Precise object placement from art board to artboard?

[dizeyner]

Since I dont have stacked pages Ive go to adapt my method of productivity. No idea how to do this with artboards. Let me first explain how Id do it in fireworks then perhaps someone can tell me how to adapt with artboard.

Create 3 pages in fireworks. Each page is a different color. each page has its own layers of unique items. but also shared items. Say for example a logo.

In fireworks I place it in the location I want it on one page. then I go to the layer where the logo exists and select the pages I want to use this item. I can assign it to all or just a few pages I want to share it to.

With affinity I would create three artboards and then drag a copy of the logo over to every one of the arboards I want it to be on. and then if I dont want it to show Id turn it off. so instead of one logo displaying where I want it to be I have three logos on three pages. In addition Id have to set up guides and turn snapping on to get that logo to sit in the exact same place on each artboard. Three times the work of fireworks pages.

In addition if there are any elements which have a specific spacing relationship to the logo I have to mind the guides and the snapping and place the elements for each and every artboard.

I gather I could create a symbol? such that if I want the same logo on every page but want to update it with say a change of color and have it update on every board that might work. However, I dont think I can duplicate that symbol and swap it out for the first logo without having to go through the entire process of laying out the logo on all three artboards all over again. correct?

Im hoping that there is a simpler way to do what Im trying to do. similar items on multiple artboards, laid down once and assigned to the same location on multiple artboards? as I would have done with fireworks pages and layers working together? I dont see its possible but Im not expert with this tool so hoping I just need a clue. thanks for any advice.

Another example: go to https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/designer/ and scroll down until you see Artboards with no limits. Note the image is of multiple arboards. Presumably of a phone layout. At the top of each one is a common element. the time and battery charge level. In fireworks this would be a master element for lack of a better term. I would place it on a layer and tell it to display on multiple pages. If I wanted to update that by say making the battery level green instead of black it would then update across all pages. I would not have had to physically apply it to every page I created. when I created a page it would have that shared item already on it. Big time saver.

How do you do that with artboards in affinity? Do I have to grab all the elements on an artboard and then say create artboard from selected? And then delete anything I do not want? But then doesnt that then create another item in layers? SO instead of ONE battery level in layers Id end up with one for every single page I have? Thats pretty hard to manage. easier way? 

[firstdefence]

It would be a nice addition to have Master Artboards but as of now there is no such option. Even with Master Pages/Artboards there is still the creation of instances of elements - effectively symbols replicated to each page, edit one and they all change. The big advantage with Master Pages/Artboards is global placement, so if you wanted to move an element to say the right side of the Page/Artboard you would do that on one page and all elements would shift on the subpages. In Affinity Designer (ADe) you would have to move the Element/Symbol on each page and if you have 5+ Pages/Artboards that would become tedious very quickly.

 

Symbols can get you so far, so editing a symbol effects all symbols but what you want is placement on Pages/Artboards as well as replication and editing and ADe does not cater for global placement. You could select all elements on each Page/Artboard and nudge those elements into place or drag them to their new location.

[firstdefence]

This might be a workaround for you

 

Multi page edit.mp4

 

[R C-R]

I have not given this a lot of thought & it probably would not do everything desired, but what about instead of creating multiple artboards, just use layers (or groups?) on a single artboard or canvas, with all the "master" elements on one top level layer & all the page-specific stuff on layers or groups for each of them? Turning on just the layers/groups for each page would be a bit of a chore but it seems workable.

[dizeyner]

Ive thought of leaving the artboards stacked on top of one another as I noted that sometimes the new one pops onto the current one instead of next to it. Not sure what I did to make that happen but it did. And also thought about using layers as stacked pages. Its messy. And tedious in both instances as you have to turn off everything you do not want to see. Its fine if you have two or three things but I very often have as many as 10 to 22. 

IN addition there does not seem to be a way to lock a layer or an artboard. So grabbing ALL on one artboard or layer and moving anything could cause real problems for anything underneath. And even if you can lock them...that would be great...but even if you could then again thats tedious. Especially when you have one comment element on all that you need to move on 22 pages.

no. I think they need perhaps a master page system and ability to stack pages and just work on the stack youve chosen for current. Same productivity as pages in fireworks. Though I hate to even mention fireworks because then people get all hung up on proprietary issues. Im not saying please open my fireworks file and have it save the same way. Im saying please invent the same kind of productivity. At this point I no longer care if I cant one step port my fireworks. I just want to be able to work as efficiently and productively in affinity as I do in other programs. 

Master pages, stacked pages (for lack of a better term), artboards. Locking a layer, and artboard or a page. I need all that!

[R C-R]

25 minutes ago, dizeyner said:

IN addition there does not seem to be a way to lock a layer or an artboard.

??? Artboards & layers can be locked on the Layers panel like any other layer type: select one or more of them on the panel & click the lock icon at the top. This prevents them from being selected with the Move tool & accidentally moved. You can also select multiple locked layers & click the icon to unlock all of them at once -- it is a toggle.

 

33 minutes ago, dizeyner said:

And even if you can lock them...that would be great...but even if you could then again thats tedious. Especially when you have one comment element on all that you need to move on 22 pages.

My suggestion was to use just one artboard (or just a canvas not contained by any artboard) & set up one topmost layer for all your 'master' elements. That way, you just need to move (or edit) one of them on that layer. Set up Layers (or Groups) for each 'page' so that everything unique to that 'page' is on its own layer type in the hierarchy. It isn't ideal but if you collapse all the 'page' layers in the panel, it is relatively easy to hide all but the 'page' you are working on at the time. Do that & you don't have to worry much about locking layers since hidden layers can not be selected with the Move Tool, although the 'master' top layer should probably still be locked so you can see it when working on a 'page' layer.