Affinity Link and program switching

[The Wook]

In the midst of evaluating the trials, am finding Affinity Link very useful, with one exception. Choosing to edit in another program in the suite doesn't automatically switch to that program. I need to click that program's icon in the task bar to view the file and program to continue editing.

I found this very confusing initially as my workspace would go blank and I wouldn't see my working file. Then noticed that the icon of the program I'd  wanted to switch to was flashing in the taskbar. At this point clicking on it would bring both the second program (and my file) into view.

Given that I find the icons for both Photo and Designer to be hard to distinguish at a glance (their chosen purple and blue colours and fine line-based design are much too similar for these colour-deficient eyes when viewed in a tiny icon ) I find that I need to devote more concentration to navigation than is really necessary. I often find myself needing to mouse over the logo next to the logo to see what program I'm in from the tool tip.

This should be doable, no?

Edited July 11, 2020 by The Wook
Clarity

[Pšenda]

1 hour ago, The Wook said:

Affinity Link

You mean StudioLink in APublisher, or "Edit in..."?

"Edit in...." work fine first time, if the application is starting. However, if the application is already running, it must be activated in the Taskbar. It would definitely want to fix that.

[The Wook]

3 minutes ago, Pšenda said:

You mean StudioLink in APublisher, or "Edit in..."?

"Edit in...." work fine first time, if the application is starting. However, if the application is already running, it must be activated in the Taskbar. It would definitely want to fix that.

Perhaps I have mistaken the name of the feature that allows program switching via the file menu when I referred to it as StudioLink.

Yes, it's the program switching invoked from within each program via the File>Edit in "<alternate Affinity program name>" menu choice. I tend to have Designer and Photo both running when I use this feature. I've not been using Publisher as it's current lack of support for cross referencing prevents me from switching from InDesign.

[walt.farrell]

12 hours ago, The Wook said:

Perhaps I have mistaken the name of the feature that allows program switching via the file menu when I referred to it as StudioLink.

StudioLink is a specific feature in Publisher, which gives you additional Personas (Photo, Designer) if you also own those applications. It is entirely separate from the File > Edit in ... menu options.

[The Wook]

10 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

StudioLink is a specific feature in Publisher, which gives you additional Personas (Photo, Designer) if you also own those applications. It is entirely separate from the File > Edit in ... menu options.

Thank you for the clarification @walt.farrell. Indeed I'm starting to see the difference between Publisher's StudioLink and the otherwise-prevalent-in-all-three-applications "edit in" menu.

As I visualize it now, StudioLink allows you to stay within Publisher while accessing either Designer's vector tools or Photo's raster tools via Personas. I'm thinking of Personas as alternate layouts that have a lot of magic under the hood to allow remain in the Publisher environment while using features from its two bretheren.

Perhaps StudioLink will make its way to Designer and Photo?

[walt.farrell]

54 minutes ago, The Wook said:

Perhaps StudioLink will make its way to Designer and Photo?

Probably not. Designer already has a Persona for pixel work, and Photo has many of the vector tools/functions from Designer.

Serif so far is saying that StudioLink is unique to Publisher, and it's needed there to give the Publisher application those vector and pixel tools. Your characterization of what it allows is a good one, I think.