested in both 2.0.4 and in 1.x versions, and the issue seems to be the same. This is both worrying and reassuring: it looks like a ported error from some core programming of the app, but at the same time this can narrow the options and speed up discovering why and what's not working. So, devs... please dig!

The issue (tested in Designer, but presumably it may be in all apps): a character can't be made subscript. However, it can be made superscript. The toggle works, but there is no change on the screen.

There are more posts on this forum about this feature, but none in the bug report area, as I could see.
Please fix this ASAP.
 

You can also find details of the four pledges we are making to our community here

Hi All,

I am thrilled to announce that Affinity is joining the Canva family.
This is a moment of great excitement, anticipation, and profound gratitude for all of you who have been part of our story so far. 
We know that those of you who’ve put your faith in Affinity, some since we launched our very first Mac app, will have questions about what this means for the future of our products. Since the inception of Affinity, our mission has been to empower creatives with tools that unleash their full potential, fostering a community where innovation and artistry flourish. We've worked tirelessly to challenge the status quo, delivering professional-grade creative software that is both accessible and affordable. 
None of that changes today.
In Canva, we’ve found a kindred spirit who can help us take Affinity to new levels. Their extra resources will mean we can deliver much more, much faster. Beyond that, we can forge new horizons for Affinity products, opening up a world of possibilities which previously would never have been achievable. 
Canva’s revolutionary approach to design democratisation and commitment to empowering everyone to create aligns perfectly with our core values and vision. This union is a testament to what can be achieved when two companies that share a common goal of making design accessible and enjoyable for everyone come together. 
I want to express my deepest gratitude to our incredible Affinity team. Your passion, dedication, and relentless pursuit of excellence have been the driving force behind our success so far, and I can’t wait to continue this journey with you all. 
To our loyal users and the creative community, your support and feedback have been invaluable. You’ve inspired us to push boundaries and continuously improve, and we’re excited to embark on this new chapter together. 
The future is bright, and I am incredibly excited to continue our story together and create a world where design is within everyone's reach.
With heartfelt thanks,
Ash
For more information...
We have made four pledges to the Affinity community which you can read here. We have included some FAQs at the bottom of the announcement article here. A video message from me with some more background is on YouTube here. This announcement post is locked, but I have included a duplicate of it in the questions forum here which you can respond to.

We are pleased to announce version 2.4.1 updates for the Affinity Suite on all platforms.
Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo and Affinity Publisher (on macOS, Windows, and iOS) have been updated to add some lessons (where the samples are found) for beginners to Photo and Designer on all OSs. Lessons for Publisher will follow soon. Apart from adding "Lessons" there have been some minor help and translations improvements, and 2.4.2 will follow shortly including fixes. The more comprehensive release notes for 2.4.0 can be found in this thread, which I recommend you follow to be notified of all V2 patches.
UPDATING TO THIS VERSION (for existing V2 customers)
Updates on macOS for Affinity Store Purchases
The software version can be seen on the splash screen and the About dialog (in application menu, for example Affinity Photo > About...).
If you’ve purchased from the Affinity Store— each time you start the software it will check for updates and offer to download and install any available update, or in the application main menu there is an option Check for Updates. You can download the latest installer by logging into the affinity store here and find the order in your account and use the "download" button in there. 
Alternatively the full Affinity Store installers are also available here:
Affinity Designer 2 on macOS: All Affinity Store builds of Affinity Designer 2 for macOS can be downloaded from this link Affinity Photo 2 on macOS: All Affinity Store builds of Affinity Photo 2 for macOS can be downloaded from this link  Affinity Publisher 2 on macOS: All Affinity Store builds of Affinity Publisher 2 for macOS can be downloaded from this link  =========================================================================
Updates on macOS through the Mac App Store
The software version can be seen on the splash screen and the About dialog (in application menu for example, Affinity Photo > About...).
If you’ve purchased from the Mac App Store— updates are done automatically next time you run your software after it is available in the Mac App Store. If this does not happen for you, open the Mac App Store app and go to the Updates page and then Store > Reload page or press CMD+R. This should hopefully force the update to show. Apple sometimes phase roll outs around the world which can mean it may take up to 72 hours for your update to be available.
=========================================================================
Updates on Windows for Affinity Store Purchases
The software version can be seen on the splash screen and the About dialog (for example in Help > About...).
If you’ve purchased from the Affinity Store— each time you start the software it will check for updates and offer to download and install any available update, or in the application main menu there is an option Check for Updates. You can download the latest installer by logging into the affinity store here and find the order in your account and use the "download" button in there. 
Alternatively the full Affinity Store installers are also available here:
Affinity Designer on Windows: All previous builds of Affinity Designer for Windows can be downloaded from this link Affinity Photo on Windows: All Affinity Store builds of Affinity Photo for Windows can be downloaded from this link Affinity Publisher on Windows: All previous builds of Affinity Publisher for Windows can be downloaded from this link =========================================================================
Updates on Windows through the Microsoft Store
The software version can be seen on the splash screen and the About dialog (for example in Help > About...).
If you’ve purchased from the Microsoft Store— Microsoft Store updates are done automatically by the operating system (each time you start the application). If this does not happen for you, open the Windows Store app and click the three dots in the top right corner of the app and then go to Downloads and Updates. Click Get Updates. This should hopefully force the update to show.
=========================================================================
Updates on iPads
The software version can be seen on the corner of Preferences screen.
Your Affinity iPad apps should update automatically next time you run them. However, you do need to be logged in with the same Apple ID you used to buy them.
If the automatic update does not happen for you, go to the iPad App Store app and go to Updates. Once you’re there, tap near the top of the screen where it states 'Updates' and then hold, pull down and then release. This should manually refresh the updates page. However, don’t contact us if the updates are not available for you yet—Apple sometimes phase roll outs around the world and this can take up to 24 hours.
=========================================================================
The more comprehensive release notes for the last release v2.4.0 can be found in this thread, which I recommend you follow to be notified of all V2 patches.

