Soft Groups ROCK!!!

[DigitalJeweler]

Is it just me or does the new soft group allow you to do such things as:

Create cloned copies of text where you can offset with a different color underneath (Don't know the proper term for this technique)

Then if you want to edit the text, both copies work and maintain that formatting.

I could never get XX4 pro to do that. or if that was possible, I had no idea how to do it.

See example...

Hats off the the XARA developers...I am a loyal fan!

[Charles Moir]

The other great feature of Soft Groups, and in direct response to requests on the TG forums, is that you can group objects across layers. (The old Group feature, which is still there, always brings the object in the group onto the same layer)

This is particularly useful for Web Designer because mouse-over effects and pop-ups are done with overlays on layers. So a Soft Group means the whole lot stay together.

I missed an opportunity on the Introduction doc to use this feature. You'll notice the first photo has an outline and small magnifier that appears when you mouseover the picture - you'll see them there on the MouseOver layer. I should have Soft Grouped those with the main photo group below it. Because then dragging the photo, or resizing it, would have dragged the frame with it. Since I forgot to do that change, now if you move the photo - it's mouseover effects get left behind.

So you can fix that by enabling both layers, marquee select around the whole thing (5 objects on 2 layers), and Soft Group. Now when you move or mess with that photo the magnifier rollover will always stay with it.

[nickydude]

I missed an opportunity on the Introduction doc to use this feature. You'll notice the first photo has an outline and small magnifier that appears when you mouseover the picture - you'll see them there on the MouseOver layer. I should have Soft Grouped those with the main photo group below it. Because then dragging the photo, or resizing it, would have dragged the frame with it. Since I forgot to do that change, now if you move the photo - it's mouseover effects get left behind.

Wow! I just tried that very thing 10 mins ago! Rotated the image but discovered the frame+magnifying glass were left behind and I thought "Wouldn't it be better if rotating the image could rotate the mouseover effect."

Xara is obviously way ahead of me.