Affinity Publisher - number of page

[Iztok]

I like to add pages after pg 27 in pallete page is seto to 56, yes I can arrange but if I select in page pallete pages 26,27  also in Add pages pallete  must be same numbers of pages.

[DuncanL]

Is this in the 2.6 Beta?  I know they've made a lot of changes to page handling in the next version.

My Add Page dialog looks like this and selects the current page as the one to add before\after:

If so;  you should report it in the beta forum.

[Old Bruce]

You most likely have Page 56 selected. See how I have pages 2 and 3 with the grey outline and then pages 6 and 7 are highlighted blue, the blue highlight shows that this is the spread where I want the action to occur.

[Oufti]

3 hours ago, Old Bruce said:

You most likely have Page 56 selected. See how I have pages 2 and 3 with the grey outline and then pages 6 and 7 are highlighted blue, the blue highlight shows that this is the spread where I want the action to occur.

It's strange… It's not like that here, with Monterey and APub 2.5.5.
I'm still struggling to remember what purpose grey and blue outlines have but this is what I observe:

• Click twice on pages 26-27 to show them in the central panel (they have a grey outline)
• Click once on pages 30-31 to select them (they have a blue outline)
• Ask to add pages (via menu Document) ⇒ the preselected page in the Add pages dialog is p.27 (grey outline). 

[MikeTO]

As Bruce stated, this dialog defaults to add pages after the selected spread (as indicated by a blue border). If there is no selected spread, the dialog will default to after the last page in the document.

Your screenshot is from the 2.6 beta but this feature is unchanged from 2.5.

Grey outline = the current (active) page

Blue outline = the page or spread you have selected in the panel - the Add, Duplicate, Delete, and new section features will act on the selected page or spread

[Oufti]

 

Thank you Mike for refreshing my memory about blue and grey outlines signification.

 

53 minutes ago, MikeTO said:

[…] If there is no selected spread, the dialog will default to after the last page in the document.

I agree, I see the same. (And it's probably what happened to @Iztok.)

 

53 minutes ago, MikeTO said:

As Bruce stated, this dialog defaults to add pages after the selected spread (as indicated by a blue border).

53 minutes ago, MikeTO said:

Blue outline = the page or spread you have selected in the panel - the Add, Duplicate, Delete, and new section features will act on the selected page or spread

After further testing, it appears that you and @Old Bruce are right, and not: 

If you add, duplicate or delete pages via the icons/buttons in the Pages panel, that's true;
But (on APub 2.5.5, I don't use the 2.6 beta) if I choose the menu Document > Add/Delete pages, it comes after (or acts on) the grey (i.e. active) pages, not the blue (i.e. selected) pages. 

There seems to be some discrepancy there, doesn't it?
— I assume icon commands in the Pages panel and menu commands are supposed to act the same way?

Edited November 6, 2024 by Oufti
Precisions

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, MikeTO said:

Blue outline = the page or spread you have selected in the panel ...

Note that you can select more than one page or spread, using the usual drag, CMD, and Shift selection methods like for the Layers panel or Mac Finder, etc.

This follows the usual blue = selected conventions.

[MikeTO]

2 hours ago, Oufti said:

But (on APub 2.5.5, I don't use the 2.6 beta) if I choose the menu Document > Add/Delete pages, it comes after (or acts on) the grey (i.e. active) pages, not the blue (i.e. selected) pages. 

There seems to be some discrepancy there, doesn't it?

I never noticed that before. I can't imagine this is by design so it seems like an oversight to me. To summarize:

• If there's a selected (blue) thumbnail when you choose Add Pages from the menu, panel icon, or context menu, the dialog will default to the last selected page
• If there's not a selected (blue) thumbnail, the dialog will default to the last selected page if you choose the menu command but to the last page of the document if you choose the context menu or panel icon. One of these should be changed to match the other.

Minor note for those trying this: if you right-click to open the context menu, it will always select a page as you right-click unless you right-click below the last spread. If there are more pages in the panel then will fit, you will likely be unable to right-click without selecting a page.

2 hours ago, R C-R said:

Note that you can select more than one page or spread, using the usual drag, CMD, and Shift selection methods like for the Layers panel or Mac Finder, etc.

Yes, and it's the last selected page that's used for for the dialog default.

Cheers

[Iztok]

14 hours ago, Old Bruce said:

You most likely have Page 56 selected. See how I have pages 2 and 3 with the grey outline and then pages 6 and 7 are highlighted blue, the blue highlight shows that this is the spread where I want the action to occur.

No, I work in same page as is selected in page panel, so  I wasnn't select other page

[R C-R]

6 hours ago, Iztok said:

No, I work in same page as is selected in page panel, so  I wasnn't select other page

So you are saying the page 26, 27 spread is outlined in blue in the Pages panel, indicating it is selected? The screenshot in your first post does not show any page spread outlined in blue so are you sure that some other spread not shown in it is selected (outlined in blue)?

BTW, since you are using the 2.6 beta, you should be mentioning that in your first post to avoid confusing users who are not testing it.

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, R C-R said:

BTW, since you are using the 2.6 beta, you should be mentioning that in your first post to avoid confusing users who are not testing it.

And also, unless it also happens in the 2.5 release, posting in the Beta forum instead of here.