Here's a list of the bugs which have been fixed in the beta build 2.4.0 (2256)
(fixes since the post above for 2.4.0.2240)
Please reply in this forum to comment on any fixes which are in this list (in particular to let us know if you notice that something we say is fixed isn't!) To report any new bugs please do that against the relevant new feature post, or if unrelated to new functionality in the Other bugs & issues forum.
Changes/Bugs affecting all platforms
DWG/DXF Export options not available in Designer Persona AF-1809  Align & Space horizontal / vertical: not possible to set key object if Auto-Select is set to Objects or Groups AF-1720 Set/cycle Selection box - offset using pixel layer selection AF-1713 Malformed names of ICC profiles could be embedded in PDF-X exports AF-1883 Align & Space horizontal / vertical: not possible to set key object if Auto-Select is set to Objects or Groups AF-1720 Help and translation updates for all apps & OSs Bugs affecting Desktop (Windows and macOS)
Unable to select child objects inside Open Curves with no fill. AF-464 Setting DXF/DWG options in the Export Persona and saving with History will corrupt a document AF-1871 Brightness/Contrast linear adjustment can export incorrectly to PNG HDR AF-1793 Bounding Box shows incorrectly on a resized picture frame when using 'Lock Children' AF-1757 Crash when trying to export book with lock files present for chapters Layer states > Add "Layer" container to Layer type list AF-1762 Layer States - long state names cause the UI to get pushed off AF-1463 Bugs affecting Windows
Opening multiple release chapters in a book in a Windows beta causes a crash Layer states not working in Pixel Persona AF-1857     Export dialog > Values are reset back to a preset after re-opening the dialog AF-1849 Mask icon has no tooltip on Layer States > Queries on Windows AF-1760     Right clicking inside a text frame will trigger an app crash if the document window is floated AF-1604     Layer States: Category tab border is the same colour as the States Panel border AF-1518 Layer States: Filling the 'Layer name is' field can push the UI out the panel AF-1490 Layer States: Tooltips are not translated AF-1492 Layer States: Inherited tags are not considered by the query AF-1745 Bugs affecting macOS
Last renamed style name is not saved, Style returns to default name on restart         Live Luminosity or Hue Range Masks no longer function AF-1750 Export persona > Path components pop-up is too short AF-1495 Drag-dropping a masked child layer out to the parent stack without releasing the mouse button causes a crash AF-977 Layer States: Text labels clipped using Large Font UI Size AF-1725 Layer States: Able to check the Layer types if the Layer types checkbox isn't enabled AF-1517 Layer States Panel: Text labels are not clickable on macOS AF-1456 Layer States Panel queries text are different sizes AF-141 Bugs affecting iPad
No iOS specific fixes this release 

