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Publisher - Switching between text and move tools


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I’ve been looking to duplicate an InDesign behavior. In ID, when I’m editing text, I can use the command key to temporarily switch to the selection tool, and move my text box around. Can I somehow get the same result in Publisher? Maybe there’s a modifier key trick with one of the text frame nodes?

Thanks

Mac Mini - M2

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@podge The help files don't always A B C it for you, :| it is implied you already a some knowledge of this type of software and is a given for basic operations that you would know something of how things work. Having said that, I don't think it would hurt to increase the spectrum on help files from both ends as the lack of more advanced knowledge is just as scant.

Managing help files is a bit of a balancing act, having to revise the information as new features appear, old features are amended/improved and, of course the accuracy of the info is paramount. Keeping the info concise but with enough info that you understand the process is also a challenge.

iMac 27" 2019 Somona 14.3.1, iMac 27" Affinity Designer, Photo & Publisher V1 & V2, Adobe, Inkscape, Vectorstyler, Blender, C4D, Sketchup + more... XP-Pen Artist-22E, - iPad Pro 12.9  
B| (Please refrain from licking the screen while using this forum)

Affinity Help - Affinity Desktop Tutorials - Feedback - FAQ - most asked questions

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It might be useful to have something in the Help which shows all of the mouse pointers that can be observed while using the software with a short explanation for each giving where you might encounter it and what it is for.
All we have so far is what’s in my screen-grab, which doesn’t help much. Basically it’s saying: “The pointer ‘provides valuable feedback’ but we’re not going to tell you what that is, no matter how ‘valuable’ it is.”

Annotation 2019-12-26 101330.png

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7 hours ago, podge said:

I was not able to find this in the Help or tutorials

It's explained in the bottom infobar while this cursor mode is active:
"[…] Drag to move selection. […]"

On 12/25/2019 at 3:15 AM, podge said:

In ID, when I’m editing text, I can use the command key to temporarily switch to the selection tool

In APu, you can do something much better with the command key that you can't do in ID:
Selecting non-consecutive parts of text to modify them, i.e. providing the same functionality as the standard MacOS text framework.

Frankly though, at first I was also trying to move the text frame by pressing the command key. You can't cheat on 15 years of ID muscle memory, haha…

2 hours ago, firstdefence said:

it is implied you already a some knowledge of this type of software

Come on. I'd expect that about 90 % of APu users have "already a some knowledge of this type of software", namely InDesign. So far, almost every time I had to consult the Help was when I attempted to accomplish something obvious in a way I would have done it in the corresponding Adobe application, and the Affinity app just did something else . :/

MacBookAir 15": MacOS Ventura > Affinity v1, v2, v2 beta // MacBookPro 15" mid-2012: MacOS El Capitan > Affinity v1 / MacOS Catalina > Affinity v1, v2, v2 beta // iPad 8th: iPadOS 16 > Affinity v2

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Expecting the user to keep checking the Status Bar to see if the options have changed, when they may have no expectation that they could have changed, and assuming they will notice that they have changed, and also assuming that they understand what has changed and in which way, isn’t a particularly user-friendly way of doing this.

However, simply extending the existing Help page to include a list – Pointer image; Where you might see it and under which conditions; What you can do with it – would make it easier for users to know what’s going on. E.g. “Why has my pointer changed to two arrows pointing in different horizontal directions? Let’s have a look at the Help under “pointer”. Oh, right, that means I can skew the object horizontally. Okay, that’s useful.” Much better in my opinion.

 

2 hours ago, loukash said:

I'd expect that about 90 % of APu users have "already a some knowledge of this type of software", namely InDesign.

I would have to disagree with this, until any official figures can be produced.

It’s quite possible that a lot of people coming to Publisher won’t have any experience of InDesign because they simply won’t have been able to afford InDesign (or QuarkXPress, or similar) or know anything about it. They may have had the need for DTP software – beyond what a word processor can do – and know what DTP software does, but the price could be way too high for what they needed to do. For example, not many individuals, clubs or small organisations will be able to afford (or justify spending) £20 every month – in perpetuity – just to make a nicer newsletter. InDesign may well be an industry standard application but it’s not well known by people who don’t already need to do what it does.

There are, of course, free alternatives but not everyone is comfortable in installing free software, and most people don’t even know about open source software. Try asking 100 random people in your nearest town – assuming you’re not in Silicon Valley or somewhere similar – and seeing how many of them know about it. “Open Source? Is that organic? Would I put that on chicken or beef?”

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8 hours ago, GarryP said:

I would have to disagree with this

What I actually meant is that even though I have like … um, all in all about 30 years of "some" (actually professional) "knowledge of this type of software" (PageMaker, XPress, InDesign, Freehand, Illustrator, you name it), I find some of the APu's functionality to be rather unintuitive, and the built-in help not being very helpful, in particular when it comes to the details that are different from the other "this type of software".

MacBookAir 15": MacOS Ventura > Affinity v1, v2, v2 beta // MacBookPro 15" mid-2012: MacOS El Capitan > Affinity v1 / MacOS Catalina > Affinity v1, v2, v2 beta // iPad 8th: iPadOS 16 > Affinity v2

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I’m also coming to Publisher as an InDesign user since version 1. I’m really impressed, and I’m enjoying the learning experience.

I’m grateful that the kind people here are able to cover the gaps in the documentation. I look forward to the workbook, and hope that eventually something as comprehensive as the Kvern/Blatner InDesign books becomes available.

Mac Mini - M2

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