Snapping to text inside a Text Frame?

[PepGold]

Is it possible to snap to text inside of Text Frame? Meaning if I want to snap or align a rectangle to the baseline, can I do that? I have turn on all snapping options, but I still get no snapping.

source video:  https://media.giphy.com/media/gHPVeItrRYKzARAyHz/source.mov

 

[GarryP]

I can’t see what you have attached; I get a box containing the message “No video with supported format and MIME type found.”
My attached video should show you what you need in Publisher.
P.S. It’s always useful to say which Affinity application you’re using and on which OS. Sometimes it’s obvious but other times it’s not, especially if you’re using a document in one application which was created in another.

[Move Along People]

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[R C-R]

41 minutes ago, haakoo said:

@GarryP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuickTime_Alternative

I am running the Safari browser on a Mac, & while the OP's video has a play button in the browser window, nothing happens when I click it because the video is 0:00 seconds long -- IOW it has no content. My guess is this is because the forum software was acting up once again when it was uploaded, somewhat like it did a few days ago.

[Move Along People]

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[R C-R]

1 hour ago, haakoo said:

I do see the content of the video and use the qt alternative with a lot of extra codecs to show the videos offline.
.mov never shows online for me

Interesting. If I download the .mov it is 579 KB & does play on my Mac.

[PepGold]

Argh. Sorry for the bad video. I just screen recorded it with QuickTime. I will record another or find another service for hosting it. :/(

[GarryP]

You probably don’t need to upload a new version if my video helps you to do what you need to do. Does it help?

[PepGold]

Hi @GarryP
No unfortunately it doesn't. I know I can snap to the baseline grid guides if turned on. But I want to be able to precisely how far I perhaps need to shift the baseline grid from the top of the page or spread (usually very small number like 1.543 mm) for it align to where my text is, and not make the text jump to the baseline. But precision is key. Make sense?

[GarryP]

I had a look at your GIF and you can get what I think you want by switching “Only snap to visible objects” OFF in the snapping pop-up when you have “Use Baseline Grid” set to ON; see attached video.
If I have misunderstood your requirements then you may have to state them again a bit more clearly as what you asked for in your first post doesn’t seem, to me, to be the same thing as what you asked for in your latest post.

[PepGold]

@GarryP I've send you a PM.

[WLarsen]

Hi all
I'm having the same problem.
In Affinity Publisher 1.8, on a Windows PC I have created a text box, and turned on "Use Baseline Grid" for that text box only.

But no matter how I twist and turn I cannot snap to that local Baseline Grid.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[GarryP]

This seems to be working for me on Windows 10, see attached video, where I don’t have the global baseline on but do have a local baseline on.
However, this doesn’t always seem to work as expected when the text frame with the local baseline is on a master page (see end of video). This needs a bit more investigation.
Can you give us a bit more information about how your document is set-up please?
A video/GIF of what’s happening - also showing the relevant settings - would also help, if you can provide one.

[WLarsen]

Hi Gerry
Thank you very much for your reply.
Well in your video you seem to succeed with what I'm trying to do.
But I fear there's an explanation for that.
I think that your local Baselines coincide with the global Baselines and the box really snaps to the global Bselines.
Could you try again showing the Global Baselines as well as the local, please?

Kind Regards
Michael

[GarryP]

You’re welcome but it’s a shame I haven’t been able to come up with a solution, at least yet.
My new video shows the global baseline in blue (37pt) and the local baseline of the frame text in orange (13pt) and I have no idea what it’s snapping to. The arrows to the left show the different places the bottom of the rectangle snaps to (they were drawn after the rectangle snapped to that point). I can’t see a pattern but maybe someone else can.
Note: I've attached the document too.

strange-baseline-snapping.afpub

Edited April 1, 2020 by GarryP
Added document.

[WLarsen]

Hi again Gerry
I'm so glad you're taking your time for this issue.

What you are showing us in the video is exactly what I see here at my PC.
I can't figure out either what's being snapped to.

Many kind regards
Michael

[R C-R]

3 minutes ago, GarryP said:

I can’t see a pattern but maybe someone else can.

I have very little experience with this but what I have suggests that when there are several possible text snapping options within a few display pixels of each other at the current zoom level, it is almost impossible to know which one the app will use.

Zooming in (often so far that just one or two lines of text are displayed) seems to help some, but with so many different snapping references for baseline, x height, & so on that the app tries to support, it is still often hit or miss.

[GarryP]

Yeah, it’s difficult to know what it’s snapping to.
It’s snapping to more things than I would expect but maybe my expectations are low.
I usually try and design layouts where I only have the global baseline, and the row guides and baseline grid are aligned to each other so I don’t need to bother snapping to the baseline, but that’s just me. (I created a spreadsheet to help me with this.)

[WLarsen]

Hi all
I just found out that reducing the screen tolerance in the snapping settings removes those aribitrary snaps and leaves only snapping to the Baselines. The Global Baselines, mind you.
Still no snapping to local Baselines.

[GarryP]

Shame.
Maybe it just doesn’t do it and a feature request may be necessary.
Can I ask why you are snapping to a local baseline? I’ve never needed to do it myself so I’m curious. Maybe I’m missing out on something useful.

[WLarsen]

Hi again Garry
I'm afraid I can't honor your high thoughts about my AP cababilities  😊
Only purchased the software a few days ago and I'm certainly not doing anything advanced.
I recently lost my job and found that I needed some proper software to make a nice looking resume.
Already had Affinity Designer so AP was an easy choise.
So I'm still a blue eyed rookie in Affinity Publisher, but I really like the program and I'm keen to learn.
Kind Regards
Michael
 

[GarryP]

Ah, I see. I’m sorry to hear the bad news employment-wise.
I think you’ve made a good choice of software to make a résumé.
Designer could probably do what you need but the extra functionality of Publisher should make the process quicker overall (these sorts of things aside).

[Old Bruce]

Hi, @WLarsen, I watched your video and the rectangle appears to be snapping to the arrows you have drawn. In order to get the snapping to grid to work try just having that turned on in the snapping candidates window. However in a text frame I believe the baseline grid snapping is for text only, meaning just the letters in that frame, no outside objects unless you pin it.

[WLarsen]

Hi Bruce
Thanks for your comment.
The video you saw was done by GarryP, and I think the arrows were overlaid after the recording was finished in order to highlight the apparently random snaps.
You are probably right about that the local Baselines inside the text box was meant for text only and not for outside objects. However I see no reason that Affinity should not make it so in later versions of AP.
Pinning the object to the text box unfortunately does not make it snap to the local Baselines.

[GarryP]

In the video, which was uploaded by me, the arrows were drawn according to where the rectangle snapped to rather than the other way round. This can be checked by deleting the arrows and moving the rectangle.
However, even if the arrows are removed, since the only snapping option that is selected is “Snap to baseline grids” I still wouldn’t expect it to snap to the arrows.