Hi All,
Below is the list of all new feature and improvements which are included in the 2.4 beta (bug fix list is available here).
To learn more about these features please click on the link to go to each feature's dedicated post. To give feedback or report bugs against any of these features please reply to that same post (also check out bug reporting and feedback tips).
Layer States added to Affinity Designer and Affinity Publisher DWG and DXF Export added to Affinity Designer Set Selection Box Double click / tap to switch from node to move tool Filename available as variable in Export Persona Ability to lock insertion target Space modifier for Lock Children Space Horizontal / Vertical now considers key object Size / Rotate objects to same 32-bit HDR PNG support added (PNG Third Edition) Additional RAW format support Getting the 2.4 beta
If you have not enrolled into the beta program yet and would like to take part, you can do so here. This will immediately give you access to the latest 2.4 beta builds to try for yourself.
If you are already enrolled in the beta program you have two options:
1. If you still have the 2.3 beta installed, you can now run up those beta versions and you will be prompted to update them to the 2.3 beta.
2. If you have uninstalled the 2.3 beta, you will need to go back to Your Account -> Downloads and product keys and find your previous order for the Affinity Beta Software Program, and you can download the 2.4 beta from there.
Thanks,
Ash

Apps: All
Platforms: Windows, macOS and iPad
Within alignment options you will see three new options to make all items in your current selection adopt the same width, height or rotation. By default this will transform all objects to match the first item selected, or alternatively if a key object has been nominated (alt-click) it will use that as the source.
Additionally you can choose to maintain the aspect ratio of the objects being resized.
On desktop this is available via the alignment dropdown:

And on iPad via the alignment options panel which you can get to via the transform panel:

 

Apps: All
Platforms: Windows, macOS and iPad
We have now added the ability to lock all insertion targets (Behind, On Top and Inside) in all apps. This is activated by holding Alt when pressing either of those buttons in the toolbar. This is particularly useful for those who like working from top to bottom in the layer stack, meaning you can now lock Insert Behind on so all new objects you create are inserted below the current selection.
The insertion target buttons are available in the top toolbar on Windows and macOS:

And can be found in the edit menu on iPad as shown below. On iPad you can lock these either by holding Alt when you tap on the appropriate option (from command controller or attached keyboard), or alternatively by long pressing on the button.

Apps: All
Platforms: macOS, Windows and iPad
Previously when you cycled your selection box this was only a temporary operation. You can now make this permanent...
From the select menu there are two options:
- Cycle selection box (this was the existing option)
- Set selection box (the new option)

Also note the shortcut for these - [Full Stop] to cycle and [CMD + Full Stop] to set on macOS and iPad or [Ctrl + Full Stop] to set on Windows.
The new feature is that after cycling to the selection box you want you can now permanently set that for your current selection by using the Set Selection Box command.
In the example below, I have two shapes which are rotated by the same amount. Therefore when they are selected by default the selection box is oriented to match the shape's rotation. Now if I want to permanently make those shapes have a selection box which is oriented to my page I can cycle to regular bounds and then Set Selection Box, which will now make that persist every time I select those items in future.

 
A couple of other notes on this feature:
As well as cycling to the base box and regular bounds of an object, if you have a grid set which has a different rotation to your page (or, are working on an isometric plane for example) you will additionally get the option to cycle and set the selection box to be aligned with the the current planar bounds of the selection. If you have a multiple selection which includes objects rotated by different amounts, if you wish to set your selection box for all objects in your selection to match the orientation of one of them you can set the one you want to match to be your key object. Then when you cycle your selection box the "base box" option will match that object's rotation.  
 

