Remove pages, picture frames move forward

[thetasig]

This problem has been around all through the Beta and now in the latest version 1.7.3. Mac OS X 10.13.6.

It may well be an unavoidable problem due to its nature.

If you are using a 2-page spread and you are using many "layers" of images and text on many pages (background image at 'back', text and picture frames in front of that, master page data with Section Names and Page #s, Section Names set for specific page ranges, etc.) then you can't just delete a single page and add it somewhere else without losing the registration of pages that follow the deletion and the addition. The deletion causes every page to move "up" changing the recto and verso pages to the opposite types and much more:

• Master Page data (left and right, left only, right only, none) - can shift to a master that is on the next page/prior page
• The "layers" of frames and pictures on a page will get jumbled (background image is at front instead of at back, often, hiding the text and photos beneath). This part has to be a "real" bug as the position of an object back-to-front on a page should never change because it has moved to a different side of a spread. I reported this specifically during Beta.
• Section naming can get shifted by one page.

If you add in a page somewhere else, after deleting one, you still have the problems as they don't repair themselves.

The way around this is to ONLY add or delete pages in sets of two. In my case, I wanted to take the first recto page, delete it and move it to the end of the document as a verso page. This shifted the entire document and then it exhibited the problems I outlined.

Instead, I added a single page at the end (verso) then copied the first (recto) page to that last page. This left at the start of the document, in order, one recto followed by a 2-page spread. On that 2-page spread I cut the items from the recto (page 3) and copied them to the recto (page 1). This left a single 2-page spread (pages 2 and 3) entirely empty and I deleted those 2 pages without any of the problems creeping into the document.

So, I just want to ask if it's possible to somehow ask AFPUB to be "smart" about that whole "deletion of single page" scenario - which would make the process much smoother, quicker, and easier. I think it would require internally reassigning the masters, sections, etc., as pages move up or down the spreads.

[Pauls]

Not yet but we're looking to make improvements in this area in an upcoming beta

[thetasig]

Thanks Pauls - I'm looking forward to improvements.