Changing Default settings in Photo & Graphic Designer 6 - Permanently!

[Coleen]

I know how to go in to my settings and change the default page settings on a new design, but I want my settings to ALWAYS come up with the settings I change them to. How do I set these so that every time I start Xara I don't have to go change the settings AGAIN?

Thanks.

[handrawn]

Hi

did what Larry suggested in post #2 here not work then? :

http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthre...p-G-Designer-6

[it is true that not all settings can be saved as a document template [not to be confused with a webpage template]]

[Coleen]

Maybe the reason it keeps losing my settings is because I keep getting errors when opening the application. If I open the application directly from the Start > Program Files >Xara, I don't have a problem; however, many times I want to open Xara directly from an image file by right-clicking and selecting "Open with Xara" Every time I do that, I get an error Shown in attached image file:
:

So, no it isn't working for me. It is extremely frustrating to have this error occur every time I want to use Xara to quickly edit an image file by right-clicking on the image and trying to open Xara!

[zaphodeist]

I suspect you get this error because right-click>>open with has been associated with the setup file rather than the program itself. You should redo the 'open with' step using:

C:\ProgramFiles\Xara\Xara_Photo_Graphic_Designer_6 \PhotoGraphicDesigner.exe

not Xara_Photo_Graphic_Designer_6_en-GB_setup.exe

[Coleen]

Thanks for the response. So how does that happen? I haven't re-done the set-up manually, I've just run the repair. There are no selections for me to set. Sorry, but I don't quite understand how I am supposed to redo the "Open with" step, if I can't set anything manually during the repair?

[zaphodeist]

Try right clicking on the image file and using "open with" browse to the PhotoGraphicDesigner.exe icon and click on it [making sure you check the box that says to make the choice default ... can't remember the exact wording]. After this any time you click on a similar file Xara will open :-)

[Coleen]

That won't work. I have already added Xara to the list of programs that will open a graphic file (I did that a long time ago!) Now when I right-click on any image, select "Open With" the list automatically shows Xara in it. The problem is STILL that when I do select it, there are no other options available - it simply goes right to the error and wants to repair it. I suspect that this is a bug in Xara 6. To be honest - I am NOT impressed with Xara 6. I don't like the way the options are set, I don't like the user interface (the black color is too dark for my eyes and tends to give me eye-strain after a few hours) and in general, I really don't see that it is a big improvement over what I had before. I know Xara 7 just came out - but I'm NOT going to pay for the upgrade unless it has significant improvements! Such as fixing this stupid requirement of creating a template to keep my default settings and fixing this damn bug so that I can right-click and open a graphic image WITHOUT having to Repair it every time!

[handrawn]

ok - I know you are having problems, but basically it is the settings

you can press control shift alt S [keeping hold of the previous keys as you press the next] and that should make your interface revert to the lighter version [though this will reset any toolbar customisations]


the image you posted in post #3 is not an error message - it is the dialogbox you get if you run the program installation setup after the program has already been installed - at the top of this image you see the program name 'Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 6 Setup'

so when you select 'open with' how exactly is the xara described - any chance of a screenshot - it does seem to me that John is on the right track there

if there is a glitch, it is more likely to be a windows one than a xara one IMO

also does it happen if you right click on a xar file too - or just image files?

using a template for default settings is not stupid - its done for good reasons..

[Coleen]

Thanks Steve.

I can only tell you that the screen shot that I posted IS exactly what I get the moment I select "Open With" and choose Xara from the list. This is a screen shot of how I get there:
From there, a dialog box pops up to allow me to open the file (it is NOT an installation dialog box!) The message is: "Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to your computer" no where on the dialog box does it say anything about installing the program. Changing it, yes, but there is no where for me to change it in any way, and no I can not get a screen shot of that dialog box because it IS a Windows generated box and locks up my windows (i.e., I can't do an ALT TAB to get to another window to snip it and CTRL Prt Scr does NOT work to copy it!)

It does not seem to happen for a .xar file, but it is STILL a problem, no matter how you look at it! It may well be a Windows issue, but it doesn't change the fact that I ONLY get this error (and yes it IS an error, because I am NOT trying to change, or re-install or remove the .exe in any way - I am ONLY trying to open it!) The point is - I can right-click and open any graphic image with ANY other graphic application that I have, I just prefer to edit graphics in Xara. I will give Xara that - I love the ease with witch you can quickly edit graphics, but if I am getting this error all the time, it is NOT easy any more!

Having to set your default page EVERY time you open Xara may not be stupid to you, but I would venture to say that for a large percentage of Xara users, it is a PITA. Like me, they probably have a preferred standard unit of measure and page size that they use at least 90% of the time, and the small percent of the time that they don't use it, it is easier to change the settings for that ONE time, rather than to have to change the default settings EVERY time you open Xara, or to select a default template. If the template would STAY chosen - it would not be a problem!

[handrawn]

the template will stay set if you used 'save template' from the file menu and made sure you ticked 'use as default template' - are you saying this does not work for you ?