How to remove pages in Affinity Publisher

[waltonmendelson]

I'm working with AffintyPublisher, 2.1.1, Windows 10 system

 

To keep this simple:

I have an afpub file that is 60 pages long.  There is text, threaded from page to page for all 60 pages.

My goal is to keep only pages 11-20, with the content on those pages.  

I can delete pages 21-60 easy-peasy.

How do I remove pages 1-10?  

Walton

 

[thomaso]

34 minutes ago, waltonmendelson said:

I can delete pages 21-60 easy-peasy.

Possibly too easy-peasy: I assume page 20 now shows a text overflow marker? It indicates the text that previously has been on pages 21-60 and is still part of the entire story.

The correct workflow is a bit cumbersome, there is no easy way to split a text flow story. To delete page 1-10 you would first select + delete all flowing text in the according pages (unlinked text frames and other objects may be ignored). This text deletion will unfortunately make the text/layout jump. In the next step you delete pages 1-10, this should recreate the initial layout for the left pages and start on page 1 with the former content of page 11.

Accordingly you can handle the text + pages of the overflow on page 20.

[waltonmendelson]

Thank you.  I will try what you suggest.  

I can certainly do a work around saving to PDF, then editing the PDFs, but that creates other problems.  The issue with AffinityPublisher in this instance is this: Not all large projects are built on a step by step analysis and plan, sometimes projects evolve organically. This too might be fine, but in the instance I am describing, the file corrupted, so it is easier to, I think, to start over and break it up into smaller sections, and avoiding the corruption.  

But at this point, even breaking it up into smaller sections seems to be border-line hopeless.  

Walton

 

 

 

 

[thomaso]

2 hours ago, waltonmendelson said:

But at this point, even breaking it up into smaller sections seems to be border-line hopeless.  

Unfortunately it even fails if you choose "Add Pages From File…" to pick a specific content of a certain page range only. While it imports the selected page range as expected it still has text overflow in its first and last text frame, means it imports the entire story. 🦄

[waltonmendelson]

Again, thank you! 

I did what you suggested, and it appears to work.  Will it work for the next 20-30 sections?  I don't know, but I'm feeling optimistic.

Walton

[thomaso]

5 hours ago, waltonmendelson said:

I did what you suggested, and it appears to work.  Will it work for the next 20-30 sections?  I don't know, but I'm feeling optimistic.

If you want to keep only 1 contiguous page range: In a slightly different workflow you alternatively first copy (or cut) the text of the wanted area, then select + delete all text + delete the unwanted page range(s) and finally paste the copied/cut text back to the first frame of the remaining page range.

[Mirelsa Modestti]

I am also trying to delete some blank pages that appeared in the middle of my document. I first tried doing it directly from the thumbnail menu, using the delete button on the blank pages. It didn't work, so I tried the "delete pages" on the document menu and marked the number of pages I wanted to delete, and after the page in which they appeared. Well, it turns out that not only the blank pages were not deleted (in fact, more blank pages appeared), but some pages on my document were deleted near the end and pages rearranged themselves creating a terrible mess. My document is now so messed up, that I am going to have to throw it away (and more than three days' work with it) and start all over again.

I tried closing and opening the program. I even uninstalled it and installed it again, because I was also having problems trying to update the Table of Contents, but nothing works. It keeps glitching. I am so frustrated with this program!!

[thomaso]

4 hours ago, Mirelsa Modestti said:

it turns out that not only the blank pages were not deleted (in fact, more blank pages appeared), but some pages on my document were deleted near the end

If I understand right your text frames where linked for textflow. If yes, it appears the blank pages were part of the text, for instance as page or frame breaks or as multiple paragraph breaks, and, probably no pages were deleted at the end but the text isn't displayed but hidden as text overflow in the last page. It would be useful to inspect the text with these options activated: in menu "Text" > "Show Special Characters" and in menu "View" > Show Text Flow".

[Mirelsa Modestti]

2 hours ago, thomaso said:

If I understand right your text frames where linked for textflow. If yes, it appears the blank pages were part of the text, for instance as page or frame breaks or as multiple paragraph breaks, and, probably no pages were deleted at the end but the text isn't displayed but hidden as text overflow in the last page. It would be useful to inspect the text with these options activated: in menu "Text" > "Show Special Characters" and in menu "View" > Show Text Flow".

You were exactly right! I went back to my original manuscript and eliminated all the page breaks. I erased all text from the Affinity Publisher document and brought my document back seamlessly. Thank you so much!!! 

[Feelmyself]

I also had the same problem before. Thanks for the guide.

[Gatada]

I have had this issue many times myself.

They should add this as a feature: break up text flow into stand-alone text; i.e. severing the text links, making each text box independent.

[MikeTO]

5 hours ago, Gatada said:

I have had this issue many times myself.

They should add this as a feature: break up text flow into stand-alone text; i.e. severing the text links, making each text box independent.

Someday when scripting is available I'll write scripts for this sort of stuff if it's not already available as a feature.