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Extremely disappointed that this installs as an "App" and not regular software program


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12 minutes ago, mb6391 said:

You can find the app under the Windows Apps section on the left. It's what we used to uninstall all the crap that came with Win10 and 11 (incl MS Store).

Many other software developers use the MSIX route but at the same time there is the option for the traditional install via their website. I cannot understand why Serif are determined to dig their heels in over this but then again, I'm past bothering. There's more to life and as I've had my refund I'll stay with V1.

What this tells me is that this company is really not listening to their customers. I purchased the entire suite of V1 and requested as many others for WebP to be added and it was never added to the V1 applications. So I can't even say I will continue to use it because I will not, hopping to other applications to be able to use simple features like that is not what I want to do. I may as well continue using the applications that provide me with everything I need.

I still wanted to support them and went in blind and purchased the V2 apps (unknowingly) because they finally added WebP. I want the application I am going to finally settle on to come from a company that will also listen to its customers and provide them with all the tools they need and requested along the way. I know many requests will not be able to be added as it depends on many factors, but adding a file format, as WebP, is not one of those cases.

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Guys, I was a bit miss-informed and angry too, but it seems that App Execution Aliases works and solves integration problems.

Quote

 

MSIX hides the install location due to the sandbox, but 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

Remembering to replace username with your Windows username. Also, those paths are already in your %PATH% variable so you can often launch them without even specifying the full path, e.g. just AffinityPhoto2.exe. There are bugs in some third-party applications with the App Execution Alias so I'm working on an aflaunch app that will bridge the gap here. 

 

At least for simple picture browser, I don't know what problems you have with professional software.
OK, it's still an unnecessary workaround, but at least partially works.

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2 hours ago, iamnemo said:

I have installed all my programs using Revo Uninstaller Pro. But Revo does not support the installation of MSIX apps. If Serif had clearly stated that version 2 was to be installed as an MSIX app, and explained the consequences of this move, I would have remained with version 1. The arguments of Serif for using MSIX are unconvincing, and anyway unimportant to me. I am now considering asking for a refund. 

There is zero need for Revo Uninstaller Pro when using MSIX - you are guaranteed a clean uninstall, that's one of the benefits over MSI!

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As a happy customer for many years I only became aware after buying the universal licence that Serif switched to the Microsoft App format. I could not imagine that Serif will go that evil. So please Serif release v2 as a normal Windows program again to make me happy again.

Edited by jkehrel
typo
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11 hours ago, Dangerous said:

I do not have formal IT training, I am self-taught, built my computer and had no issues installing affinity. I had no end of issues with adobe installations & updates but got them sorted. At one point even adobe support was close to giving up. 

As for it doesn't install. A few have issues compared to the many that don't. 

Hello,
When you buy a tool of any kind... camera for example, you don't ask the customer to be an expert in electronics and optics to assist the design shortcuts of the manufacturers.
The problem with computers is the tradition that comes from the origins of this tool and that forces us to think that a customer must also be a geek or at least comfortable with the intricacies of this technology.
Affinity is a tool and nothing else, no more than Win11 or OS thingy:
you buy, you install, you use the tool.
The expertise lies in the handling of the tool and not in circumventing the inadequacies of designers who still think that it is the clients who must adapt to their whims and not the other way round.
Mickey Mouse has instilled in people's heads that it's normal to buy buggy, poorly designed products...and this idea persists.

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6 hours ago, Mark Ingram said:

Customers wanted a better update experience from what we offered in v1

Well this customer wasn't asked about it, and he definitely would not have voted for the mess Serif has got itself - and its users - into here.

I wonder if you'd get the same result now, Mark? Sounds like a "bright" idea that hasn't survived contact with reality... 

Keith Reeder

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4 hours ago, Gianpaolo64 said:

I do not think a smaller update file is an added value in 2022

Indeed. I can only assume that an unfeasibly large number of Serif customers are still on dial-up...

🙄

Seriously, Serif: one of the main reasons (the main reason, for me) that so many people are on fibre broadband and other fast connections is so that they can comfortably deal with larger downloads.

 

Keith Reeder

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6 hours ago, Mark Ingram said:

Customers wanted a better update experience from what we offered in v1, and MSIX allowed us to deliver that. 

Sorry Mark I beg to differ. There was nothing wrong with the updates in V1. So where you get this information from I have no idea!!

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18 minutes ago, mb6391 said:

 So where you get this information from I have no idea!!

Well in fairness to Serif, you wouldn't know: Like most companies, Serif surely conducts market research, and such research is rarely made public.

I still really struggle to get my head around the notion that download file-size is an issue to anyone in the 2020s - I'd like to see the question that was asked of customers to drive that conclusion out - but that's the point: market research is generally commercial in confidence information. 

