1 Attachment(s)
Smart Ellipse to Circle Challenge
Dear Xara...
Ensure Snap to Objects is active.
Press Alt-I-S-E or Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E to create a Smart Ellipse.
Drag the ellipse to the centre point of the page.
Without switching to the Selector Tool (Alt+S), make the ellipse a 317px diameter Circle.
How easy was that?
I used Shift+Right Drag to keep the ellipse in the middle of the page but for the first horizontal axis, I had to change Zoom to 10000% to get down to 0.1px accuracy.
Luckily, after changing Zoom back to the Drawing, I could hit 317px spot-on for the vertical axis.
Now, Clone and increase the size of the Circle so that its vertical diameter aligns with the left edge of the original and its bottom does not change its vertical height or the right is horizontal position.
Basically I am asking for you to double the diameter.
How easy was that?
I rotated the circle 180 degrees and then used the Resize control.
You cannot judge the doubling accurately as nothing Snaps: no guide, no shape, no grid.
If you work at it the Resize pop-up will indicate 200%, let the drag go free and restart and it is reset to 100%.
No matter, you got there.
Well, not really.
Switch to the Selector Tool.
The original "circle", for me, is 317.9px (W) by 316.1px. Over 0.25% inaccurate.
The "doubled circle" is 635.8px (W) by 632.2px (H). At least the Resize indicator proves to be accurate. Sadly, it is also off-centre.
Go Old School.
Ellipse Tool (L).
Drag out an Ellipse, size and align.
Clone and Scale 200% or drag and Snap at the edge of the original or even input Wx2 with Hx2.
Check centres, dimensions, orientation, perimeter and area. All show up a mostly circular. Accurate to 0.015%. Probably better if I had used milliPoints.
The final nail is when you Ungroup a Smart Ellipse, you end up with a Shape not an Ellipse.
For aficionados, a Rounded Rectangle is the better shape to use for an Ellipse for web purposes as its HTML representation is a SPAN (310 Bytes) and not an image (8 kiloBytes):<span class="xr_ar" style="left:1096px;top:677px;width:200px;height:13 7px;background: -webkit-linear-gradient(180deg, #FFFC00 -0%, #FF0000 100%);background: -o-linear-gradient(180deg, #FFFC00 -0%, #FF0000 100%);background: linear-gradient(270deg, #FFFC00 -0%, #FF0000 100%); border-radius: 100px/68px;"></span>
Attachment 126220
Acorn
Re: Smart Ellipse to Circle Challenge
Acorn I have to ask, how do you come up with some of these things? You find bugs that would take me centuries to find! I watch you answer peoples questions including mine so often it is incredible. Is your real name Einstein?
Re: Smart Ellipse to Circle Challenge
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gypsyjoe
Acorn I have to ask, how do you come up with some of these things? You find bugs that would take me centuries to find! I watch you answer peoples questions including mine so often it is incredible. Is your real name Einstein?
GJ, I use the application as a tool for different purposes, hit a snag and then dig in.
Without TG, I wouldn't look out for a quarter of the problems I touch on.
I want the Xara Desktop application to be the best tool out there.
I am afraid I do the same with MS Word and MS Excel and most of the Office Automation.
A lot of my career has been application integration on diverse enterprise platforms so I have had to engage with strategy all the way down to the binary.
A lot has been web work and UI literacy around mouse operations versus key clicks; just understanding the dichotomy around how to train diverse staff has boosted my cognitive complexity. I try to understand others' viewpoints - die Weltanschauungen.
Einstein spoke better German than me.
Acorn
Re: Smart Ellipse to Circle Challenge
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gypsyjoe
Is your real name Einstein?
I have a theory Acorn is an eighth son, lives in Anch-Morpork and attended UU at some point in his life. It would explain so much.
Re: Smart Ellipse to Circle Challenge
Well whether your name is Einstein or not I am a very simple person and you explain simply which I appreciate, but sometimes I still have a hard time following you. I wish I had half the brains you have. I do thank you for being here for all of us here on TG. You have seen my website very simple but without your help it would be less. Just keep up the great work. Thanks!
Re: Smart Ellipse to Circle Challenge
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Chris M
I have a theory Acorn is an eighth son, lives in Anch-Morpork and attended UU at some point in his life. It would explain so much.
just so long as he does not start going 'OOK!' ;)
Re: Smart Ellipse to Circle Challenge
Quote:
Originally Posted by
handrawn
just so long as he does not start going 'OOK!' ;)
You genuinely made me spray coffee on my screen. It's been years since I read Terry's books, but I instantly had the image of the Orangutan swinging through the library.
Re: Smart Ellipse to Circle Challenge
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Chris M
I have a theory Acorn is an eighth son, lives in Anch-Morpork and attended UU at some point in his life. It would explain so much.
Sorry Chris, it is Ankh-Morpork - Terry might get cross - https://xclacksoverhead.org/.
I actually did attend the Observable University (OU) and occasionally commuted to the UU via the Library (no swinging, only shoogling).
To be any good you have to be the tenth son (in octal) for Discworld.
Acorn
Re: Smart Ellipse to Circle Challenge
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Chris M
You genuinely made me spray coffee on my screen. It's been years since I read Terry's books, but I instantly had the image of the Orangutan swinging through the library.
Again, sorry, but it is the Librarian who happens to be an orang-utan. All other allusions make him go Librarian-poo (apeshit).
Acorn
Re: Smart Ellipse to Circle Challenge
You all appear to have better memories than I have - although I do remember now I've been prompted. I must dig out my Discworld books and read them again.
Re: Smart Ellipse to Circle Challenge
We have strayed far from the original post (I blame Gypsyjoe's Einstein reference).
It appears that most things in Xara with the word 'Smart' preceding it has problems. If any Xara staff have managed to get this far down, will the Smarts be addressed in any forthcoming updates?
I also seem to have a chest with many legs following me around.
Re: Smart Ellipse to Circle Challenge
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Chris M
We have strayed far from the original post (I blame Gypsyjoe's Einstein reference)
I accept the blame and am sorry
Re: Smart Ellipse to Circle Challenge
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gypsyjoe
I accept the blame and am sorry
:D
Re: Smart Ellipse to Circle Challenge
in my part of the world if something 'smarts' it hurts - whenever i see the phrase 'google smarts' i cringe
Re: Smart Ellipse to Circle Challenge
Quote:
Originally Posted by
handrawn
in my part of the world if something 'smarts' it hurts - whenever i see the phrase 'google smarts' i cringe
So we can add 'Xara Smarts' to the compendium.
To refocus the original Post, Smart Shapes have their place but they need to be better integrated.
You cannot centre a Spiral to a node.
You cannot toggle between blue and black controls.
SmartShapes are not QuickShapes but they are conflated together under one Tool.
The Rotation Angle is not as accurate as the Angle of Selection.
One Resize point that can be anywhere.
Control Points that come and go.
I have reported, ad nauseam (probably to Xara support staff - "Not again!"), that Smart Shapes actually detract from the already established UI.
Still no SmartShape API.
Acorn
