Can't place page numbers on both left and right in a master page

[Skykomish]

I'm designing a book that requires a master page with a page number on the top left for all the left-hand pages and a page number on the top right for all right-hand pages. Also a short title text to go in the middle of the same line as the page number. I've tried and tried but see no way to accomplish this. Thank you for any help.  Don

 

 

[sfriedberg]

Forgive me if this is too basic, but you should be creating two distinct master pages and creating your document with facing spreads.  Assign the left and right master pages to the appropriate pages of a spread, then newly created spreads should be set up correctly.

[walt.farrell]

5 hours ago, sfriedberg said:

but you should be creating two distinct master pages

Why two?

A single facing-page Master would allow the function that @Skykomish wants.

@Skykomish: What problem are you having? You should simply be able to have your facing-page Master, with a text frame for the page number on the left page, and another on the right page, and two text frames for the title.

[Old Bruce]

15 hours ago, Skykomish said:

I'm designing a book that requires a master page with a page number on the top left for all the left-hand pages and a page number on the top right for all right-hand pages. Also a short title text to go in the middle of the same line as the page number. I've tried and tried but see no way to accomplish this. Thank you for any help.  Don

I would use Facing Pages, not single pages for the document and the Master Pages. On the Master Page make a Text Frame for the Page Numbers and another for the Title. Use the Align Away from Spine for the alignment of the Page Numbers and Align the Title in the centre in its Text Frame. Make the Text Frames big and use the Text Frame Panel to set offsets for left and right and top and bottom as needed.

On the Master Pages please get in the habit and name each and every object.

header and page nums.afpub

[Skykomish]

Thank you so much, you folks, for giving me this helpful info on placing page numbers on a master. I’m going to try it with a single master.

But first I’m stymied by another issue that has suddenly arisen.

I open a master page. Then I open a text box. My intention is to open 4 text boxes: one for the righthand number, one for the lefthand number and two for the centered title on each page.

BUT when I type into a text box, even tho I’ve specified the font and size I want, the words come out faintly over a black background and the words are in black outlined in yellow.  Can you help again? Thank you. Don

[Skykomish]

AN ALLIED ISSUE:

Frame text tool is inoperative when I try to create a text box within the margins of a regular page. It will not open a text box. The Master for the page is nothing more than the margins for the project.

However, frame text tool works fine outside the boundaries of the margins. But the words are once again printed in a strip of black, with the words in black outlined in yellow.

I’m afraid you can see how frustrating this is for me in attempting to learn Affinity Publisher.  Don

[sfriedberg]

On 9/10/2024 at 3:39 AM, walt.farrell said:

Why two?

A single facing-page Master would allow the function

You are correct.  My mental model presents a facing-page master as two master pages, but it's not the same thing.

[thomaso]

5 hours ago, Skykomish said:

when I type into a text box, even tho I’ve specified the font and size I want, the words come out faintly over a black background and the words are in black outlined in yellow.  Can you help again?

A text has many visual attributes, not just font and size. Possibly the colours where set to black and yellow.

5 hours ago, Skykomish said:

when I try to create a text box within the margins of a regular page. It will not open a text box.

What do you see while dragging to create the text frame with the left mouse button pressed, what cursor is shown before and during dragging? Can you show a screenshot of the entire page + the Layers panel + the Text Tool cursor hovering within the margins?

[walt.farrell]

8 hours ago, Skykomish said:

Frame text tool is inoperative when I try to create a text box within the margins of a regular page. It will not open a text box.

We would need to see more-complete screenshots (full application window),and with the Layers panel visible and showing the layers you're working on. Or perhaps a screen recording (again, of the full application window with the Layers panel visible).

 

[Skykomish]

I can’t tell you all how thankful I am for your hand-holding while I try to learn Publisher.

Here is the material I believe you wanted to see:

These are photos of the pages. I’m using an older computer while my current one is in the shop so I have no option for taking a screen shot or a screen record.

One photo shows the text cursor within the margins. It does nothing here and creates no text box.

The other photo has the cursor outside the margins and text boxes can be created here.

Don

[Skykomish]

thomaso, your suggestion that I check the Character colors was just right. I now have the colors I need -- black letters on a white background. What a relief.  Don

 

[thomaso]

58 minutes ago, Skykomish said:

One photo shows the text cursor within the margins. It does nothing here and creates no text box.

This text cursor    (called "caret" or "i-beam" cursor) appears because your page contains a text frame already which is currently selected … and you can start typing or pasting text. The x icons at the frame edges indicate a master page text frame. If you unfold the "Master A – 2 pages" layer in your Layers panel you will see the text frame layer.

[Skykomish]

This put me on the right track and I've now figured it out. Again, thank you thomaso.   Don

 

[Skykomish]

I keep trying my best, but . . . .

