Designer: How to update styles?

[mcbates]

I designed a master element, saved it as a style. Next I applied it to child elements. What I expect: Once I update the style of the master, the child updates automatically. I tried to get that behaviour using Designer's "Styles" panel. But I cannot find a way to update.

 

How can I achieve what I want?

 

 

[MEB]

Hi mcbates,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

The closest option you have is Symbols (menu View ▸ Studio ▸ Symbols). Styles are independent from the objects they are applied to so updating them does not update the objects.

For more information about Symbols see the help file: Help ▸ Affinity Designer Help ▸ Object control ▸ Symbols.

[mcbates]

Thanks, but symbols are exact copies of the object, right? I cannot just copy the style of say the line width with this, exactly?

 

I try to create a map where I want to globally change the width of the roads. If I understand it right I cannot achieve this with Symbols nor with Symbols.

 

 

[MEB]

No, sorry they will not work for this case either. You have to apply a Style then change the width of the strokes for each object independently (or create more than one style with varying widths for the strokes). I advise you to add this to the Feature Requests section - the ability to edit styles and update the respective objects using them -. Seems a great addition.

[Aammppaa]

At present I think you'd have to be pretty organised and put all your roads into a single layer, then you can apply a stroke to the layer and it will affect everything contained within.

 

The same for other objects that share formatting.

 

This will be much easier when Affinity add the ability to select objects by their characteristics, and / or update styles.

[allen57301]

hi!

 

I get the same case: as a cartographer, I used in the past the excellent freehand (Macromedia). I was able to change a style if necessary—stroke or fill - color, width, etc.—then update all the elements where the style applied.

In AD, it seems impossible to do the same way. 

 

[toltec]

You can do that if you use Symbols, edit one item and they all change (or not if you want).

 

Edit.

I seems to have caused some confusion with Styles (Affinity Styles panel) and Style (the attributes applied to the image). Please read MEB's posts below.

 

Please note, what I describe above about Symbols should not be confused with Styles (Styles panel, as described below) it has nothing to do with Styles (styles panel). However, using Symbols is a great way of applying multiple instances of one object. Insert one repetitive item (such as a tree) and then updating the attributes of one item would update the attributes of every linked item in one go. i.e. changing the colour of the leaves from green to brown in the Autumn.

 

I thought that using Symbols might be very useful for a cartographer. If the items (symbols) are all the same.

 

======================================================================

 

Styles part.

 

Just create a new Style (Affinity Styles panel) after you edit an existing object's style (attributes), then select the items you want to update and click on the new Style (styles panel) to apply it to the objects.

 

If you group all the items of one type as you work, applying the new style (Styles panel) would be a one click affair using the layers panel.

 

Not quite the same as Freehand but it works pretty well.

 

For a quick fix on an existing project, or for what may be a bit more flexible, change the attributes on one object, copy the object, select the objects you want to change then go Edit > Paste Style. That will apply the edited style (attributes) to all the items.

 

P.S. Hope that is clear, MEB ?

[MEB]

11 minutes ago, toltec said:

You can do that if you use Symbols, edit one item and they all change (or not if you want).

 

@toltec

No, you cannot use Symbols unless their content is the same for all objects which probably is not the case. Symbols and Styles are different things.

[toltec]

15 minutes ago, MEB said:

 

@toltec

No, you cannot use Symbols unless their content is the same for all objects which probably is not the case. Symbols and Styles are different things.

 

Thank you, but I do know that.

 

I meant if you have attributes (such as stroke, fill, colour, width, as the poster suggests) applied to a object that is a Symbol, altering the attributes on one object updates the attributes on all the linked objects. 

 

Using Symbols would be a good way to do what the poster wanted to achieve, without even having to use Affinity "Styles".

 

If he wanted to use "Styles" then what I described later in my post would allow an easy method to change the "Styles".

 

Sorry if I was not clear. How could I make it clearer ?

 

Edit.

P.S. The use of Styles (as in the Styles panel styles) can sometimes make it confusing with styles, as in the style (attributes) of an object. That is why I did not use "style" in the sentence describing "Symbols".

[MEB]

It changes the attributes on all linked objects (symbol instances) but it also implies that the content of these objects are the same. Instances (liked objects) are just synchronised copies of the same symbol. I don't think that's what @allen57301 is looking for.

Styles are not limited to the same content.

[MEB]

16 minutes ago, toltec said:

Edit.

P.S. The use of Styles (as in the Styles panel styles) can sometimes make it confusing with styles, as in the style (attributes) of an object. That is why I did not use "style" in the sentence describing "Symbols".

 

The attributes of an object are what defines their style. The Styles panel deals with the attributes of objects so they refer to the same thing. I believe you are referring to the unlinked attributes of a symbol instead which encompasses more aspects (like constraints, transforms etc) than just the styles attributes of an object.

