Re-sync the object in symbol instance

[elguapo]

While working with symbols and editing some instances, sometimes there is a need to revert and inherit properties of the original symbol. Now the only way to do this is to delete the instance and copy the original symbol again. It would be more handy to inherit the original property from the object in mother symbol.

[loukash]

Example please?

[Graphite Addict]

5 hours ago, loukash said:

Example please?

Here is an example of why it would be useful to be able to re-sync or Revert back to the original Symbol in the same place without having to copy over a new one.

1. Use multiple instances of a Symbol to create an organic pattern. e.g. Leaves of a tree or Raindrops on a window or Some crosshatching pattern or whatever
2. Tweak a few by turning off Sync to give the pattern some natural variance.
3. After tweaking several Symbols, you decide one of them would look better as it was before. (you might not even discover this until much later on)
4. That pattern doesn't have suitable objects or a specific thing for the replacement Symbol to Snap to.

I am aware you can set branches in the Undo history, but that gets in the way of the work flow and wastes time. You have to plan for accidents before they happen. I plan for accidents with frequent Save As copies throughout the various steps of the process. ProjectFilename001, ProjectFilename002, ProjectFilename003, and so on.

Re-sync is a feature I would find useful. I am not certain if the effort involved in setting up the feature is worthwhile over and above more needed features like Blend and Envelope distorts, but I am certain I would use it.

I use symbols a lot.

 

 

[loukash]

8 hours ago, Graphite Addict said:

Tweak a few by turning off Sync

Yeah, the "Sync on/off" button doesn't have an "obvious" option to fully re-sync.

If you have Affinity Photo, you may want to temporarily pass over your document (File > Edit in Photo) to "fine tune" any individual symbol instance or its child elements by using the Links panel, without having to unsync. Symbols and linked layers apparently use the same underlying technology, so you can change a lot of attributes like that.
Due to an obscure but harmless bug – a.k.a. "happy accident" – on Mac there's currently even a way to enable the Links panel directly in Designer. But even the "official" switch between Designer and Photo is quick and seamless; keep in mind that technically, the Affinity document format is identical for all three apps while the doc extensions primarily just define the default app to open it.

8 hours ago, Graphite Addict said:

you decide one of them would look better as it was before

Hm… I don't really see the issue here.
In fact, "re-sync" is there all the time: place a new symbol instance of the original symbol or duplicate one of the others that comes closest, and tweak again.

8 hours ago, Graphite Addict said:

I use symbols a lot.

I've been experimenting with symbols in conjunction with Photo's Links panel a lot, so you may want to check out some of my posts with "crazy" ideas on that subject:

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?search/&q=symbols links panel&author=loukash&search_and_or=and&sortby=relevancy

[elguapo]

9 hours ago, Graphite Addict said:

Re-sync is a feature I would find useful. I am not certain if the effort involved in setting up the feature is worthwhile over and above more needed features like Blend and Envelope distorts, but I am certain I would use it.

Thank you, Graphite Addict.

 

1 hour ago, loukash said:

Hm… I don't really see the issue here.
In fact, "re-sync" is there all the time: place a new symbol instance of the original symbol or duplicate one of the others that comes closest, and tweak again.

Placing a new symbol requires much more energy when the symbol is complex and is nested inside groups and layers. In big projects, this is a very daunting task.

I'll provide another example. I have a symbol with 30 objects inside, 7 of them tweaked (complex infographics part). I open the project in few days and see that I need to revert 3 of them to the original version. It's more logical to look inside the symbol in the layers panel and re-sync 3 out of 7 with an orange dotted line than to delete the whole symbol because of it and place another.

There might be an even better way to handle and organize symbols, but this software behavior is intuitively expected when looking at the layers panel.

[loukash]

12 minutes ago, elguapo said:

There might be an even better way to handle and organize symbols

Apart from Photo's Links panel? Yes, there is: nested symbols
(Don't try to nest symbols within itself though, you could get us all trapped in an infinite spacetime loop, and where's Jean-Luc Picard when you need him… )

12 minutes ago, elguapo said:

this software behavior is intuitively expected when looking at the layers panel.

Definitely.
The current Symbols implementation still leaves a lot to be desired; just like Photo's Linked Layers do, for that matter.
Both features are in fact just two UIs of one feature, and should be merged, in my opinion.