Affinity Photo v2 .exe file location

[Sangoma]

6 minutes ago, myclay said:

I just wanted to make sure that you (a fresh account with no name (yet) to it) are not trying to steal my and other peoples bank data.

Fair enough, but I also looked at your website and Instagram, all empty too

My system checks all downloaded files as they are downloaded, I did a test download, as well as scanning the file before posting it, so I do understand your thinking.

[myclay]

Thanks for understanding the concerns, no ill intentions from my side.
Works being done on a new web presence and duly noted that it needs to represent my newest creations.

[Granddaddy]

1 hour ago, Mark Ingram said:

I imagine you might have spaces in your path? I’ll see if I can fix that… 

No spaces in path but spaces in jpg file name, unless you include filespec as part of path to the file. Your aflaunch.exe chops off everything before the space in the filespec so the files fail to load in Faststone Image Viewer.

For instance, I tried to load
G:\[TopFolder]\[SubFolder]\2022-10-07-GardenCleanup\2022-10-07-Garden Cleanup-01.jpg
from Faststone Image Viewer.

APhoto2 launched from Faststone but returned error:
The File was not found . The full path to the file and the filename was displayed but ended at the blank space

Second error message displayed the portion of the filespec that followed the blank space.
Cleanup-01.jpg
The file was not found

I usually don't use spaces in filespecs, but I was careless when I renamed this one out of the camera.

Thanks for working on this. 

 

[Matterdor]

1 hour ago, myclay said:

I just wanted to make sure that you (a fresh account with no name (yet) to it) are not trying to steal my and other peoples bank data.

Using an EXE file would be a big risk even if the account was an old one with plenty of posts and a name. There is no guarantee that the person who build the EXE file didn't have a virus on their computer. Software from Serif is different because they have a build and signing process and we are already trusting that process by running their software.

[myclay]

Yep @Matterdor I agree 100%, thats why I shared how I build my exe file so others could build it without any potential risks.
 

<Moderated>

[eftee74]

I'm wondering if there is any user who tried to run AP V2 from capture one 23 on windows 10, working around this issue.

[pjglad]

So, I have Affinity V2 installed on my iMac and my PC. On my iMac, the Apps are installed in the Applications folder. Really simple for FastRawViewer to link. However, on my PC, Affinity V2 Apps are installed in a Microsoft Store thing which is not accessible to FastRawViewer. Not sure why? In any event, Serif has two choices at this juncture to remedy the PC install debacle - Arrogance/Ego (do nothing and continue with these Rube Goldberg sometimes maybe workarounds) or Customer Centric (install the Apps like V1 so we can link to them). Ashley Hanson - you might want to invoke your "one more thing" > please remedy this issue.

[Silversnapper]

I have Capture One 22 on Windows 11 and I can connect to Photos 2. It took some time and effort and not a little frustration.

However, I echo what has been said elsewhere, this is a disaster for Serif in the way it has been implemented on Windows. I would wish for a total reissue with a 'normal' installation implementation. I would be happy to uninstall and re-install.

[Balveda]

1 minute ago, Silversnapper said:

I have Capture One 22 on Windows 11 and I can connect to Photos 2. It took some time and effort and not a little frustration.

However, I echo what has been said elsewhere, this is a disaster for Serif in the way it has been implemented on Windows. I would wish for a total reissue with a 'normal' installation implementation. I would be happy to uninstall and re-install.

That's the solution I'm hoping they come up with too. After all the hassle an uninstall/reinstall is a piece of cake.

[François R]

4 hours ago, MikeW said:

Programmers who live on the cutting edge aren't the ones getting bled...

Geez. Who cares what MS is suggesting. Regular installers aren't going away anytime soon. Just admit this was a boneheaded decision and reverse course before too much time passes.

I agree completely.

