AlanPC

FYI, the background color is mostly CMYK 0-0-5-0, so it's maybe just about adjusting the white point…
I'm missing a live information about the pixel under the cursor, ie. to see the pixel color as I move the cursor around. I couldn't find such a feature in APhoto. In fact, there are so many unfamilar features in the menu and I have no idea what to use them for, what typical workflow and usecase they solve… Where is a complete manual?! I can see only a quick start guide.   I'm soooo disappointed.
Maybe it's broken…? There is a "picker" button in Curves – it does nothing. I found "Select sampled colour" in the menu – there is a slider, and it does nothing. Disappointed and confused.

All Affinity 1.x updates are offered free of charge to our users, there's no need for additional payment to use the latest version of Affinity Publisher with these files, you simply need to update the app.
You can find the latest version of Publisher (1.10.5) at the below link, downloading and installing this will update your currently installed app and should then allow these documents to be opened and edited
https://store.serif.com/update/windows/publisher/1/

I believe offering templates in a few website editing suites has led to their quick and successful acceptance.  Not offering any endorsements, but products such as Elementor, DIVI, and others.  Many offer internal methods for creating one's own template library, but also a ton of pre-builts. 

When I go to create a new document, I have this dialogue in "Templates" (I assume they came with APub). I've never used any of them (although I do have a few templates that I made myself that I use occasionally). 

Assuming everyone has these, I wonder how many people actually do use them. I would suspect that most people who ask for templates would say that these are not the ones they want! (PagePlus had dozens of the things, I don't remember ever using any of them, because none of them were exactly what I needed!) So the question is, if APub did include a number of templates, just how many would have to be included to cater for all the different needs of the people who are so keen on having templates included in APub?
I don't believe that the lack of templates in APub is intended to put anyone off using APub, it is simply practical. If it's a really simple template, it's really easy to make one yourself, rather than trying to have all possible variations. (For example, why not include a "simple" three leaf folder? – Trifold? or "Z" fold? For A4? A3? Letter size? Legal size? All in portrait or landscape format. – That's sixteen different templates to start with!) The more complex the template, the more variations will be possible. If you want newsletters or magazines, just think of all the possible variations and layouts there are! There could be hundreds of templates included, but there would always be people who want something else.
As has been said, if you do want templates there are plenty out there to choose from. However, I'm sure for the majority of users, they prefer to create their own documents/publications etc, exactly how they want them, rather than relying on a template that lot's of other people are also using.
Personally I don't want software bloated with endless templates, that I'll never use; I'd rather Serif spent their time and efforts on new features and bug fixes. 😉
 
EDIT: Just for the heck of it, I thought I'd have a quick check of how many templates were included in PagePlus. I gave up at 500 and I wasn't anything like half way though the list! No problem for Sefif to do all those for APub! 😁

Please provide templates, such as for a side fold greeting card, trifold flyer or brochure, recital program, and especially a newsletter. One blank template for each kind of publication is all I need, along with printer support to handle a side fold greeting card of four pages printed 4 up on a single sheet as I described elsewhere in the following post.
https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/89633-how-do-i-make-a-greeting-card-in-afpub/
From its earliest release, MS Publisher included many, many templates for all kinds of publications. Without templates for standard publications Affinity Publisher is no more than a toolbox for professionals and not a desktop publishing package for the rest of us who would normally be looking for publishing software in your price range and who need some examples to get started.

To just click the image, dragging my mouse to the thing I want to point to, using a nice, simple, solid, visible, arrow, and then edit the arrow from there, should I want to.
Most screengrab or similar software have such a setup. In Affinity I find it creates an invisible, hollow, double-ended white arrow pointing straight left and right. Yes, I CAN adjust it to absolutely anything from there, but it's hard work - which is why I'm now using Libre Office Draw for this project...   

?
 

Make sure you have 'Show Tools' checked in View menu.
In the Tool Box choose the 'A' button.

+1 really need this features, I would gladly even pay it if it's one off "DLC"
right now I have to make do using pdfescape for the fillable portion... 

