Can't select object and can't delete object unknown reason

[Cogent30]

I am currently trialling Affinity Publisher 2 and I am for some reason experiencing a really frustrating problem where I cannot for some reason select this rectangle. 

Rudimentarily simple. Not in master. Not locked. I have also tried the "Edit All Layers" on/off. Still cannot even select this rectangle for really odd reason. 

I also do have another issue ~ a big one perhaps - that I cannot simply have inline tables to behave just that. "Inline" inbetween paragraphs. in Indesign we can simply just copy and paste literally ~ objects in another text frame and set anchor options, done. But Affinity publisher 2 doesn't have much options if any that I can see so far. I shall likely post another thread on this. 

Regards,

Cogent30

[Komatös]

Hi @Cogent30

You may have missed it, layer 1, 2 and 4 are subordinate to Masterpage 2.

You must select the master page 2 for editing, then you can also perform all operations.

[Cogent30]

Dear @Komatös thank you so much for the prompt response, I do apologize for I am new. 

I've decided to roll back to previous file, and recreated the problem. I am still stuck as how to "select master page 2". In my layer list indeed has "2 pages", but how and where do I "select" this second page? Is there a button or an icon somewhere?

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by Cogent30

[Hangman]

Hi @Cogent30,

As @Komatös mentions above, the grey ractangle is sitting on the A-Master Page.

1. Double click the A-Master - 2 Pages Master
2. Click the twirl-arrow for Layer 1
3. Select the grey rectangle and delete it

That will now remove it from your main page/s.

[Cogent30]

...Forgive me as I am still somehow not seeing the logistic properly from where I am.

I am not seeing anything that resembles a "twirl arrow" for Layer 1. All that I'm seeing that is clickable ~ is a drop down arrow. So I did double click on A Master 2 Pages in the layers palette. Nothing else happens. 

If it is this very small and thin ~ dotted green line that you are referring to - I also tried clicking and double clicking on that. Nothing else happens.  

There must be some sort micro pre-requisite that I am not aware of. 

 ~Cg30. 

[Hangman]

Hi @Cogent30,

Would you be able to upload your Publisher file so we can take a quick look, it will likely be quicker than going back and forth and we can also check if there is anything odd happening with your file...

[Cogent30]

So I separated everything else as part of NDA unto a separate afpub. And recreated the issue. Certainly something like this must have been looked into. 

I sincerely do appreciate all the help if any to determine if this is actually a bug. Fundamental /  basic everyday tasks in Indesign (eg. working with multiple object threads / working with anchored objects etc) would surely be interpreted the same way in Affinity Publisher 2? Or perhaps I am completely mistaken. 

In any case, my isolated file for troubleshooting is as attached.

~cg30. 

For troubleshoot ticket.afpub

[GarryP]

If you drag the “A-Master” master spread over the ‘normal’ spread, via the Pages Panel, thus applying the master spread again, the problem goes away, as far as I can tell.

Alternatively, you can right-click on the “A-Master” page in the Layers Panel, choose Edit Linked, then select and delete the errant rectangle, then press “Finish” on the ‘green banner’ this will also fix the problem – see attached video.

This doesn’t help with finding out how the problem got there in the first place though.

[Cogent30]

@GarryP Thank you so much for this, yes overriding anything is perhaps the only way to go.... at least for now...

However I've attached a video as to how I reintroduce or recreate this problem.

Imagine that at times we're typing in content inside a text frame, and from time to time we need to just add or create placeholder frames or objects ~ as inline objects. By instinct I go to any object or frame tool, draw the shape....and....boom...the problem appears that I am now seeing this "X" marks on the rectangle or the object....hence recreating the problem.

Hope this clarifies and if this is not the most advisable workflow this should have been warned somewhere...

regards ~ cg30. 

[NathanC]

Hi @Cogent30,

The rectangle layers are being created within the Master Page 'Layer 1' and are therefore not editable objects without the Edit Detach/Edit Link function as GarryP mentioned earlier. When you're actively editing the master page content on your Page via Edit Detached and you add a an object this will add it as a part of the Master Page layer, as expected.

Your screen recording, although cropped doesn't have the 'Edit Detached' banner active from what I can tell, so your rectangle objects should be automatically put to the top of the layer stack but this doesn't appear to be happening, and they are instead being clipped into the Master Page 'Layer 1'. I can't seem replicate this when I try on your file, the object is always added to the top of my layer stack unless I use the 'Edit Detached' function.

