Version 23.7 Blocks

[Chris M]

I also noticed that the Stretch To Full Width image on the comic page had also suffered an identity crisis. There are 2 images in that particular block, Whaam and Speedlines. Speedlines was set to the back and was stretch full width. In the main variant, all was as should be, in the mobile, the images had swapped places. Whaam was now at the back and stretch full width, with speedlines having no stretch and at the forefront.

Fixing it was easy, but it looked fine in the project. The problem was only evident when previewed or published. Like a messy stain under black light, undetected unless you go to the trouble of scrutinising.

I've added a screenshot as I've now fixed the (this) error.



I had written the above, well, something similar, and clicked the 'Insert Image' icon when the page went unresponsive. 'Change your password' was screamed across the screen. 'We don't care that you think you've been insightful. We don't care how long you took to write your words. Let them wither and die like grapes on the vine, putting a '1' at the end of your existing password is THE single most important thing in the Universe right now. Do it, peasant, or be banished. Now get out of my sight.'

So I changed my password and re-wrote it.

[Chris M]

I created a new, single page with one Flexible block.
It's populated with 15 photos, one line of text and one button (no button on the mobile variant).

I'm more confident now, dumped all 15 photos, resized them and dragged them kicking and screaming into the block.
I set the block's Padding to 0 for both horizontal and vertical. Selected all 15 photos (one by one because I can't marquee select, moan, moan), and set the Object Margin to 5 for both H and V.
The text 'AWESOME' was created with a colour gradient (3 nodes). This was added using the ALT when releasing to keep it in the block, but not in the Flexi Box.
Background was dragged into the project, but not the block, and made into the Pasteboard Background.

I then went to check the mobile variant.
The first photo (Mongolian Dancer) has disappeared, and the text gradient has decided to set itself to random.

What I've found in the first part of this exercise, is that, for no reason I can fathom, they sometimes mark themselves as invisible in the Page & Layer Gallery. However, in this case, the photo is set to visible, and I can select it, but it's just an empty frame. I have done nothing to try to rectify or edit anything on the mobile variant in case someone wants to have a look without any meddling. I'm sure the Xara team will be sorting things out the second I upload this post.

The button was created from a shape and text, soft grouped, made sticky and positioned outside the block. The button downloads the project file, which would be pointless on a mobile, so I didn't put it on that variant.

>>> Click 'Xara Blocks 2' <<<

[bwood]

Following with great interest Chris. Thank You. Creatively if I try to fight the block I lose. Working on a simple 4 pager at the moment.

[Acorn]

@Chris, I can give part of an answer about the text's gradient.
Somehow, the Variant's one got stuck well below the text & shadow.
Easy enough to drag it back into position.

It seems to be a Xara Bug as when you drag it out of the WB, it is properly restored.

The same seems to have affected the Mongolian Dancers as you can drag the Fill controls back in place.
I simply double clicked on the image control to remove the clipping as it was the only image clipped in the Variant.
You have seven clipped ones in Main.
How Xara handles a clip into a variant seems to be the issue.

All very random and not conducive to maintaining profession standards.

Acorn

[Chris M]

I have a theory that it's always the first object in the block that acts up. I'm going to see if I can make something out that consistent.

The problems I had in the first part of this exercise, both in the Synthwave page and the Comic page, were the first objects in the block. They had Stretch To Fit Width components, and I blamed that...but now I'm thinking maybe not. The Magic & Violence, and T-Shirt pages both worked as you'd expect...and both had a simple block with one line of text. Nothing fancy, nothing edited. I had huge problems with the Home page, which also has manipulated content in the first block. I spent so much time learning what did what that I can't really remember what i did. I also didn't have access to the Blocks toolbar at the time.

I'll grab the Xara machine tomorrow and have a play.

[Chris M]

Curiosity beat me. I remoted in and cranked up Xara.

Added jpeg - clipped in the block - ok (didn't auto clip the variant).
Added jpeg - clipped outside the block - ok.

Added second jpeg - made a linear transparency and edited colour in the block (I did the transparency in the mobile variant. The jpeg in the main variant was in a different position on the page, but the transparency line wasn't. Moving the line manually didn't affect the variant, so if you want the two identical ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I dragged the transparent jpeg out of the block, removed the transparency and added it back again to ensure the effect would be the same in both variants...and this is where the wheels became wobbly. Adding the jpeg back to the block only happens in the variant you're working on. The other variant banishes the jpeg to the nether world.

More of the same:
Add a jpeg and drag into block. Change the colour.
Drag out of the block and change the colour again.
Drag back into block.
The variant jpeg is now invisible.

Add a jpeg and drag into block. Rotate it.
Drag out of the block and straighten.
Drag back into block.
The variant jpeg is now invisible.

Add a jpeg and group it with a shape (like a frame). Add to block.
Drag out of block, ungroup, and just drag the jpeg back into the block.
The variant now has 2 jpegs. One still grouped with the shape, and one in the block.

As Acorn says above, double-clicking the Image Control to reset removes the invisibility cloak, but that's not really the point.
I don't know why we have to have 2 variants from the get-go all of a sudden. My workflow was: make site how I want it > create variant > make variant look right > publish. Now I have to constantly switch tabs, or use Acorn's suggestion and lose half my working area to split the screen.

Earlier, I made the statement that i would use the Blocks system. Now? I want to, and I would on a small site, but I think the whole thing is half-baked and released as beta at best.

[Acorn]

The annoying thing is I found the FlexGroup and Web Block introduction very useful for "Freeform" construction as they offered some very useful additions:

• The means to move enwrapped blocks of content up and down the page - a development of the Push function.
• The dynamic handling of shapes within the FlexGroup - a form of grid control.

All this vanished with the v23.7 update:

Now when you add a Web Block to a Freeform website, it gets converted into ordinary groups, one group in each variant. This makes it easier to work with the contents of the Block in a Freeform site, since it avoids having a mixture of Web Blocks and other objects on the same page.

The Good News is if you select a FlexGroup in the P&L gallery and then move it to the current layer (right-click context menu) then you can Copy & Paste into a Freeform design and retain the grid functionality.

The fact that we now have blobs that we cannot create or ungroup despite having lots of extra Arrange entries shows how muddled things are.

Interesting that only three TGers are minded to have a go.

Acorn

[Chris M]

Interesting that only three TGers are minded to have a go.

Acorn

I thought it was just Bill and myself.

I, personally, like the idea because I do a lot of sites for nightclubs and artists (strange mix, I know) and they like to change/move things on a regular basis. Picking up whole sections and throwing them around easily, or creating a section independently and then flicking it into the site, tiddlywink style, would suit me well.

Xara's biggest appeal is the flexibility it offers. Fiddling with this, tweaking that, adding random things found on the 'Net. Other software I use has a more 'this goes here, and here it goes' approach, and they produce the same regimented looking websites. I'd like each Block to have its own little ecosystem that I can create in a separate project file, then copy/cut and dump in the master site.

Where's the layers bit gone? Is the 'Page & Layer Gallery' now the 'Page Gallery'?