Affinity Publisher -- Select, copy, paste between two opened AP files

[Bob Nakashian]

I am using Windows 11, have a 64 bit processor, a one year old laptop and have OpenGL enabled. 

My setup: I have two or more 60 plus page Affinity Publisher projects opened. Let's call them Files A, B, C and D. I wish to merge various pages from projects A, B and C into one large project D. The pages have text, headlines and images, which are usually photos. The images in projects A, B, and C were placed by making a picture frame rectangle from the tool menu and then placing the image using the Place Image Tool. I have side cars for the images associated with A, B, C and D and link them to the Publisher files. 

I attempt to use the move tool to select the contents of a two-page spread in either A, B or C so I can copy them to an identically formatted two-page spread in project D. Usually I find myself placing the move tool arrow to the perimeter of the pages and creating a box around the two pages. Sometimes nothing is selected. Sometimes only a few items are selected. If I try this a second, perhaps a third time, I am successful at capturing all the content on the two pages. I right click and copy. First question is why am I having trouble selecting all items the first time?

Then, when I attempt to place the items into the Project D file pages the following happens: I successfully place the first two pages. Then I attempt to get a different two pages, select them successfully, but when I click paste the first two pages are pasted instead of the next two. Often, no matter how many times I delete the unwanted duplicate and attempt to reselect and recopy and re-paste the second set of pages, I find that I am only re-pasting the already pasted first set of pages. 

I have had many years of experience using InDesign and have worked with Affinity Publisher for a couple of months every day. Not sure if my problem is methodology or a bug. The files are quite large and greater than your maximum gig so cannot attach. Not sure if you will need some files to trouble shoot this. 

Thank you for your help with this. 

Bob

[Old Bruce]

19 minutes ago, Bob Nakashian said:

I attempt to use the move tool to select the contents of a two-page spread in either A, B or C so I can copy them to...

 

Why not use Control/Command A to select all on the spread?

Plus you may be better served using Add Pages from Files... in the Pages panel (View > Studio > Pages). This is accessed by right clicking on the thumbnail of the page you want to have as the location for the new to be added pages.

 

[Bob Nakashian]

Yes, thank you. I see that "selecting all" solves the selection problem. Similarly, before starting another round of pasting "deselecting all" resets the process wiping the previous selection remnants.  I have no trouble adding pages, as I'm aware of a couple of ways to do that including the way you suggested. Thanks for your help.