Every text box on every one of my pages is bordered by X’s. I believe this is supposed to indicate that there is a text frame on the Master that I should delete and that then the X’s on my pages will disappear.

The first photo shows the Master page for the Dawn chapter. There is no indication of a text frame that I should remove.

The second photo shows a regular page which has been assigned the Dawn Master. But every piece of text I click on has the X’s.

I wish this software was easier or that I was smarter.

Don

[R C-R]

3 hours ago, Skykomish said:

The first photo shows the Master page for the Dawn chapter. There is no indication of a text frame that I should remove.

Both of the 2 items showing in the Layers pane have the T in a square icon, indicating they are text frames.

[thomaso]

4 hours ago, Skykomish said:

Every text box on every one of my pages is bordered by X’s. I believe this is supposed to indicate that there is a text frame on the Master that I should delete and that then the X’s on my pages will disappear.

Why should you delete these text frames? It seems you created them on your master page, I assume because you want them to appear on every document's page. The "x" marks do not cause any harm and it may make sense to have these frames as master page objects and only edit their content on the different document pages while keeping their other attributes like size and position unchanged. It "just" depends on your goal and desired workflow. You can also use multiple master pages and apply them to each other or apply multiple master pages to the document pages.

It may be helpful to expand collapsed layers in the Layers panel to see what is there/on the master page in particular. If you do not want text frames as master page objects, you can cut them on the master page and paste them on a document page. However, at least the page number frames should be desired as master page objects.

[Skykomish]

Thank you again, immensely, thomaso. I understand your reply and it explains all I need to know to keep going.

[Skykomish]

I’ve begun bringing text and photos onto several of my book’s pages.

I’d like to print out some pages – pages 1-10 – but despite everthing I’ve tried, I see no way to have the pages printed out with facing pages. The print continues to provide only one page on each printer sheet, not the two pages that face each other.

Some of my attempts have shown that even if it indicates it can print facing pages, the righthand pages are shown on the left and the lefthand pages are shown on the right. 

I saw that a posting by you last year mentioned using the N-Up model, with Across being set at 2 and Skip being set a 1. My N-Up insists on adding Repeat 1 and Down 1.

[Alfred]

On 9/12/2024 at 10:09 PM, Skykomish said:

These are photos of the pages. I’m using an older computer while my current one is in the shop so I have no option for taking a screen shot or a screen record.

If you’re using a version of Windows which is capable of running any of the Affinity apps, I can’t think of a reason why you wouldn’t be able to take screenshots with either the Snipping Tool or Snip & Sketch.

[Alfred]

12 hours ago, Skykomish said:

Every text box on every one of my pages is bordered by X’s. I believe this is supposed to indicate that there is a text frame on the Master that I should delete and that then the X’s on my pages will disappear.

X’s at the corners and sides of an object merely indicate that it is locked. If you unlock it, you should find that the X’s become circular handles whose positions you can adjust.

[thomaso]

4 hours ago, Skykomish said:

I’d like to print out some pages – pages 1-10 – but despite everthing I’ve tried, I see no way to have the pages printed out with facing pages. The print continues to provide only one page on each printer sheet, not the two pages that face each other.

Some of my attempts have shown that even if it indicates it can print facing pages, the righthand pages are shown on the left and the lefthand pages are shown on the right. 

I saw that a posting by you last year mentioned using the N-Up model,

You don't need N-Up but can simply use Layout -> 2 Pages per Sheet. Then also your "Portrait" setting may work.
I assume your document layout (-> Pages Panel) does not have a page left of page 1. Accordingly, with page order 1-10 page 1 can get printed either as a right page or right of no page (blank, as in your screenshot). You can force a specific order by typing it into the "Pages" field: "10,1,2-9".

   ->    -> 

[walt.farrell]

5 hours ago, thomaso said:

You don't need N-Up but can simply use Layout -> 2 Pages per Sheet.

That setting may either be specific to your printer, or to macOS. I don't have it for either of my printers on Windows.

[thomaso]

10 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

That setting may either be specific to your printer, or to macOS. I don't have it for either of my printers on Windows.

Possibly, I don't know. Could it be named differently in Windows? – To me this menu "Layout" is in the menu "Range and Scale". Oddly it offers 16 pages per sheet and 9 … but not 8. (this six menu options don't change & are independent of page orientation or sheet size)

[paleolith]

1 hour ago, thomaso said:

Could it be named differently in Windows?

I find it in the print dialog in Windows, though with a different organization. But I'm also using an Epson printer. With Walt not seeing it, this implies to me that it's something managed by the printer driver.

[thomaso]

56 minutes ago, paleolith said:

I find it in the print dialog in Windows,

No. Your screenshot shows the "N-Up" option, it is different from the "Layout" -> "Sheets per Page" option and it was used by the OP already and discussed above. Note, my menu has two "layout" menu entries: One as "Document Layout" in the upper section and the other as "Layout" in the lower area.