Selection tools and window frame missing

[bbsunrise]

I seem to have a couple issues.

I have Affinity Photo and publisher 1.10.4 on an M1 MacBook Pro. In photo, I have no selection tools and also have no window frame. I figured out that it was in separated mode and unchecked that. This brought back all the tools on the left and the top. When in Separated mode, there are no selection tools. How are you supposed to actually use the application with no tools? I clicked on Develop persona from the Affinity Photo menu and half of the menu items went away. I could then not even close the application or the photo. I kept getting a message to commit to my develop before I could close the window. Finally, after unchecking the separated mode, I was then able to click a different persona and get out of the application.

Does Photo not have the same application switching buttons that publisher has? I thought all the applications had the button to instantly switch applications.

[MEB]

Hi @bbsunrise,
Welcome to Affinity Forums
Sorry the delay getting back to you - most of us have taken a break during Christmas/New Year. 
Seems the application is not displaying the context toolbar in Separated Mode for you. Do the following: open one image in the app go to Separated Mode  (menu Window > Separated Mode) then go to menu View > Show context toolbar to display the context toolbar right below the main menu. Is this toolbar that contains the Develop button that allows you to comment the changes you made in Develop Persona and return to the regular Photo Persona.

To display the Tools on the left in Separated Mode go to menu View > Show Tools.

 

On 12/23/2021 at 1:20 AM, bbsunrise said:

Does Photo not have the same application switching buttons that publisher has? I thought all the applications had the button to instantly switch applications.

Those buttons do not change between apps, they change between Personas. Both Designer and Photo have a couple specific Personas which are not accessible through Publisher (for example the Liquify Persona in Affinity Photo or the Pixel Persona in Affinity Designer). Publisher only has buttons to access the "main" Photo Persona in Affinity Photo and the "main" Designer Persona in Affinity Designer if the user has those applications installed and even here there's couple features that are not accessible other than using these personas in the respective full applications.

To actually switch/send the file from Publisher to the other (full) apps (that is to Affinity Photo or Affinity Designer) you have to use the command File > Edit in Photo... or File > Edit in Designer....