Which does of course allow for "creative interpretations" of the results to suit pre-existing agendas, as they're not open to scrutiny...

Keith Reeder

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This change made the application almost unusable for my daily workflow. Since the path the application is installed to is locked away by Windows, even to administrator accounts, a lot of application can't launch it externally.

E.g. Unity3D will not allow me to mark Affinity as my external image editor, which means I can no longer open images directly from Unity3D, which is how I use Affinity 99% of the time.

The Stream Deck also can't launch the application anymore. You have to find a hidden folder in windows (not the actual application path), find the app and create a shortcut, which Windows will not allow and ask to place to place it on the desktop, which you can then link to. That workaround took me a while to figure out, considering what a simple task it should've been.

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10 minutes ago, KennethL said:

This change made the application almost unusable for my daily workflow. Since the path the application is installed to is locked away by Windows, even to administrator accounts, a lot of application can't launch it externally.

E.g. Unity3D will not allow me to mark Affinity as my external image editor, which means I can no longer open images directly from Unity3D, which is how I use Affinity 99% of the time.

The Stream Deck also can't launch the application anymore. You have to find a hidden folder in windows (not the actual application path), find the app and create a shortcut, which Windows will not allow and ask to place to place it on the desktop, which you can then link to. That workaround took me a while to figure out, considering what a simple task it should've been.

I immediately found a workaround for Unity3D. Create a .bat file with the contents:

cd "C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\"
start AffinityPhoto2.exe %*

and set the bat file as your external tool. Not really ideal, though.

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18 minutes ago, KennethL said:

The Stream Deck also can't launch the application anymore. You have to find a hidden folder in windows (not the actual application path), find the app and create a shortcut, which Windows will not allow and ask to place to place it on the desktop, which you can then link to. That workaround took me a while to figure out, considering what a simple task it should've been.

May i know which exe file shortcut you use for streamdeck? is it from the "original" photo.exe file? because that's the only exe i could link to my steelseries engine software (already tried all the workaround), but the problem is that exe file is under the 'affinity-versionnumber' folder, so i have to link it again everytime there's an update.

thx

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3 minutes ago, ADRs said:

May i know which exe file shortcut you use for streamdeck? is it the "original" photo.exe file? because that's the only exe i could link to my steelseries engine software (already tried all the workaround), but the problem is that exe file is under the 'affinity-versionnumber' folder, so i have to link it again everytime there's an update.

thx

Hit Windows+R, type "shell:appsfolder", find the app there, right click -> create shortcut.

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17 minutes ago, KennethL said:

Hit Windows+R, type "shell:appsfolder", find the app there, right click -> create shortcut.

too bad it didnt work with steelseries engine because it didn't even recognize it as an shortcut/exe file. 

But it works for another software i tried to link to, thx!

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1 minute ago, Mark Ingram said:

Hi all. Thanks for your patience over the weekend when our offices were closed.

We've had a meeting this morning and decided to offer MSI installers to those people who would like them. I can't tell you when this will happen, as there is engineering work that will be required to allow this to happen, but we hope it won't be long.

Thanks for your feedback!

Thanks Mark and a thumbs up to Affinity/Serif

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2 minutes ago, Mark Ingram said:

Hi all. Thanks for your patience over the weekend when our offices were closed.

We've had a meeting this morning and decided to offer MSI installers to those people who would like them. I can't tell you when this will happen, as there is engineering work that will be required to allow this to happen, but we hope it won't be long.

Thanks for your feedback!

great news! thx! now i'm convinced for upgrading to V2

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13 minutes ago, Mark Ingram said:

Hi all. Thanks for your patience over the weekend when our offices were closed.

We've had a meeting this morning and decided to offer MSI installers to those people who would like them. I can't tell you when this will happen, as there is engineering work that will be required to allow this to happen, but we hope it won't be long.

Thanks for your feedback!

Thanks for the update.

Even though I got the app moved and working.
I still prefer to have control of drive/folder location and whether I want to update or not at each update notice.
So, I would use the MSI over the app. Thanks

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3 hours ago, Designer1234 said:

Guys, I was a bit miss-informed and angry too, but it seems that App Execution Aliases works and solves integration problems.

The aliases did not work for me. I had to use the actual executable buried in Program Files\WindowsApps, which is typically hidden by Windows. I know that path name will change on an update, but I see that They are going to offer traditional MSI installers for those who want it, so I'm happy to wait.

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53 minutes ago, KennethL said:

I immediately found a workaround for Unity3D. Create a .bat file with the contents:

You don't even need the cd command. Since the alias already points to that. only the second line is needed. I just tested it and it works fine. Better than your first suggestion (which does work and I was using), which will break after the first update. The bat file should be good indefinitely.

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