Please can someone tell me how to group endless text boxes as paragraphs?

[Mork handley]

Publisher for iPad turns all imported PDF paragraphs of text into individuals lines of text boxes (or text frames).  This makes editing text impossible.

I believe that Publisher for Mac has an option to ‘group lines into paragraphs’.  I can’t find any import options for Publisher for iPad.  I also can’t find any option to select groups of text boxes and tell the app that it’s a paragraph!

There must be an answer or imports into this app are useless, making it only an app for new document creation!

[StudioJason]

Can confirm.

Have tried multiple ways AFTER the PDF is imported to combine Text, as it does separate Paragraphs into individual Text Frames…but to no avail.

Even Selecting entire Paragraphs and attempting to ‘Convert to Text Frame’ does not work.

Cannot be from any original PDF creation/assignments. Very troublesome.

‘Only thing in Preferences > General is Import PSD Text as Tex (not as Pixel Layers) which is completely different situation.

[DM1]

8 hours ago, Mork handley said:

Publisher for iPad turns all imported PDF paragraphs of text into individuals lines of text boxes (or text frames).  This makes editing text impossible.

Not great.  Strangely, Placing or Opening in Publisher gives text in individual lines. Then I tried by switching to Designer persona and Placing same file. Now back in Publisher text appears in text boxes, not individual lines . Maybe this is a workaround until something better comes?

 

 

[StudioJason]

52 minutes ago, DM1 said:

Not great.  Strangely, Placing or Opening in Publisher gives text in individual lines. Then I tried by switching to Designer persona and Placing same file. Now back in Publisher text appears in text boxes, not individual lines . Maybe this is a workaround until something better comes?

 

 

Not exactly sure how you did that…seeing as how Place in Designer (or Photo) is for a single Image, not a PDF file (being of in my case a 30 page PDF). You would have to have completely separate/individual PDFs (basically each page) to select from even for Autoflow to work. And unless you have Adobe Acrobat or another similar…(ironically the reason for going Affinity to stay away from Adobe)..with ability to Split the PDF into separate pages…not much of a workaround at all.

[DM1]

19 minutes ago, StudioJason said:

Not exactly sure how you did that…seeing as how Place in Designer (or Photo) is for a single Image, not a PDF file

No, it’s placed as an Embedded file. Just double tap to open all pages, then switch personas. When I opened the embedded file and switched to Pages view I was given the option to convert Artboards to spreads. Now my text is on departs pages in Pub and in text boxes😁

 

[Mork handley]

Thanks DM1 but that workaround doesn’t work for me sadly.  The Designer persona in iPad Publisher seems to place each page of the PDF as a single image., which I can’t edit.  And - although the page size is exactly that of the imported document, it messily fails to align each page (image) with the art board.  Regardless, the text isn’t editable for me when placed through Designer persona. 

[StudioJason]

2 hours ago, Mork handley said:

Thanks DM1 but that workaround doesn’t work for me sadly.  The Designer persona in iPad Publisher seems to place each page of the PDF as a single image., which I can’t edit.  And - although the page size is exactly that of the imported document, it messily fails to align each page (image) with the art board.  Regardless, the text isn’t editable for me when placed through Designer persona. 

Same. And it seems it should be quite a simple thing to Select an Area of Text, and combine/convert the selected into a Text Frame together (that is editable.)

I mean, seeing as how if you add Filler Text to a Text Frame…and can simply highlight to Expand the Filler Text, so you can actually edit the Filler Text (for simple Layout items)…Grouping Separate Text into a single Text Frame should be a no-brainer.

Have tried numerous Operations, including the obvious…Convert to Text Frame and nothing.

And this is just from Importing a PDF. Haven’t even had resources to try another File type.

[loukash]

On 11/18/2022 at 5:07 PM, Mork handley said:

I believe that Publisher for Mac has an option to ‘group lines into paragraphs’.  I can’t find any import options for Publisher for iPad.

Quite a few of the desktop features haven't made it into this first iPad version yet. Keep in mind that although marketed as "v2", it's in fact APu for iPad "1.0". I'm pretty confident that the majority of the still missing features will be eventually added.

