GUI :: Save window setting ... +/– Separated Mode

[thomaso]

Whereas around 'beta 5' the autosave of windows obviously got realized ( https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/93-remember-window-size/&p=649 ), now in beta 1.0.17644 I'd appreciate to develope this feature a bit more:  a.) Save window/palette/pane * settings customizable (by name, date etc)  – and b.) Consider palette positions for document window in Separate Mode.

 

Designers often work with two monitors and use one to place the document, the other to place palettes. Therefore it would be helpful to be able to save customized window settings with customized saves for various usage.

 

Additionally the Separated Mode / document window could like an improvement: Momentarily in Separated Mode with palettes cusomized arranged the/ a new document window a.) has a fixed size and position and b.) appears to ignore the customized palette setting. Also, once you hit the mac-system green button (upper left corner), it simply fills the screen – regardless any palette * window.

 

* [ ps: "palette" –  to avoid misunderstanding: I dont mean a color palette like in the swachtes pane but any pane/palette/parameter/options window. ]

[thomaso]

document window size:

 

In "Seperated Mode" each document opens in size of 1880 x 1320 pixel. To adjust it to the available screen space (minus Affinity pane/palette/tab windows) it needs two manual mouse move interactions: a document window move to for instance upper left position and a window size adjustment move by dragging the lower right window corner to make such a separated document window fit between the programs pane/palette/tab/toolbar windows.

 

With two monitors and some program panes/palettes/tabs spread over both areas its even a bit worse:

Any document window opens on main screen (the one with menu) and always at a same default postion and size, regardless of any program window already opened, means it even gets placed behind a bunch of panes/palettes/tabs which do fill this one of the two monitors.

 

–> more request:

• any document window should recognize any existing program window and gets auto-placed in the available position and space.

or as compromise at least:

• any document window should remember its position and size when its file got saved.

[thomaso]

Nobody with two monitors? – I need to drag every document window from the macbooks (start-) screen to the second but larger monitor and aditionally need to drag-scale each documents window size to fit between the panels/options/panes/palettes windows. This is a behavior I haven't experienced for ages, [nowadays to me only "Photomatix" ('HDRsoft') occures this way.]

 

Am I doing any wrong? Am I want to much? Are two monitors more than 'normal' (=usual?) for macbook, ipad ... or nowadays hardware 4K screen resolution with multiple monitor support?

 

I attach screenshots of a 2-monitor-situation (15''+ 24'') – and I do trust AndyS post: https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/661-option-drag-to-copyduplicate/?p=2317

[Andrew Tang]

Hi thomaso,

 

Multiple monitor support differs between OSX version and the mode your application is in. Depending on your OSX, you can decide which monitor the new document is created/opened on. Usually, this is determined by which menu bar is activated.

 

For example if you have Maverick, then in your screenshot all you need to do is have any of the windows (ie the Layer page) selected before opening a new document will create the window on that monitor. This behaviour is given by the OS and lets the user decides. Again, it slightly differs depending on the OS.

 

Andy

[thomaso]

@ Andy, I might misunderstand you: To me you sound to think it can't be solved or can't get any influenced by Affinity?

(Yes, nowadays: I am aware this request isn't general GUI of mac. And as if blocked-by-apple for 3rd party developers.)

 

Serif Affinity occurs close: All but 1 application window opens as saved, both in position & size.

Only the document window lacks in intuitive usage. – Much work?

 

Appearently a system main menu bar influence issue. –  Indeed?

 

This topics desire got solved a while ago step by step: whereas InDesign CS4 still needed the user to click a script to fit a documents window according to the users monitors and application-panel setting, CS5.5 simply did remember its documents window position & size by default. Such a script for instance:

 

tell application "Adobe InDesign CS4"
    set Disp to (do shell script "system_profiler SPDisplaysDataType | grep Resolution | awk '{print $2, $4}'")
    if Disp contains "1920 1200" then -- your screen resolution
        set bounds of layout window 1 to {-1200, -240, 0, 1680}
    end if
end tell

 

Hm, aha, p.s.: some applications behave likewise by default. – In lack of a 'document window'? – Those do remember their windows positions & size. For instance:

• Mac OS X (Finder ... & various system tools),

• Browsers (... Firefox, Chrome, Safari),

• Cyberduck, ... • Carbon Copy Cloner, ... • DeepMeta, ...

• Garage Band ( including its document windows:-)

 

@ Andy, Mobile computers, occasionally docked onto additional fixed placed monitors, will happen more often. – Agree?