 

Edited November 11, 2022 by François R
Minor correction

[JP0]

I need to create a BAT file to run a Windows application? Lame isn't a strong enough insult. This was a major gaffe, and I hope that Serif changes  back to a real Windows application, not a lame Windows app. If not, I won't even bother trying to evaluate.

[walt.farrell]

4 hours ago, Granddaddy said:

No spaces in path but spaces in jpg file name, unless you include filespec as part of path to the file. Your aflaunch.exe chops off everything before the space in the filespec so the files fail to load in Faststone Image Viewer.

What do you configure in Faststone Image Viewer? Is it just the program name, or can you configure how the file name is passed? If you can configure that, perhaps putting the file name in double quotes ("name") will resolve it. That kind of thing has worked with some programs in the past, for me.

[RichardMH]

If anyone is having problems accessing Photo from Capture One on Windows 11, the solution is to reset the default apps in Windows Settings. (its way down the bottom of the default apps page).

[rvst]

On 11/10/2022 at 10:57 AM, Dan C said:

Windows preferred install method for applications going forwards is .MSIX, though we do appreciate we are slightly ahead of the curve here.

Ahead of the curve? This is literally the only significant piece of software I use that chose to deliberately implement Microsoft's horrible tablet centric interface-in-an-interface and totally break the desktop experience.

It was an appallingly bad decision for numerous reasons, some of which have been highlighted in this thread.

I recommend the following fix that you implement ASAP in a maintenance release: when installing, create a stub executable in C:\Program Files\Affinity\Photo that contains a copy of the icon and invokes the executable stored in C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\<mangled installation folder name>\App\Photo.exe. Rinse-repeat for Designer and Publisher. In this way, the applications will be accessible using the standard desktop interface metaphor of Windows as well, instead of only via their ridiculous Windows App model that nobody I know even uses. 

 

[Jon S]

9 hours ago, myclay said:

The new version works now with 3Dcoat and this variant works also with Blender, thank you very much.

You don't need to use this method with Blender, just type AffinityPhoto2.exe in the box. Don't try to browse to the .exe. Not sure if you can do this with 3dCoat as I don't have it. HTH

[myclay]

Hello John,
form the deepest of my heart; Thank you so much! 👍
There are now three different working ways for linking from Blender to AFPhotoV2  but your genius finding means that the linking between both programs is now truly update proof.*
(*Each AFPhotoV2 update will change its Foldernaming path to the exe)

Edit; 3Dcoat is way stricter, for it to work, the exe file from Mark Ingram is so far the only way.

I must agree with anyone that Serif should abandon msix.
It makes zero sense to sandbox a painting program, for webbrowsers it might be necessary but only gives a false sense of security.
 

Edited November 12, 2022 by myclay
spellchecking, added info about testing Johns finding with 3DCoat.

[Patrick Connor]

@Sangoma & @myclay

Chill you two, I've hidden and moderated a number of your posts

This will have an official technical solution based on sangoma's files. I'm locking the thread. If you want to mute others here and not see posts then that's available.

[Mark Ingram]

7 hours ago, rvst said:

I recommend the following fix that you implement ASAP in a maintenance release: when installing, create a stub executable in C:\Program Files\Affinity\Photo that contains a copy of the icon and invokes the executable stored in C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\<mangled installation folder name>\App\Photo.exe. Rinse-repeat for Designer and Publisher. In this way, the applications will be accessible using the standard desktop interface metaphor of Windows as well, instead of only via their ridiculous Windows App model that nobody I know even uses. 

 

I've mentioned elsewhere that we use "App Execution Alias" to enable this scenario. You can find the aliases in the following location:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\AffinityDesigner2.exe

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\AffinityPhoto2.exe

C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\AffinityPublisher2.exe

Please replace username with your Windows username. Also, those paths are already in your %PATH% variable so you can launch them without even specifying the full path, e.g. AffinityPhoto2.exe.

[Patrick Connor]

This news will also help some in this thread

 

[Patrick Connor]

Most users can get their DAM to work with Affinity Photo 2 using the instructions in this post