[StudioJason]

23 minutes ago, loukash said:

Quite a few of the desktop features haven't made it into this first iPad version yet. Keep in mind that although marketed as "v2", it's in fact APu for iPad "1.0". I'm pretty confident that the majority of the still missing features will be eventually added.

That’s understandable. Though all that was given for info with the actual 2.0.2. Update…was “**Everything!**”….which seems minus a lot of “everything”.

[loukash]

Just now, StudioJason said:

all that was given for info with the actual 2.0.2. Update…was “**Everything!**”.

Yeah, that seemed to be a leftover from the initial launch version or something. The actual release notes are here:

[StudioJason]

19 minutes ago, loukash said:

Yeah, that seemed to be a leftover from the initial launch version or something. The actual release notes are here:

 

Fix inability to open a non-affinity file, save from home screen swipe, close, then open again. - Must have been an issue for some, but doesn’t even touch this issue.

Reinstated burger menu in the document viewer. Removed Save/Save menu items As from within the document. - Terrible idea..should be able to Save from within an Open Document while working on it.

Saving a unsaved document will now bring up the Save dialog to ask where to save it. - Redundant but obviously useful.

You can now slide up on the 'cancel/deselect' button at the lower left corner to activate 'Delete' functionality. - Yet the Undo function does not work in Recovering what was Deleted this way, in the ‘hidden aspect’ of this capability, in case of accident.

Would think that although Publisher is brand new to iPad, it would be highly more inclusive…just as Affinity Photo and Designer were when they were introduced….given that it was unofficially announced and discussed to release 2 years ago.

Although, there are still even basic features missing on those, and they’re on what for the finale V1 Update version again years later?

[loukash]

10 minutes ago, StudioJason said:

doesn’t even touch this issue

Nobody is claiming that v2.0.2 was supposed to fix this.

[StudioJason]

3 minutes ago, loukash said:

Nobody is claiming that v2.0.2 was supposed to fix this.

“**Everything**”….surely does, leftover or not.LOL😂

[loukash]

Haha, touché…

[Paul Mudditt]

So sorry for joining the party late but here is an external PDF that I have managed to get into reflow by using @DM1 suggestion of using a Placed embedded document, then I double tapped into the embedded document and then I used the PACKAGE command to save this to an iCloud folder. I then opened the folder and reconnected the 5 text frames manually.

Apologies if I have got the wrong end of the stick..

PDF document.pdf

Reflowed PDF.afpub

[DM1]

9 hours ago, Mork handley said:

Thanks DM1 but that workaround doesn’t work for me sadly.

All I had to do was open designer and place PDF file. Then save and close designer. Now open publisher and open the designer file you previously saved with the placed pdf. In Publisher, double tap the placed file icon & tap then Pages studio to do conversion.🙂

Note You need to open Designer all not via studio link in Publishers Designer Persona, to place the initial file. Placing using Publisher appears to work differently.

[Paul Mudditt]

17 minutes ago, DM1 said:

All I had to do was open designer and place PDF file. Then save and close designer. Now open publisher and open the designer file you previously saved with the placed pdf. In Publisher, double tap the placed file icon & tap then Pages studio to do conversion.🙂

Note You need to open Designer all not via studio link in Publishers Designer Persona, to place the initial file. Placing using Publisher appears to work differently.

Yes of course you are right Dave, works better in Designer !

 

[StudioJason]

Can thank Paul Mudditt for this…(and nod to DM1, for his contribution)…as he definitely deserves a patience award as well for helping sort this puzzle out.

 

20 hours ago, Paul Mudditt said:

It is a bit flakey and crashes a few times but watch until the end. Open a dummy document then use the Place tool.

Got it to work…and all in Publisher, no other Personas used.

Basically…Opened a New Document (A4…but any New) > Select Place (from Toolbar) > Selected From Files…to locate PDF > Select PDF and goes back to Pub

Placed PDF on page (just like an image) and all pages filled in automatically 

‘Highlight/Select Page 1 > Open Layers Panel of Page 1 > Tap on the first Layer at top of Panel twice…for me there was a slight delay (even tapped on it a few more times)

Select Package from Document Menu (hamburger) > Select a location to create a file to Save Package (also name it) > prompts will open in a new window

Package Window should have information on PDF, including options to select Include Fonts and Include Images (if greyed out or unable to select on/off, must start over) 

‘Select Package at bottom right…..Can Close out of file (even close doc without saving if you want)

‘Where Live Docs area is, select Open > go to location of Package Save is and open the Package.