The problem is, though, dominik, PagePlus is now outdated, and can no longer keep up with any changes or updates to PDF formats.  The PDF format has changed and updated over the years, and we need to be sure any PDF forms we create will be usable in any modern PDF reader.  Adobe isn't the only PDF reader anymore, there are many out there.
The key is to be using a system that can output files in any PDF format/version, including the latest.  We're hoping that the new Publisher will do that, and be updated whenever a new format/version shows up.

Yeah I will just leave a comment so you guys know, that people are interested in that feature I definitely am.

I also would like the ability to create editable PDFs.  To be clear:  I love the Affinity product line and will buy this when it is released regardless.  But it's definitely a nice to have, and something that I would use.

Yep. I run a specific noise filter via DXO and can easily do an entire shoot with that software. But with Affinity I have to do one at a time, which is why I don't use Affinity any more.
 

"I can understand that your first contact with APub must have been frustrating"
I helped as a beta tester and have Affinity Photo, so I'm happy enough to learn the interface, I just don't have time to learn graphic design...
"Then it was exported from PP with text as curves"
Well that's the problem with workarounds... I shouldn't have to figure this stuff out just to use the tool (and I couldn't select photos properly either)
I'm hoping they'll work with the template-selling people and make it easy for them to offer the Affinity Publisher format. That would make everyone happy!
 
For now I'll take up the refund offer, as I've wasted an evening when I could have been productive. Cheers for the help anyway.
 

InDesign comes with Free Artist made Templates and given that it is intended for professionals I can't see any reason why there shouldn't be some for Affinity Publisher. At the very least some blank templates for common document types would be useful.

I believe that Publisher is the replacement for PagePlus. If so PagePlus has templates to get one started in design the phase. Publisher has not have any templates. Will they be available in later releases? Also, I am the newsletter editor for my local camera club. The newsletter  contains the text of web sites.  Is there an output format that can read by anyone, can the text for the website be copied or link to the actual website?

I would appreciate that too.

Templates would be great. Just to learn how to use publisher if not anything else... 

This is an example...;)

I have two matters that I would like to raise in connection with document templates:
If Affinity Publisher is going to be supplied to customers pretty much as it is in the beta version, then it looks to me that it is going to be supplied without a selection of pre-made templates. I would like to suggest that consideration is given to setting up a number of pre-made templates for customers to either use as they are or which can form a basis from which they can create their own documents. Apart from assisting customers to get started with their own documents, it would enable Affinity to showcase the capabilities of its product.  I would like to be able to design and save a basic structure of a document to be used as a template, such as a newsletter. With the template set up, then other users could take the base template to create an updated version of a document without the risk of the original template being overwritten. At the moment, I believe that the only way to do this is to design and save the base document and then open it for use when needed. My concern is that it will be easy for the base document to be overwritten or amended as people start to use it.

In MS Publisher you can create a new file fro a variety of useful templates, it would de nice in AffPub., or maybe to be able to import it, from MSpublisher.

I think a nice solution to this would be to add the functionality to create and store templates in Publisher but not include them in the app, they could be added to the resources section of the forum for users to choose which ones they need. Additional templates could be added by users. This way people that do not need them do not have the additional bloat in the app and those that do want them have easy access to add them. They could add a link in the template area of the app that directs users to the wherever it is decided to store them.

Well if you don't want to use preset templates fine for you make them your self, but don't bother people who want them! Many people would be delighted when all common basic design templates are available as a preset. I remember making all the pixel ratio presets in Photo my self, but I was pleasantly surprised that the Affinity team created the pixel ratio presets in the new Affinity Photo app. 
I attached  an image of a 10 year old app I happen to have and what is the standard of publishing/print to day called Indesign that already had the templates I'm referring to.
Regards,
David
 

In a YT vid a chap talks about overlays, but the buttons and brushes he refers to don't seem to exist in my copy of Affinity Photo?
Is this a discontinued feature or am I missing something?
Never mind, found it, it's in the Develop persona again

If your document bit depth is 16 bit and you export in a format that supports 16 bit, it will be a 16 bit file. No adjustment layers can change the bit depth of your exported file.