New v15.1 Re-sizeable Photo Grids & Panels

Dear Xara... I have been running through the improvements to the photo grids in particular. The resizing aspect makes them much more attractive to use, so thank you.

There are still individual niggles.

The photo montage of Square Photo Grid 34 fails:

• No mechanism to make a single photo pop-up.
• The squishing or squashing of the grid results in the "film strip" pop-up returning as squished or squashed.
• No means, other than painstakingly re-position each single photo, to change the ordering.

At the same time, you almost deliver a solution in the new Tables.

Even here, though, your approach to adding text differs from the new Text Inside mechanism.

No joined-up thinking: three incomplete paradigms, fighting in the same head space.
I can see that the smart shapes controls are beginning to come of age but their employment in real design work is way behind.

Acorn

Hi Acorn,

Yes, I don't think these photo grids are the using the smart photo grids smartshapes like before and there are definitely some usability issues in them that need to be addressed. I'll take a look into the issues mentioned and see if they have been logged or not.

Thanks
Rob

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rob-Xar

Hi Acorn,
Yes, I don't think these photo grids are the using the smart photo grids smartshapes like before and there are definitely some usability issues in them that need to be addressed. I'll take a look into the issues mentioned and see if they have been logged or not.
Thanks Rob

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Thank you Rob,
Acorn

My throw-together here demonstrates the problem you face: Attachment 121219.

I used Table 06 and by moving the top row to the bottom and shrinking the cells to just one, removing the text and adding a bitmap fill and finally setting that to a pop-up, I recreated Square Photo Grid 34 in a very few minutes.

Advantages:

• Grids of any size
• Movement of images by row or column manipulation
• Pop-ups

Disadvantages:

• Images thrown off by caption & inner padding adjustments
• Different stretch behaviour

Don't make choices for us, give us the right tool and we'll do the rest.

Acorn

Dear Xara... Still on Square Photo Grid 34.

You have "invented" Names (LayoutControl:h-content:equal, LayoutControl:v-content:equal, HTMLText); the bold is the default.

Switch to the first and stretch horizontally and you get a perverse effect.

What is in the developer's head?
Where are the attributes described?
Why does Inside Inside not do what it says on the time?
Why do you "invent" shape structures that cannot be unravelled, which are locked away in code?
Why do you hide features away, each and very time?

You are lazy in your delivery and rely on others to sort out the unintended consequences of your choices.

Acorn

Since these are photo grids, I would like to be able to edit the smart photo grid so that I can print photo's at 5" x 7" - 4" x 6" - 2" x 3"or whatever combination of print sizes I need on one page, not just set up a web page. I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong, but I don't see how I can use these grids to print multiple photo's at a chosen size, which to me would be ideal.

OR ... Is it possible to create my own standard smart photo grid ... even if the layout is somewhat fixed?

I believe with these photo grids (and others with similar controls) is that they were produced before we have the smart photogrid smartshape controls. In effect they are just a simple layout of Photos.

If so, they will need to be sent back to the designer (not developer) to properly mark up the photo grid to enable the correct controls.

I'm not sure when these would be fixed but I'll log it anyway for them to look into. Designer's job lists are always filled to the brim lol.

Thanks
Rob