Full PDF is now Text Frames - not individual separate Text Lines - but full paragraph Text Frames. Can Text Frame Link, Edit Text in Text Frames, apply Styles etc as normal.

 

 

[Paul Mudditt]

Submitted this issue that only the iPad apps suffer from as a bug since it causes many many crashes to do the workaround.

[Mork handley]

Bad news to everyone on this and similar threads: Serif seem to have no immediate plans to deal with the inability to import PDFs properly.

For me, as someone who needs to open and edit hundreds of docs in Apple Pages and other formats Publisher 2 can’t read unless exported/imported as PDFs, it’s a total dealbreaker.  

While Designer 2 and Photo 2 can import, export and edit just about anything, Publisher 2 will be deleted from my home screen as a useless waste of money: a publishing app that can’t open PDFs and edit text!

I’ve made my feelings known on the App Store ratings/review in the hope it might provide some motivation to fix this critical omission.  Perhaps you’ll want to do the same, but for now it looks like the wait for a viable publishing app in iPad continues.

[StudioJason]

15 minutes ago, Mork handley said:

Bad news to everyone on this and similar threads: Serif seem to have no immediate plans to deal with the inability to import PDFs properly.

For me, as someone who needs to open and edit hundreds of docs in Apple Pages and other formats Publisher 2 can’t read unless exported/imported as PDFs, it’s a total dealbreaker.  

While Designer 2 and Photo 2 can import, export and edit just about anything, Publisher 2 will be deleted from my home screen as a useless waste of money: a publishing app that can’t open PDFs and edit text!

I’ve made my feelings known on the App Store ratings/review in the hope it might provide some motivation to fix this critical omission.  Perhaps you’ll want to do the same, but for now it looks like the wait for a viable publishing app in iPad continues.

How is “…are planned to be added in the future..” an absolution of no immediate plans, or by your interpretation..never?

Feel free to make whatever feelings you have known, it is your right in most places…but to do so when Devs have openly admitted to an oversight, and relayed how it will be added - though probably not instantly as you’d like (wouldn’t all of us on so many other items?)- is pretty ridiculous.

[Mork handley]

 

On 11/30/2022 at 6:46 PM, StudioJason said:

How is “…are planned to be added in the future..” an absolution of no immediate plans, or by your interpretation..never?

Feel free to make whatever feelings you have known, it is your right in most places…but to do so when Devs have openly admitted to an oversight, and relayed how it will be added - though probably not instantly as you’d like (wouldn’t all of us on so many other items?)- is pretty ridiculous.

Thanks for your thoughts Jason. I’m sorry to have upset you. My only intention was to try to motivate the developers to prioritise a small default import preference which currently renders the app completely useless to me, and other users apparently. My apologies if you felt my words were poorly chosen. Kind regards

[StudioJason]

4 hours ago, Mork handley said:

 

Thanks for your thoughts Jason. I’m sorry to have upset you. My only intention was to try to motivate the developers to prioritise a small default import preference which currently renders the app completely useless to me, and other users apparently. My apologies if you felt my words were poorly chosen. Kind regards

Upset me? Lmao🤣 Your intent was already quite clear. Ridiculous…but quite clear.

[DM1]

15 hours ago, Mork handley said:

My only intention was to try to motivate the developers to prioritise a small default import preference which currently renders the app completely useless to me, and other users apparently.

Unfortunately from a Users perspective, it impossible to determine the 'priority' assigned by Devs to issues raised by said Users. That said, past history shows precedence has been given to bugs that severely limit the apps intended functionality. So, fingers crossed for a quick fix.🤞 

[Ash]

Hi - we have now included the PDF import options available on desktop in our iPad versions (in the 2.1 beta available from today). This includes ability to group text into frames. It would be great if you wanted to try it out in the beta and let us know what you think - you can sign up to the beta program here.