HenrikM

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're pleased to let you know that we have just pushed another update to the 2.2 beta (2.2.0.1986) which we consider to be a possible release candidate. This does not include any new functionality, but does have many fixes - most of which are listed in Patrick's post here.
Thanks,
Ash
 

Hi All,
A new beta build is rolling out now - version number 2.2.0.1954 - which will be available to you on auto update within the next hour.

We consider this build feature complete in terms of 2.2 release, with future beta builds now only including bug fixes or very minor tweaks.

Main changes in this build are:
Move data entry now includes rotation option. In object creation tools where Enter previously invoked the create dialog, this now always invokes the Move dialog. So for example in a shape tool, Enter now brings up the Move dialog. cmd / ctrl + click is what needs to be used to invoke shape data entry. We have added new default shortcuts in both the Photo and Pixel personas for fill with primary / secondary colour. We've added that to the Brush shortcuts feature description. Fill with primary colour: Alt + backspace Fill with secondary colour: cmd/Ctrl + backspace "Fit to curve delete node" option now added to the right click node menu (i.e. the same result as Alt-Delete) PDF password feature now removed Alt modifier to get hand in text tool now removed
  This build also includes many fixes.

Thanks,
Ash

Unfortunately, I’m not exactly sure what you mean by that. My idea was not about slices or reading meta-data from files, but about utilizing a UI logic that is already available elsewhere in the application and works great, as far as it goes. If “Page Number”, “Section Name” etc. were available as variables that could be used for building expressions just as it is possible with the path name variables in path name expressions for slices, it would be possible to recreate many of the features that are available in the cross-references systems of applications like Indesign.
Think of it from a practical perspective. As Paolo said, when you have hundreds of cross-references all of which are supposed to follow a complex pattern like 
See chapter <chapter number>, “<chapter title>”, on page <page number> of volume <volume number>,  you will currently have to assign four (!) cross-references to create a single (!) instance of this pattern. That means, you will not end up with hundreds of cross-references, but with 4 times as much cross-references in your document.
And from a practical point of view, it should be obvious that this is a pain:
First off, your Cross-References Panel will become overcrowded, making navigation increasingly difficult. You will easily lose track of which entries belong to the same quadruple and represent a single instance of the cross-reference pattern above.   And secondly, the current non-complex approach creates a potential error source of first rank. The reason being, that for each instance of the example pattern above you will have to check four pointers to locations in your document instead of a single one, where each of the pointers can be set independently from the others. By logic and economy alone, it should be obvious that the correctness of a complex cross-reference following the pattern above should not be a function of four independent data points. So, please, give us a variable-based system from the outset. I have the impression that the target of a cross-reference is already handled internally as a complex set of data, for otherwise the user could not switch between the “Display as …” options. But if that is the case, it should be not too difficult to expose the elements of that data set to the user in the form of variables that can be used to build complex expressions. Please consider these arguments. 😀
As a side note, it would be fantastic if each of the variables could be associated with an individual character style. This way, we could, for instance, automatically format expressions that represent chapter headings (titles) in italic style, or similar. 😀

But that is an argument that could be put forward against any new feature. For example, even macros. AI is not a one dimensional tool. And FWIW I am also not interested in the random generative AI slot machines that people use to post images all over social media. However, AI that is finely tailored to specific and narrow tasks that can be used as a tool is extremely beneficial and lots of individuals are interested in those capabilities. Anyone can skip any of the existing advanced tools like the inpainting brush and do it manually if they choose, that doesn't change with AI.
Nonetheless, my primary interest would simply be that Affinity first focus on API's that simply allow the community or 3rd parties to build these integrations as there is no downside in such focus as they are already working on the API's. This is just an opportunity to make sure they can optimize for the use cases that we can see will be coming and will be in high demand.

I think that misses on a couple of points.
AI is not limited to only generative AI. The potential productivity improvements don't have any limits. New uses will continue to be discovered and applied. Neglecting a potential feature that is in high demand simply because some do not use that feature is of detriment also to those that don't use the feature. Why? because it brings lots of paying users to the application that in turn gives more resources to be applied to all features of the application.

Please note that if you drop the ball entirely on this and AI in general, this could have catastrophic consequences for the Affinity Suite as we know it.
You might not have any immediate plans, but if this doesn't change (and users arent made aware of it), then its too big of a feature gap for people to ignore.
AI has even changed the definition of what a "photo" is, so you simply cannot afford to ignore it.
This is truly a potential divergence point for Affinity. I hope the right path is chosen.

Cross-references is the feature I have been waiting for.

Will it be possible to set up cross-reference formats, so that you can have a cross reference that also generates prefix, infix and postfix text? In other words, can you create a cross reference that looks like this:
See Section 3.2 Task-Switching Penalties on page 47.
...or, are the references limited to just page numbers?
Will it be possible to automatically format cross-references differently depending on output format? For example:
PDF for print: See Section 3.2 Task-Switching Penalties on page 47.
eBook/HTML: See 3.2 Task-Switching Penalties.
 

I have the same problem with DXO Photolab. 

I know Serif moved the files to the Windows 11 starting location. That location isn't available even as an administrator. Changing access rights so DXO can start Affinity does not work.

This really needs to be fixed.

Cross-references is the feature I have been waiting for.

