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Insert Field not working


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Publisher 1.7.1 on MacOS 10.9.5.  Apple TrackPad.

No joy with new or old document. Follow exact procedure portrayed in Sections Tutorial :  dbl-click on Field name in Fields panel.  No options shown in Text/Insert/Fields menu other than page, next frame and previous frame number.

Must also add that for book production, hierarchical sections are very highly desirable, allowing display of both chapter and section title in header.  Rank almost as highly as need for foot/endnotes.

Edited by beast
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3 hours ago, beast said:

 dbl-click on Field name in Fields panel.

And you made sure you had one of the Text Tools selected, and for Frame Text you had the cursor in the Text Frame?

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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Yes. Frame Text tool selected, with cursor in text frame and able to type text directly.

Can recreate after choosing File/New and then the single Master Page thus renderers.  I then choose Frame Text tool and make a new frame at top.  View/Studio/Fields then dbl-click on 'Name:' under Document Sections in Fields panel.  (Also tried dbl-click on '<Section Name>').  Admittedly, only the default Section 1 exists but have also tried creating two more sections, with three pages each.  No difference.  Dbl-click on Page Number also fails.

Section Name does not appear in menu option Text/Insert/Fields. Page Number does exist there and works.

Only other 'strange' thing am doing, other than staying with Mac OS 10.9.5 for now, is using a Bluetooth Apple Trackpad.

Many thanks for responding. Sorry for delay.

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2 hours ago, beast said:

Can recreate after choosing File/New and then the single Master Page thus renderers.  I then choose Frame Text tool and make a new frame at top.  View/Studio/Fields then dbl-click on 'Name:' under Document Sections in Fields panel.  (Also tried dbl-click on '<Section Name>').  Admittedly, only the default Section 1 exists but have also tried creating two more sections, with three pages each.  No difference.  Dbl-click on Page Number also fails.

Interesting. As I'm on Windows I can't be sure what's happening on Mac, but with a bit of experimentation I have found this behavior which might explain what you're seeing.

It appears that double-clicking on a field name in the Fields panel will not insert anything into any Text Frame unless you have already typed something into some Text Frame within the document. This means that inserting a field value from the Fields panel cannot be the first text insertion that you perform.

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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The only way I can get what is being described here is to do the place holder on a Page not a Master Page.

In this screen capture I have used the Art text to place a <Section Name> on Page 1. I first click to set the text location then I double click on the Name: <Section Name> of the Fields panel, we see nothing until I give the section an actual name.

Mac Pro (Late 2013) Mac OS 12.7.4 
Affinity Designer 2.4.0 | Affinity Photo 2.4.0 | Affinity Publisher 2.4.0 | Beta versions as they appear.

I have never mastered color management, period, so I cannot help with that.

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Thanks for this, but afraid it's definitely a Master Page I'm using for the text frame in which to insert Section Name.

Have taken care to add an extra section and to name both.  No joy.

Have looked on publication pages in both sections but found no trace of any section name applied.

Rather suspect it's the ancient (six years old?) Mac OS I'm using (10.9.5), though am hard pushed to believe it's the bluetooth trackpad.

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I have to ask... What colour Ink are you using? 

Mac Pro (Late 2013) Mac OS 12.7.4 
Affinity Designer 2.4.0 | Affinity Photo 2.4.0 | Affinity Publisher 2.4.0 | Beta versions as they appear.

I have never mastered color management, period, so I cannot help with that.

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Can you give us a sample .afpub file that demonstrates the problem on your system?

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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You are using filler text, which can’t be edited, because it is dynamic (bigger text field = longer text). Filler text itself is a special form of a field. What you are trying, is to insert a field into a field – what evidently isn’t possible.

If you want filler text, which is not dynamic, go to „Preferences/General“ and tick the according option or select the complete filler text, right click onto it and choose „Expand Field“

After having done this, you can insert fields.

If you feel, your issue is a different one, tell us exactly at which place you want to insert which field with which options.