[toltec]

1 minute ago, MEB said:

 

The attributes of an object are what defines their style. The Styles panel deals with the attributes of objects so they refer to the same thing.

 

OK, not 100% sure what we are discussing ?

 

However, using Symbols in the creation of projects could surely be very useful for allen57301. As a cartographer I'm sure he/she uses many instances of exactly the same item, such as a tree or a church.

 

With Symbols, updating one instance would update the attributes of all linked Symbols (as you know). That was what I was trying to get across in the first sentence of my post.

 

I will add a note to the post so it does not cause any confusion.

[MEB]

I'm not saying symbols are not useful in this context. They certainly are and can be used to speed up a lot of work here but they do not address the issue/question @allen57301 posted that was about updating the style of several (i assume - different) elements, similar to how global colours update all objects to which they are linked to no matter if they are duplicate of another objects or not.

 

Taking your three as an example - who said that all trees (or plants) are/look exactly the same in the project?

He may be using different three/plants designs to have some variety all sharing a particular style. Symbols don't address this unless you create a symbol for each tree design and change/update each one everytime you want to tweak the style of the trees. Styles would update all designs globally at once (if they were linked to objects as global colours are - currently they are not).

 

Quote

 

I get the same case: as a cartographer, I used in the past the excellent freehand (Macromedia). I was able to change a style if necessary—stroke or fill - color, width, etc.—then update all the elements where the style applied.

In AD, it seems impossible to do the same way. 

 

 

[toltec]

14 minutes ago, MEB said:

I'm not saying symbols are not useful in this context.

 

I have edited my post to make it clear(er) that my mention of Symbols was a suggestion that may help workflow and that the second part about Styles was an answer to 

 

1 hour ago, allen57301 said:

update all the elements where the style applied.

 

 

 

 

 

[R C-R]

4 hours ago, MEB said:

Taking your three as an example - who said that all threes (or plants) are/look exactly the same in the project?

He may be using different three/plants designs to have some variety all sharing a particular style.

Just a very small side note but your auto-correct or something seems to be changing "tree" to "three."

[MEB]

Oh . Thanks R C-R. I've corrected/fixed the post.

[Fun Art Sam]

Any news about global styles being included in a future version of AD? I would also appreciate a global styles option, if it's possible. As an illustrator of picture books, this option would save me a lot of time and effort. 

[themapsmith]

I have the same map-making based question! I'd love to be able to make all the houses in my map the same style (stroke, fill, etc), and then have the ability to change them all at the same time if needed. 

[walt.farrell]

1 minute ago, themapsmith said:

I have the same map-making based question! I'd love to be able to make all the houses in my map the same style (stroke, fill, etc), and then have the ability to change them all at the same time if needed. 

You should use Symbols.

[themapsmith]

Hi @walt.farrell, thanks for the response. Looking at the Symbols pane, it appears to be a "complete object" symbol rather than just the fill/stroke/opacity/etc settings. I'm drawing an isometric town, and I want to make most house roofs all the same fill/stroke.  A Symbol is only letting me define the *entire object* - the specific rectangle for a specific house - rather than applying (and critically - updating!) the style of a bunch of shapes. Does that make sense? 

[walt.farrell]

1 minute ago, themapsmith said:

Hi @walt.farrell, thanks for the response. Looking at the Symbols pane, it appears to be a "complete object" symbol rather than just the fill/stroke/opacity/etc settings. I'm drawing an isometric town, and I want to make most house roofs all the same fill/stroke.  A Symbol is only letting me define the *entire object* - the specific rectangle for a specific house - rather than applying (and critically - updating!) the style of a bunch of shapes. Does that make sense? 

Thanks. Yes, that makes sense. Symbols would only work for you if you have a number of identical objects.

[Jowday]

Styles in Affinity Designer 1.x have little to nothing to do with styles. It is primitive presets. It was (!) a panel I closed immediately since I would never need such a useless feature.

It is worth understanding before clicking 'purchase' !!!

[R C-R]

7 hours ago, Jowday said:

It was (!) a panel I closed immediately since I would never need such a useless feature.

For some of us, AD Styles are useful. For instance, each of these circles started off as the same simple ellipse but with one click per ellipse they were each given a different style.

27 circles.afdesign

[MikeK36]

On 3/20/2017 at 7:48 PM, mcbates said:

Thanks, but symbols are exact copies of the object, right? I cannot just copy the style of say the line width with this, exactly?

 

I try to create a map where I want to globally change the width of the roads. If I understand it right I cannot achieve this with Symbols nor with Symbols.

 

 

This really is a necessary feature for inclusion in AD

[elguapo]

+1 on this. Using styles with the same logic as text styles would be a massive time-saver for appropriate tasks.