Will it be possible to set up cross-reference formats, so that you can have a cross reference that also generates prefix, infix and postfix text? In other words, can you create a cross reference that looks like this:
See Section 3.2 Task-Switching Penalties on page 47.
...or, are the references limited to just page numbers?
Will it be possible to automatically format cross-references differently depending on output format? For example:
PDF for print: See Section 3.2 Task-Switching Penalties on page 47.
eBook/HTML: See 3.2 Task-Switching Penalties.
 

Cross-references is the feature I have been waiting for.

Will it be possible to set up cross-reference formats, so that you can have a cross reference that also generates prefix, infix and postfix text? In other words, can you create a cross reference that looks like this:
See Section 3.2 Task-Switching Penalties on page 47.
...or, are the references limited to just page numbers?
Will it be possible to automatically format cross-references differently depending on output format? For example:
PDF for print: See Section 3.2 Task-Switching Penalties on page 47.
eBook/HTML: See 3.2 Task-Switching Penalties.
 

Hello @HenrikM,
I was thinking about the same thing. It would be great to be able to create your own versions of cross-references by combining various fields in the panel and being able to save it for future use.

Apps: Affinity Publisher
Platforms: Windows and macOS
Cross-references are a field inserted into text that refers to another object or piece of text. If the current document is a chapter of a book, cross-references can refer to objects or text from other chapters.
You can insert a cross-reference by using Text > Cross References > Insert Cross-Reference, or by using the right-click menu on text. If a cross-reference is already selected, these options change to Edit Cross-Reference instead. Either way brings up a panel to set the cross-reference properties. The first group of properties are about the target of the cross-reference. This can either be an existing anchor, or a text paragraph. (If you cross-reference to a paragraph, it will automatically create an anchor at the start of the paragraph.) The second group of properties are about how the cross-reference will be displayed. These include as the target page number, section name, and the content of paragraphs. By using several cross-reference fields you can build up text like, “See footnote 2 on page 12, below”.
The Window > References > Cross-References menu option will display a Studio panel that lists the cross-references from the current document. From here you can go to the cross-reference itself, or its target. (This will open other book chapters if necessary.) You can also update cross-reference text from here — they don’t update automatically.
Settings > Cross-References has options for controlling the text used for showing relative positions “above” and “below” (these will use the language of the text they are in rather than the UI, for support of bilingual documents).

I think they have changed the name in the drop-down menu, but it is still in the documentation.
What they are describing here is not a cross-reference.
 
 

There is none. I can't use it with dxophotolab. The only way to pin it to your desktop is to pin it to your Taskbar when it initially opens up after you install it. The Affinity 2 and all other Affinity 2 programs will not show up in your programs folder, which is absurd. I have never seen anything like this. 
 
https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/171330-where-is-the-affinity-2-executable-file/

For a recent portrait, I decided to try out the Frequency Separation functionality in Affinity Photo to remove skin discoloration. Worked very well.

Yes, Affinity Publisher is definitely lacking in book publishing features. The lack of footnotes, endnotes, and cross-references, are the worst omissions, but the more I work with the software, the more problems I find.

Still, I do not know of any reasonably priced alternative. I do not want to rent Adobe products, and that makes Affinity Publisher the only game in town.

On the other hand, with a bit of luck, Serif is working on fixing the current shortcomings. I hope they do it before I finish my book. 🙂

Yes, Affinity Publisher is definitely lacking in book publishing features. The lack of footnotes, endnotes, and cross-references, are the worst omissions, but the more I work with the software, the more problems I find.

Still, I do not know of any reasonably priced alternative. I do not want to rent Adobe products, and that makes Affinity Publisher the only game in town.

On the other hand, with a bit of luck, Serif is working on fixing the current shortcomings. I hope they do it before I finish my book. 🙂

So do I!

FrameMaker should have had footnotes since version 1.x. For sure, it got table footnotes in version 3.0.
So, there is hope with Publisher version 2.0!
(By the way: FrameMaker was a cheap alternative to Interleaf, that was sold at a very high price, and forcing the user to also purchase a custom hardware from the same company; its original name was 'publisher', and it was produced by a small company – does this remember something?)
Paolo
 

Yes, Affinity Publisher is definitely lacking in book publishing features. The lack of footnotes, endnotes, and cross-references, are the worst omissions, but the more I work with the software, the more problems I find.

Still, I do not know of any reasonably priced alternative. I do not want to rent Adobe products, and that makes Affinity Publisher the only game in town.

On the other hand, with a bit of luck, Serif is working on fixing the current shortcomings. I hope they do it before I finish my book. 🙂

I think they have changed the name in the drop-down menu, but it is still in the documentation.
What they are describing here is not a cross-reference.
 
 

I think they have changed the name in the drop-down menu, but it is still in the documentation.
What they are describing here is not a cross-reference.
 
 

I am working on a book on photography. The lack of footnotes and endnotes in Affinity Publisher is getting to be a severe obstacle. I keep hoping for that being added in the next version.

Any updates on when cross-references is likely to happen? 

I get that there's lots going on in the background, but x-ref (and footnotes - hellooo footnotes!!) are an absolute must. 

I've just spent 3 days setting my book up in Affinity Publisher, copying and pasting in, and now I come to go through and tidy up, I find all my table and image captions and cross-references are not supported. Utterly gobsmacked, in all honesty; especially given this thread's been asking for this fundamental for well over a year.