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I inserted the filler text (into the master page main text frames) just this once, not on previous occasions.

Did not try to insert field into this text, but into the (master) header frame on RHS.  With the frame text tool and text centred, I first typed "centre" then TAB then attempted to insert Section Name.  Two curious things happen :  first, after hitting TAB, the typed text leaps to the LHS;  second, while no Section Name appears, the cursor is displaced (about an em) as though something is there but not displayed.

Only want Insert to insert a 'field', with default options.

As I mentioned before, I suspect it is the ageing (six whole years old!) Mac OS version.

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12 minutes ago, beast said:

Only want Insert to insert a 'field', with default options

Hi Beast, I have just tested your file and it works fine for me, I expanded the field on the filler text then inserted the cursor at the end of page 1, I have attached a screenshot the highlighted text is the fields from your document, just on the off chance you are double clicking the area that I have marked with the red ellipse? (I have blanked out your personal details for posting the shot to the forum, they are there :)

Fields.png

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35 minutes ago, beast said:

With the frame text tool and text centred, I first typed "centre" then TAB then attempted to insert Section Name.  Two curious things happen :  first, after hitting TAB, the typed text leaps to the LHS;  

I don't think you've mentioned centered text before, though I may have missed it. There is something odd happening with centered text and entering a tab, but it doesn't seem to be related to your Field problem. (More on your Field problem at the bottom of this post.)

Here's what happens when I use centered text, and insert the creation date. First line is with a space between them. Second is with a tab. Screenshots of the Text Frame, and the Paragraph panel showing no tab stops set.

image.png.96625078378634d677a0cee71386aafe.png

 

image.png.ff1d81ef61ee227dd673b5fff986521f.png

Although the text still appears centered from the settings, it is behaving as though it's left-aligned. That should probably be reported as a separate bug.

Fields: You said

Quote

second, while no Section Name appears, the cursor is displaced (about an em) as though something is there but not displayed.

That was on the Master Page. Did you look at a document page to see what it shows? (Note that it will appear null/empty on a document page until you have set the section name in the Section Manager.

image.png

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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36 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

second, while no Section Name appears, the cursor is displaced (about an em) as though something is there but not displayed.

Hi Walt, this is the same on My Mac & documents, the field is a variable and the name does not display. It will apply if you are in a section

I am also seeing the strange behaviour with centred text & tabbing, it shoots the text to the left as soon as you tab...a bug

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Thanks Murfee for confirmation.

I set the section names first - just redid the exercise making certain I did so, hitting return each time after typing the name.  Did look in publication pages, with no joy.

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36 minutes ago, beast said:

Thanks Murfee for confirmation.

I set the section names first - just redid the exercise making certain I did so, hitting return each time after typing the name.  Did look in publication pages, with no joy.

Hi Beast, section names need to be added to the pages directly, if the field is added to a master page I doubt it would work. I haven’t tested this though. It worked for me when I added the field to page 1 of your file, the section name was “Front”

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26 minutes ago, Murfee said:

section names need to be added to the pages directly, if the field is added to a master page I doubt it would work.

Works just fine with section names that come from a Master Page. At least, on Windows, and there's no reason it shouldn't work on Mac, too.

section-test.afpub

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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1 minute ago, walt.farrell said:

Works just fine with section names that come from a Master Page. At least, on Windows, and there's no reason it shouldn't work on Mac, too.

section-test.afpub

Oh sorry, of course they do... not sure what direction my brain went in...probably reverse. :S I have section names set up from master pages in my own documents...I think I need retire for the evening with a glass of something goo

 

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6 hours ago, Murfee said:

retire for the evening with a glass of something goo

Have one for me too, I don't drink anymore.

Mac Pro (Late 2013) Mac OS 12.7.4 
Affinity Designer 2.4.0 | Affinity Photo 2.4.0 | Affinity Publisher 2.4.0 | Beta versions as they appear.

I have never mastered color management, period, so I cannot help with that.

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