XML import (if… when?)

[dp_graphic]

Hi all,

I can't find any confirmation (or not) that XML import will ever come in Affinity Publisher 2. I just need a simple "yes" or "no". It's the very only feature I'd miss to leave Adobe… so before bying a licence I'd like to be sure I'll be able in a near future to work with Affinity's suite.

Thanks.

[R C-R]

You won't get a yes or no answer for question like this because Serif has stated many times that it does does not comment on what features may be added in the near future, or if they will be added at all. The main reason for this is they can't be sure how much time & work it would take to implement such things properly until they are completed or nearly completed & fully tested.

So if this is a 'must have' feature for you, I suggest you not buy a license.

[dp_graphic]

@R C-R, thanks for your answer. It's been such a long time feature request (here is an archived post) that I just don't understand why Serif Lab don't even give a clue wether it's on their roadmap or not… but you're right, I just can't work without XML import, so I'll keep on with Adobe and their #&@@#&# subscription model.

[R C-R]

They no longer give us clues because too many users were taking such things as promises that the feature(s) listed on the now removed old public roadmaps would be implemented, & implemented in the specific way that various users requested ... including ones that conflicted with how others wanted them implemented, & that there was some implied date & version number they could expect to see them implemented in.

They also do not want to tip off their competitors about what they are planing, how they plan on implementing it, or when they expect it to be ready to add to the apps.

For similar reasons, many if not most for-profit software companies also do not offer public roadmaps.

[dp_graphic]

Everything you explain is perfectly understandable

Last year, I bought Photo and Designer V1 on the iPad and definitely enjoyed working on both apps. Nevertheless, they represent a steep learning curve when you're used to work on Photoshop and Illustrator for decades.

I don't think that I'm the only one hoping for a long time to see Publisher proposing "must have" features for automated workflows… it's a pity, but I think I'll be stucked with Adobe for the rest of my carreer 🤷‍♂️.

[loukash]

31 minutes ago, dp_graphic said:

"must have" features for automated workflows

Automated workflows may have a steep price tag (like InDesign) for a reason: they take time to develop and fine tune, and they save the user lots of costs in the long run.

That said, when I switched to Publisher two years ago, at first I was also disappointed by lack of XML support.
Then I suddenly realized that in my case, my XML workflow with InDesign was already a workaround because – at least originally with CS3 – ID lacked certain features I needed for quick paragraph text styles formatting, and XML import helped to work around that, also by using tables. It was a slight p.i.t.a. with InDesign, but it worked.

Whereas with Publisher, after some experimenting I "simply" (well, it took some time to figure out, haha) completely changed my workflow by converting the XML that I'm receiving to tab separated text and applying text styles globally by using a few specific Find & Replace patterns. In the end, that's even faster than having to deal with ID CS5.5's XML import rules for tables.

Your mileage may vary, of course.