Affinity Designer 2: Request for a correction and addition.

[Emilio R]

Hello everyone 🙂.

I'm using the latest version of Affinity software on a Mac. I'm Spanish, and English isn't my native language, so I apologize in advance if I'm not fully understood.

I'm writing to ask the Affinity Designer team to make a correction to the interface and add an option to the "Select" menu:

1. In Affinity Designer 2, when I create a new artboard, the words in the name appear correctly separated, but the number assigned to the new artboard appears attached to the last word. I always have to edit and change this manually, which is always very cumbersome. I think the correct way to do this is to always have this number separated by a space. This also happened in version 1 of the program. I've attached a screenshot of the problem.

2. In the "Select" > Select Same menu, always select all the elements on all the artboards in the document. I would appreciate the option to allow these types of selections to be made only on the active artboard. It's very frustrating that it can't be restricted to the current artboard and always selects all elements in the document.

I would appreciate it if these suggestions could be passed on to the Affinity Designer team and they could incorporate these changes in the latest update.

Thanks in advance, and best regards.

Emilio

[GarryP]

3 hours ago, Emilio R said:

2. In the "Select" > Select Same menu, always select all the elements on all the artboards in the document. I would appreciate the option to allow these types of selections to be made only on the active artboard. It's very frustrating that it can't be restricted to the current artboard and always selects all elements in the document.

Have you tried switching “Edit All Layers” OFF in the Layers Panel before you use “Select Same…”?

See attached video.

[Emilio R]

Quote

Have you tried switching “Edit All Layers” OFF in the Layers Panel before you use “Select Same…”?

😵 Until now I didn't know about the existence of that button 😅. I'm learning how to use the program and I didn't know about that option.

GarryP, thanks a lot for the video 👍. This option solves the problem 🙂.

[GarryP]

You're welcome.

[Petar Petrenko]

On 3/12/2025 at 5:58 AM, Emilio R said:

In Affinity Designer 2, when I create a new artboard, the words in the name appear correctly separated, but the number assigned to the new artboard appears attached to the last word.

Why don't you simply rename the artboard?

[Alfred]

37 minutes ago, Petar Petrenko said:

Why don't you simply rename the artboard?

Of course you can rename it, but we shouldn’t have to do that! As the OP states:

On 3/12/2025 at 4:58 AM, Emilio R said:

I always have to edit and change this manually, which is always very cumbersome. I think the correct way to do this is to always have this number separated by a space. This also happened in version 1 of the program.

In other words, it’s been like that ‘forever’ with no obvious reason for it.

[Petar Petrenko]

11 minutes ago, Alfred said:

Of course you can rename it, but we shouldn’t have to do that!

We shouldn't, but it is a good habit. The name of the artboard should reflect to its content.

[Alfred]

4 minutes ago, Petar Petrenko said:

We shouldn't, but it is a good habit. The name of the artboard should reflect to its content.

You’re right, of course, but the default name still isn’t ideal. I suspect the issue is that (because it’s only one word) ‘Artboard1’ doesn’t look as obviously wrong as ‘Mesa de trabajo1’ does.

[Petar Petrenko]

Just now, Alfred said:

You’re right, of course, but the default name still isn’t ideal. I suspect the issue is that (because it’s only one word) ‘Artboard1’ doesn’t look as obviously wrong as ‘Mesa de trabajo1’ does.

If you rename it, the problem disappears. 

[Alfred]

1 minute ago, Petar Petrenko said:

If you rename it, the problem disappears. 

That’s a very good point which I obviously should have (but hadn’t) thought of!

[GarryP]

1 hour ago, Petar Petrenko said:

Why don't you simply rename the artboard?

I thought the whole point of that specific request was because the OP didn’t want to have to rename the Artboard.

I think that request boils down to simply: “Please put a space before the Artboard number.”

While renaming Artboards can be useful, I don’t think the OP needs or wants to do it in this case; they just want the name which is created automatically to look a little bit nicer.

[Petar Petrenko]

52 minutes ago, GarryP said:

I think that request boils down to simply: “Please put a space before the Artboard number.”

I am also a person who tends to perfection (Monk?), but in such a case it is not crucial to me because I always rename the artboard(s).

[GarryP]

The OP asked if something could be done so that they didn’t need to rename the Artboards, and your solution was for them to rename the Artboards, because that’s what you do.

Ignoring the questionable logic of that, do you have an objection to the change, as suggested by the OP, being implemented?

[Emilio R]

14 hours ago, GarryP said:

I think that request boils down to simply: “Please put a space before the Artboard number.”

Yes, that's right! I'm just asking for this simple change 😂. The default name in Spanish is correct: "Mesa de trabajo" is the correct translation of "Artboard." This isn't what I'm asking to be changed.

[Alfred]

19 hours ago, Petar Petrenko said:

I am also a person who tends to perfection (Monk?)

<off-topic>
By a strange coincidence, today (Friday, March 14th) is the last day to watch Monk on Netflix.
</off-topic>

[Petar Petrenko]

1 hour ago, Alfred said:

<off-topic>
By a strange coincidence, today (Friday, March 14th) is the last day to watch Monk on Netflix.
</off-topic>

Yes, I know and because of that I canceled my Netflix subscription.

[Alfred]

1 minute ago, Petar Petrenko said:

Yes, I know and because of that I canceled my Netflix subscription.

<off-topic continued>
Netflix does have other series that are worth watching, but I’m sure you won’t be the only subscriber who has chosen to cancel because of this departure.
</off-topic>

[Petar Petrenko]

The other reason was they don't offer movies from '50s to '90s. I am a big fan of them.

[Pšenda]

On 3/13/2025 at 10:45 AM, GarryP said:

I think that request boils down to simply: “Please put a space before the Artboard number.”

The question is - why did Serif use this inconsistent automatic "naming" with adding an index for artboards at all? Why didn't it use the same method as for all other objects not named by the user, i.e. only the designation and description of the object type without any attempt at indexing it, which of course will always be problematic, because someone wants a space between the number, someone an underscore, someone a hashtag, so it should be parameterizable in the settings.

Personally, I would prefer consistency in the application's behavior, i.e. an "unnamed" artboard just like every other created object and element.

Or automatically "name and index" all created objects.

[Bound by Beans]

Although I am structured and diligent in naming layers, I unfortunately can't get overly enthusiastic about naming them, as I can't search for layers, sort layers, or invert the order of layers (selected or all at a level). It's a lot of work for far too little benefit and potential.

But I agree with the original wishes of the thread.

[carl123]

27 minutes ago, Pšenda said:

The question is - why did Serif use this inconsistent automatic "naming" with adding an index for artboards at all? Why didn't it use the same method as for all other objects not named by the user, i.e. only the designation and description of the object type without any attempt at indexing it,

Possibly because File > Export allows you to export a chosen Artboard.

Having the same generic Artboard name would be confusing as to which Artboard you wanted to export