Text frames on Master Pages not resizable.

[BlueSailing]

I'm trying to create a template and have included a text frame on Odd and Even Master Pages.   I then add a page to my document and apply one of the masters.  The text frame appears but it is not resizable.  I can add text to it but I can't change the text block to, say, a half page size.  Is the size locked due to the Master?  With InDesign you can add a text frame whenever you create a new document and the "native" text frame appears on all new pages.  But I can't see a way to do that in Affinity.  Please advise.  Thank you!

MASTER PAGE TEMPLATE.afpub

To be clear, I CAN change the size of the text frame on the Master page.  But after the master is added to a doc page, I can't change it.

 

[thomaso]

That's the desired behavior to avoid unwanted changes to master page objects on document pages. Detaching the master will give you further access to the text frame. Maybe you might prefer for in this case not to use a master page text frame at all.

https://affinity.help/publisher/English.lproj/pages/Pages/detachLinkMasterPages.html

[BlueSailing]

Is there a way to have a default text block on all pages of a new document?  So if you were writing a book, all pages would have the same text dimensions.

[thomaso]

Yes, that's what master pages are meant for. And you may type on each page in your book and style the text.
You need to detach the master only to alter frame properties on a document page – but not to edit its text content.

https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/tutorials/publisher/desktop/video/337264378/

[BlueSailing]

I'm sorry to be missing something.  If I detach the master, then I lose all other info from the master - such as page numbers and titles in the margins.  Maybe I should restate what I need.  I need to be able to create ad document that is 9 1/4 x 6 1/8 inches and which has preset margins.  And I need a default text block that appears on all new pages added to the doc.  That way I can easily resize any text block on any page,  I do need Master Pages, but not which contain text blocks.  I just need to be able to add special characters to the master pages.

I'm a crossover from InDesign and I'm already seeing some things that work much better in Affinity.  This one just has me stumped!

 

[walt.farrell]

16 minutes ago, BlueSailing said:

That way I can easily resize any text block on any page, 

To resize a text frame you need to right-click on the Master Page's layer in the document page's Layers panel, and choose Edit Detached. That allows you to move or resize elements that the document page inherited from the Master Page.

[BlueSailing]

Problem solved!  Thanks Walt!

[thomaso]

38 minutes ago, BlueSailing said:

And I need a default text block that appears on all new pages added to the doc.  That way I can easily resize any text block on any page,

These two conflict with each other: You can use a master text frame to type in on document pages – but you can't  easily resize  those but need to detach their master to be temporarily able to alter size and other frame properties.

38 minutes ago, BlueSailing said:

If I detach the master, then I lose all other info from the master - such as page numbers and titles in the margins

No, by detaching you do not loose any object or content. You just release them for a moment to get access. (I guess it's like cmd-click in ID)
Yes, master pages are different in APub, especially because in APub aren't global layers. That may feel less comfortable and can require a longer workflow for individual adjustment of layer hierarchy.

[walt.farrell]

12 hours ago, thomaso said:

No, by detaching you do not loose any object or content. You just release them for a moment to get access.

I think it was a confusion with Clear Masters.

Though the Help does describe the process of using "Edit Detached" as "Detaching" I don't think I've ever seen it called that here in the forums, where we usually use the menu term "Edit Detached".

[thomaso]

> the Help does describe the process of using "Edit Detached" as "Detaching"

That's why I had linked in the first reply to exactly this help topic, too. I rather assume the OP hasn't been interested in reading the help, or the later posted tutorial, too – but rather was waiting for you to pop in with bite-sized info.

However, I can't follow your subtle distinction between "detach" and "edit detached" in this case. Isn't it obvious in the logic of language (grammar) that I need to detach to be able to edit detached? Whereas to "clear" sounds rather related to "delete" or "remove" than to "detach" or "disconnect" for master page objects, it is different for connected text frames, where an interrupted text flow visually clears a text frame but without deleting any content.

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, thomaso said:

Isn't it obvious in the logic of language (grammar) that I need to detach to be able to edit detached? Whereas to "clear" sounds rather related to "delete" or "remove" than to "detach" or "disconnect" for master page objects, it is different for connected text frames, where an interrupted text flow visually clears a text frame but without deleting any content.

No, in my opinion, simply using the term "detach" is too confusing. One is not detaching the master from the page. That is all too easy to confuse with removing or clearing the master, or with a function that does not exist (removing the link between the master and the document page, while leaving the page content). That latter is what BlueSailing expected, I think, when you said they should detach the master.

Instead, one enables the editing of the master layer on the document page, and  specifies that the editing of the master layer on the document page should not affect the content on other pages. That is more appropriately called "editing detached", not "detaching", in my opinion

(And if Serif is reading this I think they should change the Help.)

[R C-R]

8 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

Instead, one enables the editing of the master layer on the document page, and  specifies that the editing of the master layer on the document page should not affect the content on other pages. That is more appropriately called "editing detached", not "detaching", in my opinion

In the Mac version of APub, the item in the Layer panel popup menu is named "Edit Detached" (& the linked one named "Edit Linked").

Are the names different in the Windows version?

[walt.farrell]

35 minutes ago, R C-R said:

Are the names different in the Windows version?

No, but the Help refers to Detaching and Linking, as though those are the action names.

[R C-R]

1 minute ago, walt.farrell said:

No, but the Help refers to Detaching and Linking, as though those are the action names.

That is because they are actions. The help topic describes them respectively as "Detaching breaks the connection between the master page and its elements ..." & "Linking lets you edit the master page directly from any publication page ..." 

To me, that plus the description further down in the help topic that explains how to detach or link a master page makes it reasonably clear what to expect from performing either of those actions.