Could you confirm if you can replicate this problem on a brand new file?

[Hangman]

Hi @Cogent30 and @NathanC,

I can now replicate this...

The issue seems to be that objects are added to the Master Page even when Edit Detached isn't selected and it appears to be a result of unpinning a previously pinned inline object by selecting it (very specifically) in the Layers Panel... Based on the Layers Panel layout, my assumption is that the grey box with the yellow underline containing the text 'Long body text goes here' at the top of the page in @Cogent30's video is or was at one point pinned inline to the text...

Steps to Replicate with the Document Supplied

1. Create a shape, e.g., a circle or rectangle somewhere on the page and then pin the shape inline to the text
2. Select the pinned shape in the Layers Panel and unpin it
3. Add some text as shown in @Cogent30's video
4. Select the rectangle tool and draw a rectangle
5. The rectangle, along with any new shapes added are now locked Master objects which can now only be deleted by selecting Edit Detached.

My assumption (rightly or wrongly) is that it shouldn't be possible to add objects to the Master Page unless Edit Detached is selected first so I assume this is a possible bug?

[NathanC]

Many thanks @Hangman for your detailed explanation and findings, I've confirmed the issue you have described is indeed a bug which is currently logged with the developers which i've now bumped.

[Hangman]

1 minute ago, NathanC said:

Many thanks @Hangman for your detailed explanation and findings, I've confirmed the issue you have described is indeed a bug which is currently logged with the developers which i've now bumped.

Hi @NathanC, thanks for clarifying, hopefully we'll see a fix in an upcoming release...

[Cogent30]

Dear all, thank you so much for the prompt acknowledgement it's very much appreciated 👍.  Will look forward how this will be rectified soon in the near possible future regards, -cg30. 

[Hangman]

@Cogent30, you can work around the issue by first selecting Layer 1 (in your screen recording) at the top of the Layers Panel, i.e., the Layer above the Master Page elements, prior to drawing your rectangle...

[Cogent30]

@Hangman I see understood.

For now looks like before I were to add, create or draw anything on a whim ~ we all have to consciously  first bring up the layers palette, manually select whatever master-page style is being applied, ~ and then finally ~ begin drawing any object/frame/etc from there. At least from what I am finding this way, I am no longer seeing that "X" marks all over the object's selection frame. 

Perhaps Affinity Publisher 2 has its own reasons why it automatically locks out all addition of objects and/or elements.....even though the user is not actively editing the master page itself (eg. physically double clicking on the master pages inside the pages pallette top left corder)...I do apologize to opinionate so soon, but the current behaviour is not that counterintuitive at all, even for an average user. 

Nonetheless, I sincerely and genuinely do thank you for prompt support and the acknowledgement on this so soon; that in a space <8 hours it already beckons official attention. 

regards, ~ Cg30.

(ps. one of many big elephant(s) in the room I am yet to tackle.....all three hundred (300) endnotes from indesign IDML... all gone. Looks like I have to manually redo / recite / copy and paste one by one everything from scratch..... More on this I shall raise a new thread, for another time.) 

[Hangman]

15 minutes ago, Cogent30 said:

For now looks like before I were to add, create or draw anything on a whim ~ we all have to consciously  first bring up the layers palette, manually select whatever master-page style is being applied, ~ and then finally ~ begin drawing any object/frame/etc from there. At least from what I am finding this way, I am no longer seeing that "X" marks all over the object's selection frame. 

The issue only appears to present itself in v2 if you've previously pinned an object inline on the page and then unpinned it. For me, if I take the sample document you uploaded and I don't pin anything then the addition of the rectangle is correctly placed in the document, i.e., it isn't positioned as part of the Master and as such isn't an issue...

18 minutes ago, Cogent30 said:

Perhaps Affinity Publisher 2 has its own reasons why it automatically locks out all addition of objects and/or elements.....even though the user is not actively editing the master page itself (eg. physically double clicking on the master pages inside the pages pallette top left corder)...I do apologize to opinionate so soon, but the current behaviour is not that counterintuitive at all, even for an average user. 

Only in so much as this is a known bug in v2 as @NathanC mentioned, it doesn't happen in v1 and will hopefully be fixed in an upcoming release of v2 after which the problem should no longer exist.