Here's a list of some of the bugs which have been fixed in beta build 2.4.0.2222, since 2.3.1 (2217)
Please reply in this forum only to comment on any fixes which are in this list (in particular to let us know if you notice that something we say is fixed isn't!) To report any new bugs please do that against the relevant new feature post, or if unrelated to new functionality in the Other New Bugs and Issues in the Betas forum.
(A) Bug fixes which affected all platforms 
SVG crashing app when Opening/Placing    [AF-286] Deleting a sync'd subcategory will move assets to an uncategorised subcategory on a different machine   Raw file renders some files with a purple cast  [AF-1571, AF-1593] Some ASE palette files fail to import correctly, no name or colours.  Exporting to PDF fails when document contains a BMP with transparency   [AF-751] Changing Language of text and updating Text Style does not remove red squiggly spellcheck lines under text in a separate frame until reopening file  [AF-50] Some TGA files opens with the wrong colours [AF-547] TGA Export and Import is inverting a single pixel value [AF-478] Large TIFF file opens with half the design cut off and a transparent canvas [AF-630] Layer Effects, 3D Effect: setting Fill Opacity to 0% doesn't turn the fill transparent [AF-1668] (B) Bug fixes which affected Desktop (Windows and macOS)
Transform Origin with multiple objects on a multipage document causes the origin point to jump around the page when moved.   Custom filler text is applied to all categories of English filler text   [AF-372] Creating artboard in embedded document breaks both the embedded and parent file   [AF-549] Enable Transform Origin for 2 node line objects are offset from the object on multi-page spreads   [AF-253] Find and Replace panel - Fields tags remain untranslated   [AF-1396] Users Docx file, Bullet points not importing   [AF-1269] Running headers incorrectly imported in Designer  [AF-1320] Edit Wrap Outline remains enabled when switching to the Move Tool, then back to the Node Tool without deselecting the object  [AF-1344] Edit in Publisher errors and file closes after exporting a Password Protected PDF in Export Persona   [User File] Exporting to PDF does not complete, locks up app. Embedded PDF in file appears to be missing all data.  [AF-624] Updating Linked resource in-app does not visually update linked file, remains as 'OK' in resource manager with no option to update    Exporting to PDF with Endnotes set to End of Book correctly Hyperlink from note number in story text to Endnote, but not from Endnote back to note in story text   [AF-709] Scrolling Pixabay results in a Connection failed message   Variable text field in running header does not export to PDF [AF-1583] Importing PDF crashes macOS, 'File Type Not Supported' error on Windows - (OCR related) [AF-1498] Crash when right-clicking a misspelt word after navigating to the spelling mistake through Preflight [AF-1489] File exports with error if rasterising nothing with tagging enabled  Outer Shadow FX set to Darken blend modes not export to PDF correctly, unless X-1 or X-3 is used [AF-1337] It's possible to set Show in Both Panels for character text styles [AF-740] [User File] Placing DXF file crashes Windows, creates a 0x0 size object on macOS [AF-1488] Redraw issue in Develop persona when undoing blemish removal tool with clarity set [AF-1140] Redraw issue in Develop persona when undoing Red eye removal tool [AF-1143] Outline FX, Fill Style > Contour: changing the Gradient Mid Point does nothing in Affinity Photo [AF-1636] (C) Bugs fixed which specifically affected Windows
Customer cannot see custom Curves Adjustments after updating to 2.3.0  [AF-1430] Crash when switching between PSD export options    [User File] Embedded PSD cannot be Collected or Linked, after Linking all other resources in 2 files, zooming in the document causes a hard crash  [AF-722] Closing/Opening an app is slow to Remove/Add the instance onto the Send Document dialog   The Font search box can expand to fill the width of the context toolbar when typing  [AF-56] Preflight Profile Editor cannot be resized on Windows   Renaming Nested Anchors Moves them  [AF-1278] User file - app hard crashes when undoing unit change   Hyperlink panel clips descenders in text   Closing app with Book & Chapter documents open simultaneously prompts twice for Book   Book chapters open as read only after being printed   Edit Brush icon in Brushes Studio does not function    Adjusting Spiral Tool's angle sliders with 6 decimal places seems off.    My Add-ons Font filter doesn't show any results on Windows   [AF-1296] Text Frame Panel: Stroke: None is clipped in German    Styles Panel: Remove Category should be Delete Category   [AF-1299] Crash dragging a table   Custom filler text entrybox is too small on Windows Locating missing resource on file load incorrectly reports them as missing in pre-flight check. [AF-1471] ASE Palettes do not import as Spot colours [AF-1428] .Afbook files cannot be exported with bleed included [AF-1349] Certain custom date formulas from XLSX are not importing correctly into fields [AF-1284] Selection Brush Tool Mode icon remains on Subtract, even though the tool has reset to Add [AF-1062] Single clicking (not dragging) a Quick Shape label will make an entry appear in the History Panel File > New Batch Job > Add defaults Explorer to use 'Affinity Files' extensions only [AF-1426] Character Panel - 'Outline' numerical value does not update when adjusting the slider [AF-1640] Export Persona 'Export Options' Studio Preset list is incorrectly Centre Aligned Anchor list now uses grey text, which makes entries appear disabled [AF-1685] Keyboard input should be ignored when floating dialogs are open [AF-1224] Manually changing the % scaling of a placed resource results in unexpected values [AF-388] Customise tools list is incorrectly labelled [AF-1421] Opening FIT/FITS files directly causes an app crash [AF-507] (D) Bugs fixed which specifically affected macOS
Affinity Store linked content in My Add Ons doesn't have a white heading on macOS  [AF-1297] App Window Disappears after disconnecting and re-connecting an external monitor between app sessions [AF-417] Place Image Panel doesn't show when drag drop multiple images while holding Option [AF-1004] Updating a global colour applied to objects across multiple chapters fails to update the objects when synchronising  [AF-656] Full screen app then close and reopen causes UI to appear behind OS menu bar and dock.   [AF-315] Exporting to PDF from Book panel fails to generate preview.   Text frame ruler flickers when adjusting the text indent on multi-column frames which span >1 page  [AF-1251] Text doesn't reflow when adding/removing items in a group   Renaming Anchors without pressing enter after renaming can cause edited anchors to revert to old name [AF-1544] Text using PostScript Type 1 outline fonts are being converted to curves when exporting to PDF [AF-1387] Shift click not working in hyperlink panel [AF-1212] Crash when clicking Sync Before after enabling Noise Reduction [AF-1419] Layer FX- Bevel/Emboss default blend modes display the incorrect blend mode [AF-1381] Live Masks- Manually entering a value into the blur radius field and pressing Enter ignores the entered value [AF-526] Affinity Photo crashes if the windows is closed before developing a RAW file [AF-1408] (E) Bugs fixed which specifically affected iPad
"Next" style is not being applied Add Distribute Horizontally/Vertically to Transform Panel's Alignment Options  Behaviour when placing two or more text files via drag and drop is different than Document menu > Place If you have reported a bug and it is not yet fixed, please do not report it again. More fixes will be made during the 2.4 beta cycle.

