Double-clicking a Publisher template file opens Photo instead

[Chris Christner]

I understand that each Affinity app can save a template file with a .aftemplate extension, and that the templates can be opened in any of the suite applications. But to avoid confusion, why not give each app a unique template extension so it'll open in the correct application? Then if you want to open a Publisher template in Designer, you can simply open it from inside Designer.

[Pšenda]

15 hours ago, Chris Christner said:

But to avoid confusion, why not give each app a unique template extension so it'll open in the correct application?

You can make this resolution of the templates yourself. Rename the *.aftemplate files to *.pubtemplate, *.phototemplate, *.designtemplate, and set the OS association of extensions to individual APu/ APh/ ADe applications. When saving a template from Afinity, you only need to enter a name including the correct extension.

[Chris Christner]

And that works really well! Thanks for the help.

[walt.farrell]

8 hours ago, Pšenda said:

You can make this resolution of the templates yourself. Rename the *.aftemplate files to *.pubtemplate, *.phototemplate, *.designtemplate, and set the OS association of extensions to individual APu/ APh/ ADe applications. When saving a template from Afinity, you only need to enter a name including the correct extension.

That will allow you to distinguish them, and will allow double-clicking on them in File Explorer or Finder to open the right application.

However:

1. If you use File > New, and then click on Templates, the files will not appear in the dialog as a usable template.
2. If you Open one from File Explorer or Finder, you lose the protection you have with a proper .aftemplate file of it showing up as unnamed. What that means is that if you forget to "enter a name including the correct extension" but instead just use File > Save, or respond Yes to the "do you want to save" dialog when closing the application, you will overwrite your template.

In my opinion it is better to set up separate folders for Photo, Designer, and Publisher templates. Or distinguish them via the file name. Then configure the template folders appropriately for each application, such that when you click on Template in File > New for Photo you get the Photo templates, And in Designer you get the Designer templates, and in Publisher you get the Publisher templates.

That way you take full advantage of the template capabilities provided by the applications, including the protection aspects of templates.

[Pšenda]

3 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

That will allow you to distinguish them, and will allow double-clicking on them in File Explorer or Finder to open the right application.

Yes, it does exactly "what" the OP requires. If you don't understand, read the topic title "Double-clicking a Publisher template file opens Photo instead".

[walt.farrell]

17 minutes ago, Pšenda said:

Yes, it does exactly "what" the OP requires. If you don't understand, read the topic title "Double-clicking a Publisher template file opens Photo instead".

Yes, but it does not open it as a template file. It opens it as a regular document.

If you're going to open as a regular document, there's no reason to use a template file at all. Just use a .afdesign, .afphoto, or .afpub file. One uses templates to gain the advantages that a template file has:

1. It shows up in the Template listing in the File > New dialog; and
2. It opens up protected, so that if you happen to Save you don't destroy it.

[Chris Christner]

On 4/28/2021 at 6:19 PM, walt.farrell said:

Yes, but it does not open it as a template file. It opens it as a regular document.

If you're going to open as a regular document, there's no reason to use a template file at all. Just use a .afdesign, .afphoto, or .afpub file. One uses templates to gain the advantages that a template file has:

1. It shows up in the Template listing in the File > New dialog; and
2. It opens up protected, so that if you happen to Save you don't destroy it.

The workaround on a Mac is to select the template files that have custom extensions and do a get info, then click the "Stationary Pad" button. Opening the docs will create a new file with all the content of the template but the template can't be overwritten. Don't know if Windows has a similar setting.

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, Chris Christner said:

Don't know if Windows has a similar setting.

It does not.

Closest thing is setting the file's properties to Read-Only.

[Wosven]

On 4/28/2021 at 8:09 PM, walt.farrell said:

In my opinion it is better to set up separate folders for Photo, Designer, and Publisher templates. Or distinguish them via the file name. Then configure the template folders appropriately for each application, such that when you click on Template in File > New for Photo you get the Photo templates, And in Designer you get the Designer templates, and in Publisher you get the Publisher templates.

Sorry to find this laughable, but we talked about those problems when the template files were added. There are really interesting discussions in this forum, but they barely reach the apps unless it's about annoying bug… Ha hem, perhaps not even those, sometimes.