Editing an existing svg

[DavidBanfield]

I have watched many tutorials and tried searching for an answer to my question but cannot find an answer. I want to import and edit a document  but each element is separate, including every letter of the text and drop shadow. Is there a way to edit this text as you would in any other program or do I literally have to create the text afresh. I have spent so long trying to find the answer that it would have been quicker but I would love to know if it can be done. As you can tell I'm new to the world of vector so be gentle.

 

Thanks

[GarryP]

Welcome to the forums.
I’m not an expert on SVGs but I’m pretty sure that the text in an SVG is just a bunch of vectors, not actual text, otherwise the SVG would have to contain the font in order to let the target machine render the content correctly.
If you can get a PDF version of the document then you might have more luck if the PDF has the font embedded.
Otherwise, if you can supply the document here, someone might be able to help you further with font choices etc.

[walt.farrell]

Sorry, @GarryP, but the text in an SVG can be text. Otherwise, the Affinity Export dialog wouldn't have this option in it

If I create a document with the Artistic Text string "abcdef" and export as SVG with that option off, then look at the SVG internals, I see this:

<svg width="100%" height="100%" viewBox="0 0 2550 3300" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xml:space="preserve" xmlns:serif="http://www.serif.com/" style="fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-miterlimit:2;">
    <text x="225px" y="825px" style="font-family:'ArialMT', 'Arial', sans-serif;font-size:314.11px;">abcdef</text>
</svg>

And if I Open that back into Designer, I have an artistic text layer with the text "abcdef" in it. So, clearly, it is possible for a text string in an SVG to come in as a text string.

@DavidBanfield: It is probably something to do with the way your other application created the file, but it could also be a limitation in how Affinity imports SVG files. I agree with Garry that it would be helpful to see a sample .svg document so we can investigate it further.

[Wosven]

17 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

also be a limitation in how Affinity imports SVG files

I  don't think so (this feature would be use for PDF missing text in this case).

It depends of th efile, and the way it was exported. Some files can rescpect SVG specification, but big players have, in the past, implemented new features in different way (like InkScape and Adobe), especially about text. (We've got the same with browser and their specific code.)

Perhaps the original text used some effects that needed rasterization, or the app was set to convert to curves to prevent problem with missing fonts. Affinity apps aren't the only one to do this. And it's logical to do this when using other fonts than the few core ones available  on each system.

[GarryP]

Well, I did say I wasn't an expert. Learning something new every day.

[R C-R]

29 minutes ago, Wosven said:

... but big players have, in the past, implemented new features in different way ...

About that, in this interview with Jon Ferraiolo, scroll down to his answer for the question, "Why is the SVG spec so enormous?"