Something weird happening suddenly

[jmwellborn]

I have been editing a pdf which I had saved in InDesign a few years ago and which I have saved as an .afpub file.   Everything was going swimmingly    Saved, and Saved As several times.    Today I decided to adjust one of the photographs in Affinity Photo.    Worked just fine.   Imported it into the .afpub document.   Fine.   Saved it.  Made some more adjustments to the photograph.   Placed that into the same .afpub document  replacing the previous image.   Suddenly the placed image automatically grouped itself with the title of the book and my "by" line,  and the type is badly pixellated.  I cannot ungroup this thing.   There is no indication under LAYER>Ungroup that it has been grouped.  I can place a text frame outside the group, but cannot insert text.   Nor can I create a text frame on the desktop and drag it into the page.    So I added a new page to the document just before the page with the mess on it.    I created a text frame, typed a T (for the word "The") and got an enormous T (shown below) but with the text size shown in the context tool bar as 11 points.    Not only that, but the rulers show that the 8-1/2 x 11" page is just over 1 pica wide.   When I used the zoom tool , I got a series of tiny icons on my desktop (even when I zoomed at 800%).    So I used the Control +Open and restarted Publisher - naturally losing all my settings -- gr'r'r'r.

But that has not helped this problem at all.   I have opened other documents which I created in Publisher, and don't seem to have the pixellation problem.   It is also not evident on other pages in the offending .afpub document.    So somehow or other, the .afphoto image must have gummed up the .afpub page.     HELP!!!

!

[jmwellborn]

Sorry.   Forgot to add the pixellated type image before I sent the above.   When I edited it to send that too, it appeared at the top of my comment.   Ugh.

[jmwellborn]

So I solved it.   Rather.   I went back to the original PDF, opened it in Publisher, saved it as an .afpub file, then laboriously linked 66 pages of text frames together -- again.  Page by page.   And then I saved it as an experimental .afpub file.    I then went into Photo, and exported each freshly revised .afphoto image as a .jpeg.   Back into the .afpub file, and placed each new  .jpeg where the old image had been.   Worked.    Saved several times in the process.    Then I permanently trashed the offending .afpub and PDF files.

Whatever caused the problem, I  no longer have it, because the files are gone.   

[Old Bruce]

16 hours ago, jmwellborn said:

Whatever caused the problem, I  no longer have it, because the files are gone.   

https://xkcd.com/2083/

I saw this comic and wondered if you know Randal (or does he know you?) You get the weirdest problems.

[thomaso]

2 hours ago, Old Bruce said:

https://xkcd.com

I saw this comic and wondered if you know Randal (or does he know you?) You get the weirdest problems.

"And let that be a lesson to you"  ;•)  https://xkcd.com/1994/

If Randal knows Greg ...? https://www.funbrain.com/books/diary-of-a-wimpy-kid/page/6

[fde101]

16 hours ago, Old Bruce said:

https://xkcd.com

Considering that this comic changes three times a week, you might want to use the more specific link for the exact one you wanted to point out:

https://xkcd.com/2083/

 

Also, in case you still haven't solved these problems:

https://xkcd.com/627/

[jmwellborn]

Ver’r’r’r’y funny.   Thanks, fellas!

17 hours ago, Old Bruce said:

https://xkcd.com/2083/

I saw this comic and wondered if you know Randal (or does he know you?) You get the weirdest problems.

Actually, I do seem to manage to get into all sorts of muddles — all related to imported PDF’s!   But since my several 300-500 page books have all been stored as PDF’s, waiting for Publisher so I can revise them, sometimes I am a wee bit not-quite-laughing when I have to manually link the text frame on every page.    All the same, Publisher is wonderful.

Mrs. W.

[Chris_K]

Hi jmwellborn

I'm glad you managed to solve the issue, it's a shame you no longer have the original files as it would have been good to try and track down the cause. It could have just been a one off of something you may have not noticed you'd done at some point, but If you come across this again please feel free to let us know

Cheers

[jmwellborn]

"

16 minutes ago, Chris_K said:

Hi jmwellborn

I'm glad you managed to solve the issue, it's a shame you no longer have the original files as it would have been good to try and track down the cause. It could have just been a one off of something you may have not noticed you'd done at some point, but If you come across this again please feel free to let us know

Cheers

Thank you!  The strangest thing was that the imported .afphoto file was used to replace a jpeg which had come in with the original PDF, which had then been saved as an .afpub file.   Somehow, when I opened the saved .afpub file, removed the existing (ungrouped) jpeg and placed the .afphoto, it managed to group itself with the two text frames on the page, rasterized the whole thing, and then would not permit any editing.  Or any changes.  Nor could I create a text frame outside of the entire grouped affair.    Or on the workspace.  I hope it was a one-time issue.    Anyway, I think Publisher is grand!