Hi All,
I’m pleased to say that we will be pushing 2.3 live to retail this morning. The beta versions were updated yesterday to the same build (2.3.0.2165) as detailed in Patrick’s post here. This means the beta versions are in effect exactly the same as the retail versions we will push so you can keep them installed if you wish. 
As always it’s been a pleasure working with you all on this release and cannot thank you enough for all the bug reports and other feedback you have given. I mentioned at the start of this beta we are working towards a shorter cadence between updates to help us release improvements and bug fixes sooner - and I hope you agree this has worked very well.
With that in mind we will be starting 2.4 beta very shortly (hopefully in just a couple of weeks). Looking forward to seeing you all on here for that!
Thanks again,
Ash

Hi All,
An update to the 2.3 beta has just been pushed, and should be available to you now / shortly on auto update. Fix list for this build is available here.
Thanks,
Ash
 

Hi All,
Below is the list of all new feature and improvements which are included in the 2.3 beta (bug fix list is available here).
To learn more about these features please click on the link to go to each feature's dedicated post. To give feedback or report bugs against any of these features please reply to that same post (also check out bug reporting and feedback tips).
• Move Data Entry improvements
• New tags panel for adding Alt Text to images and objects
• Spiral Tool
• Ability to change Asset Panel background colour
• Fields now available in Find and Replace
• Pixel grid added
• "Keep selected" preference now available in Pencil Tool
• Create and place password protected PDFs
I should say in general we are now aiming to do slightly smaller updates more regularly than before so we can test and release in smaller chunks. This will allow us to get improvements and fixes out quicker, as well as having overall benefit to the stability of the apps.
The beta phase will now be shorter (4-6 weeks) for any update, and for that reason we will be avoiding any significant changes to functionality during beta as we focus on fixing bugs and correcting unintentional behaviour. This does mean that more of your improvement suggestions may need to wait until a future update (e.g. like some of the Move Data Entry suggestions you made during 2.2 beta which have now been added to 2.3), but please keep those suggestions coming!
Getting the 2.3 beta
If you have not enrolled into the beta program yet and would like to take part, you can do so here. This will immediately give you access to the latest 2.3 beta builds to try for yourself.
If you are already enrolled in the beta program you have two options:
1. If you still have the 2.2 beta installed, you can now run up those beta versions and you will be prompted to update them to the 2.3 beta.
2. If you have uninstalled the 2.2 beta, you will need to go back to Your Account -> Downloads and product keys and find your previous order for the Affinity Beta Software Program, and you can download the 2.3 beta from there.
Thanks,
Ash

