Layers in Xara-Pro 4 versus XaraPro 7

[alanstancliff]

I've been using Xara Pro 4 for years, and when my computer died, I decided to give Xara Designer Pro 7 a try. I bought it and downloaded it. My main use for it is graphics, not website design.

I must confess that the difference in the layers gallery between the 2 versions has flummoxed me. I liked the intuitive way layers worked in Ver 4. It was easy to see what layer I was working on, easy to lock all layers except the one I was working on, even easy for me to open the layers gallery.

In Ver 7, the layers gallery seems fiddly to me. I am unable to lock a layer by clicking on the lock half or more of the time. I'd like to have all layers visible, or at least some layers visible, but locked, while I have others unlocked and visible.

Another thing I've noticed is that if I put an object on a layer (A), create a second layer (B) and move it below layer (A), and place an object on layer (B), that object seems to obscure the object on the upper layer (A) where the objects overlap.

To me that seems just plain counter-intuitive. I'd expect objects on layers further up in the stack to obscure objects lower down in the stack where they overlap.

I've concluded that the layers gallery in Ver 7 must be so radically different than Ver 4 that I need a good tutorial or explanation. I've searched around for one but am unable to find one.

If any of you could suggest something, I'd be quite grateful.

Regards,

Alan

[Soquili]

Hi Alan,

It sounds as though you may have a Web template as your default.

To return Designer Pro 7's page & layer gallery to the more familiar arrangement of Xtreme Pro 4 use a US Letter template or one of the other standard paper sizes or custom size templates.

[alanstancliff]

Hi Alan,

It sounds as though you may have a Web template as your default.

To return Designer Pro 7's page & layer gallery to the more familiar arrangement of Xtreme Pro 4 use a US Letter template or one of the other standard paper sizes or custom size templates.

Thanks Bill,

That may be the case, although I was pretty sure I had opened up a non-web based template. I opened a US Letter template, experimented a bit, and it seemed a bit more intuitive.

Given that I may have opened a web-based template instead, how can I turn that into the type of template I want?

I also have other questions.



The names of the layers seem obscured. Just the first letter shows. How do I fix that?



I am unable to toggle the locks, the visibility switches, and so on. What gives? Why is that? How do I fix that?



Those little triange goodies: what are they?

Regards,

Alan

[zaphodeist]

The little triangles, when clicked on and in context, expand the display to show everything in that group or layer or page

[PhilM]

If you make the layer gallery (now called "Page & Layer Gallery") wider it will have room to show more of the layer names.

Make sure that you've got the "All layers editable" and "All layers visible" switches turned off if you want to control the visibility and editablity of individual layers. (This is exactly the same as V4.)

Phil

[angelize]

To make a US letter size page your default simply open a US letter size page and chose save template and in the dialogue that comes up be sure to check save as default template on the right.

[alanstancliff]

Thanks to all for the help. It's a pretty new interface and I'm an old dog trying to learn new tricks.

And Frances, I looked at a bit of your YouTube videos. What software did you use?

Regards,

Alan

[angelize]

as this is off topic for this thread I've started a new thread here where I've given a bit of detail about how I created the videos.