Bug in grouped shapes and transparencies?

**David O'Neil** · 05 January 2009, 06:54 AM

I hope another update is soon in the works. In addition to the bugs still open that I've reported, I just found another one having to do with grouping objects. Ungrouping them doesn't do what you expect.

Create a circle. Give it a shadow. Group it and then give the group a linear transparency. Ungroup it, chosing 'Remove Effects.' The circle is mistakenly given a linear transparency. Making it worse is that getting rid of the transparency is difficult, if not impossible without stepping back to before removing the grouping.

I've even had objects simply disappear when trying to get them back into editable shape. And very few of the objects I've had this problem with were as simple as this example.

**steve.ledger** · 05 January 2009, 07:19 AM

Originally Posted by David O'Neil

Create a circle. Give it a shadow. Group it and then give the group a linear transparency. Ungroup it, chosing 'Remove Effects.' The circle is mistakenly given a linear transparency. Making it worse is that getting rid of the transparency is difficult, if not impossible without stepping back to before removing the grouping.

Perhaps I'm missing a step David, but I cannot repeat the problem.
I'm also not certain what you mean by Ungroup it, chosing 'Remove Effects.'

This is how I interpreted your steps:
1: create a circle
2: apply a shadow (I chose 'wall shadow')
3: Group it
4: apply linear transparency
5: ungroup and all I loose is the linear transparency (expected). The wall shadow remains unless I remove it via the shadow tool (which I can). I don't see where the 'Remove Effects' part comes into this

**David O'Neil** · 05 January 2009, 07:26 AM

When I select 'Ungroup' I get the following popup box because the transparency is applied to the group as a whole. I select 'Remove Effects,' but that option doesn't remove the effects correctly.

**steve.ledger** · 05 January 2009, 08:20 AM

Hmm - I don't get that box, I don't ever recall seeing it actually. I have 'Make groups be transparent as a whole' set as my default.
If I uncheck 'Make groups be transparent as a whole' in Options, I still don't get any errors or see that dialog

I even set Xtreme Pro 4 back to defaults using XaReg and still don't see the box or have any issue. How odd.
You have the latest patch installed I assume?

Can anyone else recreate David's problem?

**zaphodeist** · 05 January 2009, 08:38 AM

Tried a couple of variations - eg different shadows - but couldn't replicate problem nor did I get pop-up.

**Fred C** · 05 January 2009, 02:20 PM

Using Xara Xtreme 4.0.1.5601 CD.

I also tried several variations:
1. 'Make groups be transparent as a whole', checked and unchecked.
2. 'New effects are locked by default', checked and unchecked.

I can't replicate the problem. No popup messages.

**David O'Neil** · 06 January 2009, 12:29 AM

I never said it wouldn't. I did say that if it was me, I'd look at that messagebox code. It might give me an idea about what happened. With luck, it might not turn out to be as difficult as imagined, and a bug gets squashed.

If you want to see one of the still outstanding bugs, try resizing both circles in the attached file using the elliptical tool's 'width' and 'height' edit boxes. This worked correctly in 3.0, but not 4.

**steve.ledger** · 06 January 2009, 12:49 AM

Originally Posted by David O'Neil

If you want to see one of the still outstanding bugs, try resizing both circles in the attached file using the elliptical tool's 'width' and 'height' edit boxes. This worked correctly in 3.0, but not 4.

What bug are we looking for David?
If I try resizing them via the w/h edit boxes I get the size I expected (as entered)

**David O'Neil** · 06 January 2009, 01:00 AM

Originally Posted by sledger

What bug are we looking for David?

The left circle doesn't resize to the size you give it. Try 12pix x 12pix and see what size the circle ends up.

According to my communications with Xara, you are supposed to be able to resize multiple circles at once to final given values using those boxes. This bug makes that impossible if you haven't made the circles with correct node positions. When you have a scenario where you want to do that, the 'workaround' is one that leaves you swearing, because you rarely have such nodes, and you will be resizing for a long time when it could have been done in three seconds. Even 'mousing' that many gets to be a pain.

Try it in 3.0 (not 3.2) and you will see the correct handling of the circles.

**steve.ledger** · 06 January 2009, 01:11 AM

Originally Posted by David O'Neil

The left circle doesn't resize to the size you give it. Try 12pix x 12pix and see what size the circle ends up.

David if I manually enter 12pix H x 12pix W and hit enter, your left circle (which started as 37.5 x 37.5 pix) resizes correctly to 12 x 12pix in version 4.0.1.5601

What size do you get?