Apps: All
Platforms: macOS, Windows and iPad
 
We have now added a spiral tool which is available from the shape tools flyout. This is something we have had many requests for, but also varying requests as to the type of result wanted. For that reason we have tried to make this as flexible as possible, both offering different types of spiral and variables to adjust.
When you create a spiral you will see from the context toolbar the different options available. Here are some examples of what you can create with the tool:
Spiral Type: Linear

Spiral Type: Decaying

Spiral Type: Semi-Circular
This type replicates the way many people have been creating a spiral in Affinity - effectively by joining decreasing semi circular arcs together.  With this type we also offer a counter Semi-circular option which returns the spiral back on itself:

Spiral Type: Fibonacci

Spiral Type: Plotted

 
 

Apps: All
Platforms: macOS and Windows
There were a few requests from the previous beta we have now implemented in 2.3. As a reminder the move data entry dialog is initiated by hitting Return while in the Move, Shape, Picture Frame or Artboard Tool.
1. You can now choose duplicates to be created in front or behind the original using the new Insertion mode options
2. Scale has now been added, to quickly resize an object by a given %
3. Properties of the object being transformed can be adjusted without dismissing the dialog
The scale %, when creating duplicates, will also apply to every subsequent duplicate - a very simple example shown below with 10 copies of the same circle being created, each one at 80% the size of the previous.

You can of course combine that with other transforms, such as below a square being rotated and shrunk on each duplicate.

As mentioned you can also now adjust the properties of the object being transformed without dismissing the dialog. E.g. below I have changed the colour of the shape as well as changing stroke width to “scale with object” while keeping the current move data entry settings live.

Another minor thing to mention is we have also changed the ramp on the ‘Number of copies’ slider to make it more useable at lower values (i.e. the first half of the slider now just goes from 1-50, with the remaining half from 50-1000).
 

Could you add posibility to save styles applied to table cells?

Hi All,
We have just made 2.2 live across all App Stores and our website. As always, the feedback we have received from you all during this beta has been an incredible help in both shaping the new features as well as squashing many bugs!
The build we have released is the same as RC3 (build 2005), meaning for the time being whether you use the latest beta version or switch to using the release version they are the same. If you anticipate taking part in the next beta you may wish to keep your current beta version installed, as this will be updated on auto update when a new beta is available. This will either be a 2.2 patch if we feel one is needed, or moving straight onto a 2.3 beta.
It would be impossible for us to do what we do without your support, and I just wanted to say a huge thanks for everything you have contributed to this release.
All the best,
Ash

Here's a list of some of the bugs which have been fixed in the beta build 2.2.0.1994, which is Release Candidate 2
(fixes since the post above for 2.2.0.1986)
Please only reply in this forum to comment on any fixes which are in this list (in particular to let us know if you notice that something we say is fixed isn't!) To report any new bugs please do that against the relevant new feature post, or if unrelated to new functionality in the Other bugs & issues forum.
Changes/Bugs affecting all platforms
Cross Reference - Numbered Paragraph will always stop after the first . by default  [AFB-8278] Bugs affecting Desktop (Windows and macOS)
Replacing a opened, but deleted file with an earlier version will cause the app to hang Cross reference - Above Below field not functioning Crash when pasting text frame containing a cross-reference to a master page Bugs affecting Windows
Using long press shortcuts can cause brush resize to switch between two tools [PD-981] Double error message when File > Saving a deleted file Unable to save and replace a file if it's opened by another user Bugs affecting macOS
Intermittent crash when trying to perform a batch export [AFP-6375] Lock Files are causing files in Batch jobs to fail  Editing an embedded document file will cause parent file to fail to save. [AFD-6819]  Bugs affecting iPad
None this week 

Hi All,
We have now made available another update (2.2.0.1994) which is our second release candidate. This includes some important fixes which are listed in this post.
Thanks,
Ash