.aftemplate Custom Thumbnail -- is it possible?

[debraspicher]

I believe the answer is no. I noticed that the Affinity official templates use a different thumbnail than the document preview. Is it feasible for us to include our own in self-created .aftemplates?

Affinity store thumbnail:


Upon opening:

[markw]

It looks different when opening it because for some reason it defaults to opening on the last page; 40 of 40.
Go to page one and you see the page that is actually generating the file’s thumbnail.

[debraspicher]

4 hours ago, markw said:

It looks different when opening it because for some reason it defaults to opening on the last page; 40 of 40.
Go to page one and you see the page that is actually generating the file’s thumbnail.

Probably because I opened it in Designer and was being lazy.

I thought maybe of just creating a splash graphic as a work around for my own uses. Not on all. Just certain ones

[v_kyr]

20 minutes ago, debraspicher said:

Probably because I opened it in Designer and was being lazy.

Here on my V1 apps installments it also defaulted to open in Designer, even that is overall more a Publisher template. - Interestingly an MacOS El Capitan here a quickshow preview doesn't show anything here for me for that "flowless-brill-photography-portfolio_a4.aftemplate" template file, so just sort of an empty preview.

Extracting the default thumbs PNG in it (with my afthumbs.py script) gives/shows instead this (first template page) one as the PNG thumb image ...

Now since it's an interesting theme, I've modified the afthumbs.py Python script - into a new other script replacethumb.py - that way, that instead of extracting the thumb PNG image, it now can replace the thumb image inside such an aftemplate file. - In my first tests that worked good, the internal thumb image is then replaced by an own given PNG image one. Though my MacOS quickview still doesn't show anything up for me here as before. I again have to use instead my afthumbs.py Python script in order to verify that the thumbs have been replaced successfully. - Which they are, since my own added PNG thumb image will be now extracted.

If there is really some demand for this (no not the replacement cake image), then I can post that replacethumb.py  script for general tryouts.

[debraspicher]

2 hours ago, v_kyr said:

Here on my V1 apps installments it also defaulted to open in Designer, even that is overall more a Publisher template. - Interestingly an MacOS El Capitan here a quickshow preview doesn't show anything here for me for that "flowless-brill-photography-portfolio_a4.aftemplate" template file, so just sort of an empty preview.

Nope, I was just 100% lazy in this case lol. I figured out it was a Publisher document after a bit especially seeing the ginormo "Pages" Export box when I went to consider outputting there. I decided to just preview in Designer because I didn't anticipate it would open to the very last page. That's my dumb.

I'm not sure what I default .aftemplate on my machine anymore because I've stopped opening it in Explorer and instead use the internal UI for organization purposes. I have several templates set by folder. It is much better that it is .aftemplate now and I've slowly started to convert old templates to the new format. Very annoying in the past to open a grid system in Designer (.afdesign) when I actually needed it in Photo.

I think providing a python script is definitely useful, but curious if the thumbnails apply also to MacOS/iPad, etc? I will link the post to the OP in case other people run into the same problem (in Windows) and "require" a fix. I just don't anticipate it's a real solution and obviously would have to worry about unintended side-effects (*Use at your own risk*, etc).

I'm happy to some extent to provide a splash screen/layer of sorts. Which is a little lame to have to delete it after but I would rasterize so it's not a big ask. Could be useful though to include as an "example" sheet/inspiration graphic.

Anyway, the main question is answered. We can't edit thumbnails (yet). But it's fine.

[v_kyr]

1 hour ago, debraspicher said:

It is much better that it is .aftemplate now and I've slowly started to convert old templates to the new format. Very annoying in the past to open a grid system in Designer (.afdesign) when I actually needed it in Photo.

It might be, can't say since I rarely make use of these and usually don't share them between apps. I personally mostly reuse common Affinity files that their template files here.

1 hour ago, debraspicher said:

I think providing a python script is definitely useful, but curious if the thumbnails apply also to MacOS/iPad, etc?

