Column splitting – this could drive me back to InDesign

[KennyCampbell]

Please, Affinity, please grant us a text column-splitting function. Please. Please let us be able to draw a simple 3-column text block, then split that into 3 separately manipulatable columns, without the need to duplicate columns, copy and link text boxes, or wrestle with text wrapping. 
Pleeease. InDesign has been doing this without fanfare forever and it is such a basic DTP tool.
Please. I use the full Affinity suite, it's flipping good, but DTP without column-splitting is like Lego with just the one size of brick.
Please. And thank you. Also season's greetings :-)

Kenny
 

[Move Along People]

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[walt.farrell]

36 minutes ago, KennyCampbell said:

Please let us be able to draw a simple 3-column text block, then split that into 3 separately manipulatable columns, without the need to duplicate columns, copy and link text boxes, or wrestle with text wrapping.

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums.

The function you want is in Publisher, which is the Affinity equivalent to InDesign. And if you're using DTP you should be in Publisher, not Designer, in my opinion.

(Though, I am not sure what you mean by "separately manipulable columns", so I can't be sure whether/how Publisher supports that.)

[KennyCampbell]

My bad, I meant Publisher ... been a long day. I've managed to miss the ability to column-split (where you draw a text box, select the number of columns – eg three – and then split that box so that each of the three columns can be adjusted independently (height and width) of the other two). If you can point me to where that tool hides, I will be eternally grateful. And thank you for the prompt reply 🙂

[walt.farrell]

8 hours ago, KennyCampbell said:

and then split that box so that each of the three columns can be adjusted independently (height and width) of the other two).

Width is easy. Just grab an edge with the cursor and move it.

Height: Cannot be independently adjusted, but if you want one column to act shorter you could:

1. Ssimply insert a column-break character where the text should jump to the next column.
   or
2. Draw an empty rectangle of the proper height, put it in the bottom of the column, and set its text wrap to force the text to jump around it into the next column.

[Move Along People]

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[Mithferion]

Do you mean something like this? The only extra step would be to add a rectangle with Text Wrap options:

Best regards!

[KennyCampbell]

Thank you all – yes, I've got workarounds but something as basic as column splitting so I can adjust column heights independently shouldn't require a workaround.

InDesign lets me draw a 3-col box, split it with a click and then I've got 3 identical columns to alter as I see fit. No need to get involved with text wrapping and runarounds, no need to duplicate columns and link them manually. It's going back a bit but I suspect even QuarkXpress eventually had this function – it's a godsend for anyone working on newspapers or text-heavy magazines.

Maybe Affinity Santa will be kind and gift me column splitting for Christmas...

[Seneca]

1 hour ago, KennyCampbell said:

InDesign lets me draw a 3-col box, split it with a click and then I've got 3 identical columns to alter as I see fit.

Hi @KennyCampbell,

I don't understand what you mean by column splitting. Do you mean dividing, say, a 3 column text box into 3 independent text boxes?

If so then inDesign cannot do it unless you use a script that does it for you. 

[Old Bruce]

I read your request as not so much Column Splitting as Text Frame Generating. Start with one Text Frame with n columns of various widths and then have Publisher generate n linked Text Frames with those widths.