Choose artboard on place image

[mirkea]

Hi

I want to know if there is a way to select which artboard should be imported when placing a file in Affinity Designer.

 

Let's take the following real  world scenario: I want to make the design and user flow for a mobile app, so I will usually need the following files

"views" - here are all the views from the app, each on its own separate artboard

"user_flow" - here I will have all the views with comments, arrows and such indicating the user flow in the app (login view takes me to the homepage view and register view, that sort of thing)

 

Now, I can mass export the artboards from the "views" file as individual images, and then in the "user_flow" file use place image and add each image individually. Next time I want to update the "user_flow" with the latest "views" I will need to re-export the artboards.

 

What would be rather brilliant is if there was a way to select which artboard I want when placing a file. This way I wouldn't have to export everything as static images and the user_flow file would always be up to date.

 

Is there a way to do that?

 

 

PS: thumbs up for this amazing product. I've been waiting for 5+ years for some proper alternatives to PS/AI

 

 

[MEB]

Hi mirkea,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

 

Create your "views" file as you do normally then save it as an afdesign file.

Open the "user_flow" document and use the Place Image command to embed the "views" file in the "user_flow" document.

- Now every time you need to use one of the views from the "view" file, duplicate the embedded document that you have already placed inside the "user_Flow" document and position the duplicate where you need it. To change what artboard/view is displayed go to the context toolbar and change the artboard from the Artboard dropdown (to select the view you want). 

 

IMPORTANT: If you need to update the "views" document, double-click any of the embedded documents (duplicates) on canvas - it will open it in a new document tab - make the changes you need and close it. All instances (duplicates) of the embedded document will update accordingly inside the "user_flow" document.

 

Remember that you original "views" document was embedded in the "user_flow" document. So updating the "external" "views" document will NOT change the instances of the embedded documents. They are NOT linked. You have update the "views" document double-clicking one of the embedded instances you duplicated on the "user_flow" document to update it.

We will add/introduce linked documents later in a future version (with Affinity Publisher eventually) which will allow you to update the instances/duplicates from the external "views" file instead.

[mirkea]

Hi MEB. That's exactly  what I needed (the views file getting a copy which is then embeded in the user_flows file is not a problem)

 

Thumbs up again for this very powerful, easy to use and last but not least affordable app :)