Plugins to add new UI elements?

[M4R5]

Can you get plugins to add new UI elements? Specifically I want to replace the awful Alignment dialogue that Xara insists on using with the flawless Align and Distribute one from Inkscape.

I thought that someone who uses Xara daily might have already created a plugin or something to sort things out? Or even a separate program? Maybe AHK could do this.

Thanks

[pauland]

There was a discussion about this a few years back - which came to naught.

I haven't heard of any method of doing what you want.

[ Edit: Seems Xara has already done it for you!]

[M4R5]

[ Edit: Seems Xara has already done it for you!]

Yep. Hurray I'll have to write them some more enhancement ideas.

[steve.ledger]

It's what you get used to and learn how to use. The classic Xara alignment dialogue is, imho, much better and faster than the alternatives.
But you have to learn how to use it and which modifier keys to press while clicking in the alignment window.

[M4R5]

Oh, well rather disappointingly the new alignment buttons don't actually work properly. All the horizontal ones align left.

Furthermore they've only provide 6 alignment buttons. Not the 10 that you'd expect and want. And nothing for font baselines or nodes (unless they are somewhere else?).

All in all, seems disappointing. And they tried to install spyware with the trial. I guess I'll be waiting another year before upgrading.

The shape painting tool was fun though. I can see that being useful for patching stuff up quickly. The taskbar icon is awful. You'd expect more from a graphics firm. They should do a competition.

[steve.ledger]

Oh dear, well you can't satisfy everyone's expectations' .
You can un check the installation of 'Simplicheck' - it's an option.
BTW: It's not spyware..
► http://support.xara.com/index.php?_m...3001&nav=0,439

[M4R5]

It's what you get used to and learn how to use. The classic Xara alignment dialogue is, imho, much better and faster than the alternatives.

I totally disagree. I can objectively distinguish between good and bad UI without being swayed by what I'm used to. Maybe you can't? I can. Xara's alignment tool is the worst I've seen and used. What is it better than (that's not rhetorical)? Drop-down menus for just a few option add half a dozen unnecessary clicks for what could be done with a single click - and is done with a single click in other software (like Inkscape). The new toolbar is the right way forward, but it doesn't work and even when it does it will be terribly limited in capability. Xara has a laborious way of achieving next to nothing.

But you have to learn how to use it and which modifier keys to press while clicking in the alignment window.

There are several packages which I know inside out. Xara isn't one of them. Neither is Inkscape. I just use 2D vector packages occasionally. Maybe there are keyboard shortcuts to do everything I want in Xara. If so they're not in the help menu. It must be the only major software to not only hide them all, but provide no way of finding out what they are. Even if I learned them all tonight, I'd have forgotten them by the next time I fired it up for a new project. And I've had no way of finding out what capabilities are even there because the menus are just empty. And also very poorly categorised. eg: combing shapes is not an "arrangement" it is an edit. The source of this logic is not what I am used to from other software; the source of this logic is a dictionary.

I think this is a massive disappointment. Aligning the right side of five circles to the left side of a rectangle that is the second foremost object, is more time consuming in Xara than... well, name something. The circles have to be evenly distributed of course. In fact, let's align the top and bottom edges as well. Xara's alignment tools seem roughly on a par with Word's. I'm certain that a random person from the street could come up with a far superior method given 8 hours and a sketch book. Just one random person with 8 hours. Thankfully they don't need to, because Inkscape's tool is practically perfect and intuitive.

NB: Intuitive does not mean "what you are used to" no matter how often Apple insists that is the definition. Intuitive is a chandelier in a strange house that is held up with a visible rope that is tied to a handle on the wall. Unintuitive is a chandelier which is held up by a rope which goes into the gap above the ceiling and comes down inside a closed cupboard. If I had to adjust the heights of 40 chandeliers in this house to match a predefined pattern - something I've never done before, which is the more intuitive scenario? Now let's say you have done it before: which layout would you prefer for next time?

I don't think you could have annoyed me any more with so few words. Or been more wrong.

You can un check the installation of 'Simplicheck' - it's an option.

Yes, I know that. How do you think I knew it was being installed? Do you think I can't read? Maybe my browser reads out all these pages to me? I hope this forum has a way to ignore people...

[pauland]

Steve expressed an opinion, that's all. It doesn't deserve some massive rant in return.

Xara software isn't perfect, but it's not the poor relation you seem to make it out to be.

Perhaps a bit more thought and civility before the next post?

[steve.ledger]

I hope this forum has a way to ignore people...

Left-click the member name and choose 'View Profile'
Then press the 'Add to ignore list'..

[Rik]

Left-click the member name and choose 'View Profile'
Then press the 'Add to ignore list'..

I've never used that option.

What does it actually do?
Does it mean that you will not see the ignored person's posts?
If that is the case, then a thread might not make sense, because you cannot see all the conversations.

Can someone clarify?