Pop-up Hell

[iamtheblues]

I just downloaded and installed the latest iteration of Xara Photo and Graphic whatever the thing is called these days, just to give it a text drive.
I loaded a blank template, clicked on the Text Tool and then clicked on the document and the very first thing that happened was a pop-up. (attached)
The last thing I expected to see was a pop-up message asking me a question which mystified me and immediately killed what enthusiasm I had to use the product.
Firstly, I had no idea which rectangle the message referred to, so I was unable to decide which of the 4 options to choose.
In the end I thought the message referred to the 800x800 pixel rectangle I have used as my default template for many years. That had to be what was being referred to, but by then I'd lost interest in going any further.

Surely I'm not alone in being cheesed off with obtrusive and unneccessary multiple-choice questions even before I start doing any work.
I quit the program, never to return. I do not appreciate being confronted with nonsensical questions such as this. I didn't need to be asked this question in previous iterations of the program, so why now? Needless to say I will not be buying this puerile rubbish. I just want to create, not play these silly irrelevant juvenile games.

[browj2]

Rather a dramatic reaction to a new feature, don't you think?

A while back, Xara added the ability to have text placed into an object and added Auto-Fitting to the shape. So, if you have an object selected, like your rectangle, as soon as try to type in text that is within the bounds of the selected object, say a rectangle, a photo or any other object, you will get the pop-up. Select On-top if you just want text on its own over the object, Fixed inside if you want text at the selected font size but staying within the bounds of the object, or Auto-fit inside of the previously selected object. Try the combinations to understand how this works.

If you don't want to see the pop-up, make sure that nothing is selected before selecting where you want to type text, or, if something is selected, position the start of the text somewhere outside of the selected object.

October 2018
Auto-Fitting Text
A powerful and time-saving new option that automatically resizes your text to 'best fit' into any shape. Forget about manually adjusting your font size, just turn on the new auto fit feature and type away - what you type will be automatically re-sized to fit. What's more it works with mixed font sizes, maintaining the relative size, and it even works with repelling borders!

[Acorn]

Rather a dramatic reaction to a new feature, don't you think?

A while back, Xara added the ability to have text placed into an object and added Auto-Fitting to the shape. So, if you have an object selected, like your rectangle, as soon as try to type in text that is within the bounds of the selected object, say a rectangle, a photo or any other object, you will get the pop-up. Select On-top if you just want text on its own over the object, Fixed inside if you want text at the selected font size but staying within the bounds of the object, or Auto-fit inside of the previously selected object. Try the combinations to understand how this works.

If you don't want to see the pop-up, make sure that nothing is selected before selecting where you want to type text, or, if something is selected, position the start of the text somewhere outside of the selected object.

October 2018
Auto-Fitting Text
A powerful and time-saving new option that automatically resizes your text to 'best fit' into any shape. Forget about manually adjusting your font size, just turn on the new auto fit feature and type away - what you type will be automatically re-sized to fit. What's more it works with mixed font sizes, maintaining the relative size, and it even works with repelling borders!

John, we had a duologue a time back (https://www.talkgraphics.com/showthr...ng-Text-Inside). I wholly concur with iamtheblues that Xara is a repeat offender of introducing Pop-ups that hinder workflow and fails to address user interface considerations.

The ideal UI would be to invoke the pop-up dialog with Text tool > Alt+Select; c.f., Alt key use instead of the Smart transform.

Acorn

[browj2]

Acorn,

You have a great memory. I vaguely recalled having seen something about this, completely forgot that it was I who raised the question about your request. Thanks for putting in the link.

From what I have seen, the two features that you would like to see are:
1. When both a text object and another object are selected, a way to fit the text inside the shape. In this case, the question of Auto-fit inside or Fixed inside would still have to be raised, no? Thus the pop-up would be required.
2. A way to toggle Auto-fit inside/Fixed inside once a selection has been made - that would be most helpful.

And the modification to the feature would be invoking the pop-up dialog with Text tool > Alt+Select, instead of having the pop-up appear if an object has been selected, Text tool selected, and the user starts typing over the selected object. Thus the default would be On Top, even if an object had been selected and typing started over that object. The user would then start looking for how to get the text to fit, one way or another, inside the object. I don't think that Alt+Select would be obvious to most users. Then after doing Alt+Select, there would still have to be a pop-up for Auto-fit inside or Fixed inside, would there not? So, there is almost no avoiding a pop-up.

I like the present method and the pop-up, now that I know how to exploit it and avoid getting a pop-up when I want On Top. And, I know how to quickly get new text into an object and that I will be asked how I want it.

I wonder what would happen if this situation were reversed - we had the current method with the pop-up and then Xara changed it to having to default On top, and Alt+Select for fitting the text inside an object. Would there be a lot of complaints about Xara hiding this great feature, the added work of having to figure out the Alt+Select part, interruption to learned workflow, and so on?

[Egg Bramhill]

Rather a dramatic reaction to a new feature, don't you think?

I agree with John. I see minimum use for this feature, in fact I ignore it. Just another annoying pop-up.

[Acorn]

I agree with John. I see minimum use for this feature, in fact I ignore it. Just another annoying pop-up.

Egg, the last part is the telling point of all this.

With the Text tool selected, Click-drag over a Shape to try and make a Text Column or Text Area. You know exactly what you are building but now Xara steps in and blows all this away.
If you select On Top, you are now stuck with a Text Line.

Where is the sensible workflow to get round this? Oh yes, click somewhere else and then move the text!
If the somewhere else happens to be over the shape and you change our mind, you may not get the pop-up to kick in again.

Acorn

[Egg Bramhill]

Totally agree Acorn. This ' improvement ' leaves me totally confused and I can never understand where I would possibly use it.

[gwpriester]

Somehow, Xara believes that the ability to put text inside objects with a few options to make the text larger or not is more important than something as really useful and competitive as left and right pages in a spread that act independently or master pages.

The only advice I can offer is FOCUS people. Stop throwing shiny coins in the air and give the users features to make their design experience better and easier.

[mwenz]

...With the Text tool selected, Click-drag over a Shape to try and make a Text Column or Text Area. You know exactly what you are building but now Xara steps in and blows all this away.

The only time that happens here is if I have the shape selected. If I do have a shape selected, like right after drawing a shape, and choose to add a text column or a text line, I hit the escape key and whichever type of text object gets created normally.

Seems fine to me.

[Acorn]

Totally agree Acorn. This ' improvement ' leaves me totally confused and I can never understand where I would possibly use it.

But Xara claimed it was one of the highest asked for features arising from a survey. While it might have its uses, it is a rarity that could have been met with existing Xara functionality. he major difference being the design would have total control as to what was wanted without have another set of workflow constraints that hamper.

Acorn