V2 AD docking 3 columns of panels

[Gear maker]

In AD V1 I'm used to using Separated Mode, which I can't in V2.  But in V1 I'd have my panels spread out in 3 columns.  this would allow me to change the canvas size to look at drawings/photos under AD.  The panels all stayed in a known location.  Like this:

In V2, non-Separated mode, I have tried to create the same layout, but only the right column docks.  If I change the size of the canvas to use part of my screen for viewing drawings/photos the other two columns do not move and cover the one docked column.

Is there a way to dock all three columns so they all move when resizing the canvas?  The two floating columns are docked together.  Currently the only way I can do it, other than dragging the floating columns every time I resize the screen, is by creating multiple studio presets with the floating in various locations.  Neither are very handy.  Is there a trick I am missing?

[loukash]

51 minutes ago, Gear maker said:

Is there a trick I am missing?

Save different positions as Studio Presets?

[Gear maker]

6 minutes ago, loukash said:

Save different positions as Studio Presets?

Thanks loukash, that's what I am doing now, but it's really about the same work as dragging the canvas size and then the second and third Columns to position.  Actually it's more mouse clicks.

[loukash]

Well, what I'm actually doing since I found that the Separated Mode as well as having the panels floating was always behaving very wonky anyway:

• Using the app window mode, I have rearranged all panels in both left and right side studios to suit my workflow, the right side being the more important ones. 
• Assigned keyboard shortcuts to Show Left/Right Studio

But I'm working on a 15" MBP, so the separated mode never was of much use.

[R C-R]

26 minutes ago, loukash said:

Well, what I'm actually doing since I found that the Separated Mode as well as having the panels floating was always behaving very wonky anyway:

What do you mean by Separated Mode in V2? AFAIK, it was removed. Are you maybe talking about the tear-off-tab thing that is very user unfriendly?

[loukash]

Just now, R C-R said:

What do you mean by Separated Mode in V2?

I wasn't talking about separated mode in v2.

2 minutes ago, R C-R said:

AFAIK, it was removed.

Exactly.  

[R C-R]

1 minute ago, loukash said:

I wasn't talking about separated mode in v2.

Then I am still confused. How was Separated Mode wonky for you in V1? 

[loukash]

1 minute ago, R C-R said:

How was Separated Mode wonky for you in V1? 

Enjoy my rants…  
forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/search/&q=separated mode&quick=1&author=loukash&search_and_or=and&sortby=relevancy

[R C-R]

1 minute ago, loukash said:

Enjoy my rants…  
forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/search/&q=separated mode&quick=1&author=loukash&search_and_or=and&sortby=relevancy

??? I looked at the first 10 or so of those results & they all seemed to be ranting about Separated Mode not being available in V2. So I still wonder what you found wonky about it in V1.

[loukash]

4 minutes ago, R C-R said:

So I still wonder what you found wonky about it in V1.

For example: option-click the green Zoom Window button and see what happens.

[Gear maker]

42 minutes ago, loukash said:

I have rearranged all panels in both left and right side studios to suit my workflow, the right side being the more important ones. 

I have set mine up to try your idea of using the left studio also.  I've never tried it before but it looks like it might work.  I need to decide on a shortcut to use so I can kill the left when I need the real estate.  Thanks for the idea.

[loukash]

1 minute ago, Gear maker said:

I need to decide on a shortcut to use so I can kill the left when I need the real estate

On Mac, we have a wider choice of shortcuts because we can also use the ctrl modifier instead of cmd. So for those custom interface shortcuts, I often using ctrl-shift as modifiers.

[R C-R]

7 minutes ago, loukash said:

For example: option-click the green Zoom Window button and see what happens.

It works as I expect it to in Catalina. What should I be seeing that is wonky?

[loukash]

5 minutes ago, loukash said:

For example: option-click the green Zoom Window button and see what happens

Speaking of which, back in the day when I tried to work around all the Separated mode shortcomings, I made me a Keyboard Maestro macro with a shortcut to bring the window in the desired size and position on the screen:

[loukash]

2 minutes ago, R C-R said:

What should I be seeing

This is what happens when you zoom the window on El Cap:

[Gear maker]

I loved Separated mode in V1.  When I first bought AD, back in 2014, I wasn't sure I liked AD until I found Separated Mode after about a month of using non-Separated mode.  There were some problems with it.  Most issues seemed to be ignored or at least given low priority to be fixed because most people used non-Separated mode.  Just like issues only showing in light mode.  So we learned to live with them.

[R C-R]

1 minute ago, loukash said:

This is what happens when you zoom the window on El Cap:

Not seeing that in Capitan. It just jumps the workspace window to full screen size. 

[loukash]

Just now, R C-R said:

It just jumps the workspace window to full screen size. 

Option-click to zoom window. Regular click is full screen yes.

[Gear maker]

2 minutes ago, loukash said:

This is what happens when you zoom the window on El Cap:

I agree this was a nuisance that we just learned to live with.  Using Tab just did a much better job if you need full real estate.

If you can't see what is wrong with it, compare the resulting screen with what happens in non-Separated mode.

[R C-R]

3 minutes ago, loukash said:

Option-click to zoom window. Regular click is full screen yes.

I did option-click. It still just sets the document to full screen.

EDIT: @Gear maker & @loukash, have you tried this with any of the more recent macOS versions?

[loukash]

3 minutes ago, Gear maker said:

I agree this was a nuisance that we just learned to live with.

Oh, there was much more. Especially before they implemented the Studio Presets. In my office I have an external display attached, and that would regularly result in panels landing off-screen when detaching the display, only fixable by resetting the studio and start over.

That's why I gave up early and "learned to live" with the one-window mode instead.  

Also an issue for me:
In the separated mode it's nearly impossible to safely target UI elements by UI scripting. Which is already hard enough in the one-window mode…

[Gear maker]

3 minutes ago, R C-R said:

have you tried this with any of the more recent macOS versions?

I am using Ventura now on a new 27" iMac.  I need to update the system info on the bottom of the forum.  But first I need to figure out how to do that.  But I am trying to work with V2 to decide if I really want to go to V2.

With V1 non-Separated mode the option green button causes the Canvas, panels and tools to move out to fill the screen.  The entire canvas is visible.  In Separated mode it opens the canvas up so wide it's under the toolbars and everything else.  That's not useable for much of anything.

[R C-R]

3 minutes ago, Gear maker said:

In Separated mode it opens the canvas up so wide it's under the toolbars and everything else.

That is exactly what I expect to happen -- after all, if it is sized to the full screen size & it was over the toolbars & panels, how could you access them?

[loukash]

19 minutes ago, R C-R said:

have you tried this with any of the more recent macOS versions?

My MBP can run up to Catalina but I rarely use it. 

6 minutes ago, Gear maker said:

In Separated mode it opens the canvas up so wide it's under the toolbars and everything else.  That's not useable for much of anything.

Exactly.

Hence my workflow with the non-separated mode but with shortcuts to hide left/right studios when I need to see more of the canvas.

[loukash]

12 minutes ago, R C-R said:

it was over the toolbars & panels

The point is that the document window zoom should respect the toolbars and panels, and expand only in the free area. 
That's exactly what e.g. InDesign or Illustrator does in separated mode – which I've been using there exclusively.

The difference is likely that ID/AI knows the concept of docked toolbars/palettes, whereas Affinity toolbars/panels don't dock to the display borders. That could even be a patent issue. I vaguely remember many years ago Adobe sueing someone over dockable palettes.