Bug in export options window

[itsfransie]

(Using XXPro4 4.0.4916 on WinXP 32bit)

When I export to a bitmap format, the export options window is displayed incorrectly - see attached image.

I suspect it is related to the dpi-setting of my screen - just like the problem with the repelling text which was fixed in either 4.0.4845 or 4.0.4916. Mine is set at 110dpi instead of the standard 96dpi).

This also occurs on other windows, for instance the Painting live effect.

I really hope this can be fixed.

Frans

[Egg Bramhill]

Not 100% sure what your problem is here Frans. I dont believe gif's can have a dpi setting. They are just exported at the pixel size they are. So if you have a monitor set 110 ppi the gif will export at x pixels by y pixels regardless.

Re the LE problem, have you tried adjusting the settings under Utilities/Options/Effects & Plugins?

[itsfransie]

The problem is that the window is too small, and what's supposed to be shown in that window does not fit. Hopefully the attached pic explains it better.

With the Painting live effect window there's the same problem. You can see there's a pulldown below "Placement depending on", but it's outside the window, and I can't resize the window.

My problem is not about the dpi setting of the live effects, it's about the dpi settings of my screen (right click the desktop, choose Properties, tab Settings, click Advanced). This is used to enlarge everything on your screen. Most people tend to lower their screen's resolution to achieve this, but on an LCD that looks horrible.

This setting also caused problems with the new text repelling function, but Wuerthne fixed that. See post #26 here: http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthre...ighlight=repel

[handrawn]

not being able to resize boxes can be a real pain - regardless of monitor settings

the document info box cannot be resized and is often not wide enough to make sense of missing live effects in my experience

[Daniel]

The problem is the Windows dpi setting, not any expectation of exporting a GIF at a different resolution

I've never seen a satisfied user using anything but Windows's default of 96dpi - changing it *always* causes trouble somewhere. Charles suggested here that users don't change Windows's dpi, and I think that's the best advice. Things always break.

[itsfransie]

There is indeed quite a lot of software that doesn't handle a screen dpi other than 96 properly. However, as screens and resolutions are getting bigger and bigger, the need for it also gets greater.

I use a 22" widescreen LCD at 1680x1050 resolution. At 96 dpi everything on screen just gets too small to read, and my eyes aren't that bad either. I know Windows lets me enlarge fonts and other things seperately, but the result of that tends to cause far more problems than changing the screen dpi. Funny thing is my screen physically displays 90 dpi.

If software developers keep taking the easy way out saying "don't use it", the problem will only keep growing. We've moved on from using 640x480 resolution to whatever resolution a user chooses, and it's high time we move on from being stuck at 96dpi as well.

[willdean]

If software developers keep taking the easy way out saying "don't use it", the problem will only keep growing.

I absolutely agree. If people as competent as Xara are saying they're not going to bother to fix this kind of bug, then there's not much hope anywhere else. I can see that this dialog is actually especially difficult, because there's a desire to render a bitmap at 1:1, which is at odds with the concept of not knowing how bit the dialog box is in pixels.

Unfortunately, this exact problem has been around since the days when you could select the 'large fonts' (i.e. 120dpi) driver on Windows 3.x. Even the splash-screen of the MSDN library used to demonstrate this bug...

Personally I always fix these bugs in software I'm involved in (if I see them...) because I generally consider them a sign of dimness on the part of the developers. In Xara's case we'll have to assume it's a moral failing rather than an intellectual one

[ss-kalm]

We've moved on from using 640x480 resolution to whatever resolution a user chooses, and it's high time we move on from being stuck at 96dpi as well.

The screen resolution is a user option because your screen can actually display at different resolutions (but you still can't do 1280 x 1024 on a 15" monitor - since the 15" at 96 dpi won't do more than 1024 x 768). In the case of a CRT it actually displays at 96 dpi (and this is important) ONLY 96 dpi.
Todays LCD screens are often better than this, but as the software can't read how good, again it's a user option. Unless your screen can handle a resolution of better than 96 dpi, it's not a good idea to set it any differently, as it WILL cause problems. If 1680x1050 is too small, then decrease the resolution don't change the dpi if your screen isn't designed for it.

[itsfransie]

I don't agree. Using a resolution differing from the LCD's native resolution results in a fuzzy screen, as the pixels the computer sends to the screen are spread over multiple physical pixels of the screen. This is far less obvious on an CRT screen.

The screen dpi setting is perhaps a misnomer, maybe it should be called screen scaling. I do not care whether or not an inch in Xtreme is and inch on my screen. I do care when I can't read any text on my screen, or when everything is displayed fuzzy.

[steve.ledger]

The screen dpi setting is perhaps a misnomer, maybe it should be called screen scaling.

In the context you are speaking, you are correct and infact is IS referred to as screen scaling. Also measured as 'Dot Pitch' per linear unit.

Screen dpi should not be confused with DotsPerInch (dpi) print quality terms.

CRT's will always handle various resolutions better than LCD's where the later really requires they are set at Native (fixed raster) resolution. Any other resolution and an LCD has to rely on 'Interpolation', which, similar to bitmap interpolation results in a degraded image.

Having said that, I use a 24" LCD and run at 1920x1200. I wear glasses (long sighted) but personally find the default text sizes at default 96 DPI to be the most suitable and comfortable