[Oufti]

 

16 hours ago, MikeTO said:

I never noticed that before. I can't imagine this is by design so it seems like an oversight to me. To summarize:

• If there's a selected (blue) thumbnail when you choose Add Pages from the menu, panel icon, or context menu, the dialog will default to the last selected page

This is not yet exactly what I see here (Monterey + AfPub 2.5..5). 

• If there's a selected (blue) thumbnail when I choose Add Pages from the menu, panel icon, or context menu, the dialog will default to the last selected page (blue outline).
   
• If there's a selected (blue) thumbnail when I choose Add Pages from the menu, the dialog will default to the last page of the "active" spread (grey outline), not the selected (blue) one.

20 hours ago, Oufti said:

[…] what I observe:

• Click twice on pages 26-27 to show them in the central panel (they have a grey outline)
• Click once on pages 30-31 to select them (they have a blue outline)
• Ask to add pages (via menu Document) ⇒ the preselected page in the Add pages dialog is p.27 (grey outline). 

I add a video where I apply the process described above, first via the icon in the panel, then via the menu Document (I'm not showing context menu command, since its behaviour is obvious, the pages where we click being immediately selected).

 

 

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, Oufti said:

This is not yet exactly what I see here (Monterey + AfPub 2.5..5). 

I see the same thing that you describe in both 2.5 & 2.6 beta. The Document menu "Add Pages..." command will default to adding pages based on the grey active page or spread, not the blue selected one(s). The other two Add Pages methods default to the last blue selected one.

So the menu method is inconsistent with the other two, which I think is what @MikeTO meant, even if it is not exactly as he described.

All that aside, it is simple enough to add pages starting anywhere even if it is not what the default shows, so this doesn't seem like a fix that should have a high priority, considering all the other things that need fixing.

[walt.farrell]

15 hours ago, R C-R said:

So the menu method is inconsistent with the other two,

The Gray outline is the current page, from the perspective of the workspace and the menus.

The Blue outline is the selected page for operations within the Pages panel, which would include right-click on a page thumbnail, or using the Panel Settings icon, or anything else initiated directly within the Pages panel.

As far as I know, that's the way Publisher has always worked.

[Iztok]

No, in 3.5 it work yust OK also line between pages are OK, which is not OK in 2.6, where is no line between pages and is desturbing

[Iztok]

In 2.6- doesnt work OK, also gray selected rechtangle is not visible as shoul be in dark grey mode, I suggest light blue or red colour

[Iztok]

If both pages in page palette are selected it should be page 27 not 26 as default and please red select rechtangel as selected indicator

[walt.farrell]

4 minutes ago, Iztok said:

If both pages in page palette are selected it should be page 27 not 26 as default and please red select rechtangel as selected indicator

In all of your screenshots in the 2.6 post just above, you do not have both pages selected in the Pages panel. Only page 26 has the blue selection and so it is the only one the Pages panel considers as being operated on. Spread 26/27 has the gray selection outline as being "current" for the workspace and menu operations.

The color of the outline is critical to how operations work, and to understanding how they work.

[Iztok]

Well with shift I select both and expect to behive like spread, but didn't and if both are selected then last number must be on, and gey selection and ? blue? is bearly visible

[R C-R]

2 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

The Blue outline is the selected page for operations within the Pages panel, which would include right-click on a page thumbnail, or using the Panel Settings icon, or anything else initiated directly within the Pages panel.

But why doesn't that also apply for the same "Add pages" function when done from the Menu?

[Iztok]

In 2.5 same thing work just fine, so why good things change and why isn't selected gray around pages more visible as asked for? Also line between pages in 2.5 is super, in 2.6 is nonsence.

[R C-R]

7 minutes ago, Iztok said:

In 2.5 same thing work just fine, so why good things change and why isn't selected gray around pages more visible as asked for?

In this respect the only thing that has changed in 2.6 is the non-printing page divider line (a type of guide) is hidden in Preview Mode, along with all the other non-printing guides & design aids. This is perfectly reasonable.

As for what you are asking for about the outline color, if you want it changed then post about it in the feedback forums, not here in the Questions forum.

[bbrother]

1 hour ago, R C-R said:

But why doesn't that also apply for the same "Add pages" function when done from the Menu?

The differences between the reference points when adding new pages are likely designed to cater different user workflows and preferences.

Pages panel:

• Flexibility and precision: The Pages panel provides more control over where new page is inserted by allowing users to select a specific thumbnail. This is particulary useful when working on complex documents where precise placement is necessary.

Document menu:

• Ease of use: The document menu option is more straightforward and designed for users who may not need precise placement and simply want to add pages quickly. By using the active spread as reference it simplifies the process for many users.

User experience:

The difference ensures that both novice users, who may prefer a simpler method, and advanced users, who need more control, can work efficiently. It's about providing flexibility and accommodating various needs and working styles.

[Iztok]

OK, than do strongest contrast in edge of pages preview, to see what happened, I recomend red rechtangle and blue to see what is going on, now is bearly visible and dont forget line between pages is necessary for deigners in 2.5 was OK, now whithout line is frusdtrasting, Most of us work in preview mode and need to see where is line between pages. Now everything is worse than 2.5, concentrate on designer whisses first.

[PaulEC]

3 hours ago, Iztok said:

Most of us work in preview mode

You might, I don't. I suspect most users don't use Preview Mode all the time and only use it when they want to preview the design/layout. I do wish you would stop assuming that however you choose to work, and your preferences, are what everyone else wants. You're perfectly entitled to your opinion, but you don't speak for everyone else as well!