Why shouldn't they, a thumbnail is usually just a fixed size PNG preview image, embedded inside the corresponding Affinity file. And I don't see any reason why it should be file format specific different handled on the other platforms.

1 hour ago, debraspicher said:

I just don't anticipate it's a real solution and obviously would have to worry about unintended side-effects (*Use at your own risk*, etc).

Everything here the apps don't provide on their own can be seen as a hack and thus the "*Use at your own risk*" would then always apply.

1 hour ago, debraspicher said:

Anyway, the main question is answered. We can't edit thumbnails (yet). But it's fine.

Who says that? - If I alter the first page of that original flowless-brill-photography-portfolio_a4.aftemplate file in APub and (re)save it as a template (via "Save as Template ...") and afterwards look after it's embedded thumb's image, then it shows me the one I've altered/modified (from page one). All that without using my Python script at all here! So there is a way you can edit them, just with Affinity's own on-board resources.

[debraspicher]

48 minutes ago, v_kyr said:

Who says that? - If I alter the first page of that original flowless-brill-photography-portfolio_a4.aftemplate file in APub and (re)save it as a template (via "Save as Template ...") and afterwards look after it's embedded thumb's image, then it shows me the one I've altered/modified (from page one). All that without using my Python script at all here! So there is a way you can edit them, just with Affinity's own on-board resources.

When I say "edit", I'm referring to the ability to change thumbnails outright so that they don't follow internal content. But a splash image will work. Thanks.

[v_kyr]

Just now, debraspicher said:

When I say "edit", I'm referring to the ability to change thumbnails outright so that don't follow internal content. But a splash image will work. Thanks.

That's where my Python script could jump in, that offers to do so! - Though I'm not sure if I will publish it at all, since it also could be abused to change thumbs previews off copyrighted templates and the like.

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, debraspicher said:

I'm not sure what I default .aftemplate on my machine anymore because I've stopped opening it in Explorer and instead use the internal UI for organization purposes. I have several templates set by folder. It is much better that it is .aftemplate now and I've slowly started to convert old templates to the new format. Very annoying in the past to open a grid system in Designer (.afdesign) when I actually needed it in Photo.

In V2, the Templates dialog will display .aftemplate files but will also display other Affinity file types. So you don't really need to convert to .aftemplate unless you want the other functoions that provides.

I organize my Templates by application. So when I click Templates to access them in the application dialog, I can then click on the right folder for Photo, or Designer, or Publisher and have all of them for that application available. Like you, I do not try to open them from File Explorer.

[debraspicher]

56 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

In V2, the Templates dialog will display .aftemplate files but will also display other Affinity file types. So you don't really need to convert to .aftemplate unless you want the other functoions that provides.

I organize my Templates by application. So when I click Templates to access them in the application dialog, I can then click on the right folder for Photo, or Designer, or Publisher and have all of them for that application available. Like you, I do not try to open them from File Explorer.

I was doing this for a while, but there's so much crossover for me between Photo & Designer as far as the way I work. For instance, dealing with early sketches with Pattern Layers, it's not possible to start in Designer obviously even though it's likely where it'll be output. It's also easier to get disorganized when moving files around with unclear naming conventions. I always show file extensions so that does help. I know it's just semantics in the end as far as the file system is concerned, but it helps claim intent. Also when offering assets for sale, it makes sense to provide a .aftemplate in a shop, but explicit .afphoto, etc, when other scenarios apply just so people know the origin programs (and intended use cases). I love the format Affinity uses and the cross app functionality is a huge plus. All I would ask for at that point is the ability to officially create custom thumbnails so that if we do create these as portable assets, they'll be well-marked in the "finder", easier to pick through, etc.

A splash page is not a bad option anyway because I can always put on that splash page the "features" within the file, i.e. "how to use".  Stuff not easily seen in a thumbnail. For example, templates that have highly specific settings in Export Persona, what they are intended for and are critical for "working" with the template. Easily doable.