Non-horizontal linear gradients on text frame fill?

[GarryP]

Windows 10 - Publisher 1.7.0.128.

Is there a way to get a Linear Gradient to be anything other than horizontal in a Text Frame fill?
For example, I'd like to be able to make a gradient from light grey at the top, going down to white at the bottom.
I've looked around a bit but I can't see anything relevant.
It's not a big issue as I can easily do what I want another way (well, probably a few other ways), I'm wondering if I'm just not seeing a better solution.

[carl123]

If using the Text Frame Studio to add the gradient, when done select the Fill Tool to move the gradient how you want it.

Or just use the Fill Tool to create the Text Frame gradient in the first place.

[GarryP]

I don't know if I'm just having one of those days; see attached GIF.
Am I doing something wrong? There's a good chance my head isn't on right at the moment but Designer doesn't work this way.

[carl123]

I think I see what's happening.

Change it from Text to Frame where shown below after selecting Fill Tool

 

[GarryP]

Argh, dammit, I should have been able to figure that out for myself but I didn't notice the extra option lurking up there on the toolbar.
Yet another schoolboy error. Thanks for pointing it out.
Now I just have to figure out what I've done wrong to get my new bit of unexpected oddness (see new GIF).
I've tried this with other documents and the gradient fill works as it does with Designer, it's just this document that has the weird 'box' that doesn't snap very well and where the nodes don't follow the mouse.
It looks like it could be a useful feature but I don't know how I initiated it or how to get rid of it.
Can't find anything in the help yet but searching for "Where has this weird gradient fill box come from?" won't get me many hits.
Any ideas? (It's probably something simple that I've missed, again.)

Update: Upgraded to build 133 and the same weird box is still there. I created a new text frame and the weird box was in that frame too but when I reset the fill (using the "flower with a line through it" icon) the gradient has gone back to a line.

[dominik]

1 hour ago, GarryP said:

Argh, dammit, I should have been able to figure that out for myself

I came across the same problem some time ago and was helped by some of the moderators. I think it's indeed a little hidden. At least it is there 

d.

[Aammppaa]

1 hour ago, GarryP said:

weird 'box' that doesn't snap very well and where the nodes don't follow the mouse

I remember a post some months back from @Ben? describing how pasting a gradient in to a different shape causes it to distort, and that this had now been fixed for v1.7

So I think that is what you are seeing, the gradient has been skewed so that it is visually the same as it was in the original shape from which it was copied. 

I also experienced the bug you report about the floaty nodes that don't snap, but didn't report it yet as I was unable to reproduce it reliably. 

[Fixx]

29 minutes ago, dominik said:

I came across the same problem some time ago and was helped by some of the moderators. I think it's indeed a little hidden. At least it is there 

Looks like a bit unneeded complication. I do not know if this is so elegantly settled in InDesign either but this seems far clumsier. 

[GarryP]

Another Update: I tried to reset an existing text frame - one that had the weird box problem - and all was fine until I went to give it a gradient background.
The same sort of weird box came up again.
This isn't a massive problem in this particular instance because I don't need to be overly exact but I'd definitely say that it looks like either a bug or a feature that hasn't been fully implemented.

[Wosven]

This is an new interesting tool for positionning gradient and skewing it, but like you I think it need to be tamed!

Mine run away, out of the visible area and I had to zoom out to find it…

[Aammppaa]

I'd actually like to see it extended…

If I could add a different colour to each corner that would be excellent!

[Wosven]

@Aammppaa

How would the color merge? Can you show an example?

For now you can have different colors on the radial gradiant

[Alfred]

19 minutes ago, Wosven said:

@Aammppaa

How would the color merge? Can you show an example?

I'm not @Aammppaa (obviously!) but I've attached an example from PagePlus X9, showing a square with a four-colour fill applied.

[Wosven]

Thanks Alfred !

[Ben]

On 9/22/2018 at 2:10 PM, Aammppaa said:

I'd actually like to see it extended…

If I could add a different colour to each corner that would be excellent!

It's not a mesh fill.  It's still a linear fill, but has correction points for when the fill has become skewed/sheared by its parent object - so the two additional points only pick up the gradient end colours.

 

If you drag out a new linear fill, you get the conventional single line.  If you then shear the object, you will see that the linear fill is still conforming to its object, and you will now get the shearing handles on the fill.

 

This is a (new) unique Affinity feature, and allows you to put a linear fill on an object and non-uniformly scale or shear it while preserving the fill qualities.  If the fill was still based on a 2D line, it would walk or distort relative to its parent object.  Not good for scaling objects or symbols.

 

[Ben]

As for the "floaty nodes" bug - if anyone can provide an example document, I'll look into it.

[fde101]

There should probably be an "angle" option in the box where the gradient is first created?

[GarryP]

@Ben Here's a cut-down example document where you should see the problems with the nodes.
* Select the "Other Contacts" text frame (or any other that looks the same);
* Zoom in so you can see what's happening more easily;
* Select the "Fill Tool";
* Select "Frame" in the Context toolbar.
Issue A:
* Drag one of the bottom nodes around and the node will not follow the mouse. The difference is more pronounced the more you drag away from the original position.
Issue B:
* Drag one of the top nodes around for a bit and you should see that the box disappears. Difficult to say when exactly, it just seems to be a bit random (but probably isn't).
Issue C:
* The frame isn't rotated or skewed so I don't know why the gradient line isn't a single line.

Hope this helps.

floaty_nodes.afpub

[Ben]

This looks like a bug to do with fills on text frames.

 

I'm guessing you don't see these problems with fills on other objects?

[GarryP]

I haven't noticed any but I've not done anything like exhaustive testing.

[rjvela82]

On 9/22/2018 at 11:56 AM, Wosven said:

@Aammppaa

How would the color merge? Can you show an example?

For now you can have different colors on the radial gradiant

Hey how did you manage to get the canonical gradient shape to go from circle to oval shape? I can't figure it out. Everytime canonical is a circle for me.

[Wosven]

I had to reapply it few times and tweak it a lot !