Xara Plus - Version 23.1 - Toolbar Reset

[Acorn]

Yes - I am grateful the Xara Plus applications have just got an update.
No, not at all happy that it loses all my Toolbar settings - an advisory well after the fact is not a good approach. A "It won't normally be like this." is no salve.
No, still no idea of what the changes are. No What's New. No Release Notes. No News. I guess we'll never know what a Cta (1c) Web Block "No 1 Best procuct [sic] in New York" is for.

I don't expect an Affinity delivery, https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/whats-new/, but it makes that simplest of additions or changes zingy.

Acorn

[MB365]

Yes - I am grateful the Xara Plus applications have just got an update.
No, not at all happy that it loses all my Toolbar settings - an advisory well after the fact is not a good approach. A "It won't normally be like this." is no salve.
No, still no idea of what the changes are. No What's New. No Release Notes. No News. I guess we'll never know what a Cta (1c) Web Block "No 1 Best procuct [sic] in New York" is for.

I don't expect an Affinity delivery, https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/whats-new/, but it makes that simplest of additions or changes zingy.

Acorn

https://www.xara.com/designerpro-plus/whats-new/

[Acorn]

https://www.xara.com/designerpro-plus/whats-new/

, which was still still showing 27 March 2023.
I did not expect to have to force a browser refresh.

When I just did, I get:

NEW UPDATE24 MAY 2023
German Versions
The installer now includes German versions, complete with online user guide and knowledgebase.

For more info see the Designer Pro+ Release Notes

...and the release notes, even refreshed, as showing nothing for v23.1. [Version 23.0 (13 March 2023) is the latest].

So I switched languages to German and found the same English v23.0 RNs.

Acorn

[MB365]

, which was still still showing 27 March 2023.
I did not expect to have to force a browser refresh.

When I just did, I get:


...and the release notes, even refreshed, as showing nothing for v23.1. [Version 23.0 (13 March 2023) is the latest].

So I switched languages to German and found the same English v23.0 RNs.

Acorn

Interesting, RN 23.1 show for me. http://releasenotes.xara.hosting/des...Anchor:58TjKj4

Thanks for testing the links.

[Acorn]

Interesting, RN 23.1 show for me. http://releasenotes.xara.hosting/des...Anchor:58TjKj4
Thanks for testing the links.

Matt, the Link I first used now shows the v23.1 updates.

The toggle language EN/DE capability is useful as I had intended refreshing my Deutsch.
Does the on-line Help also toggle?
The Xara product manual is still v23.0 - https://helpandsupport.xara.com/xara...-0-update.html

Have you added new third-party widgets as the operation of these is now perplexing.
I would not call it integration.

As an example, I tried the https://www.qrcode-monkey.com widget.
Edit widget open blank.
No explanation that you need now to click the Edit in Browser button.
Doing so, opens the above link.
No explanation as to how to "integrate" back into the design page.

What you can do is download an image, or better, an SVG. You then close the widget and drag the resulting graphic onto the design page.
Alternatively, open the SVG with a text editor and Copy & Paste directly into the Enter HTML box and click OK.
The resulting box can be resized and if lucky you get to see your QR barcode. This also renders out as an SVG and not a Group is dropped onto the design page.

The underpinning XWR file is about the barest you could get away with:

<XaraWidget><WidgetName>qrcodemonkey</WidgetName>
<BrowserWidth>1024</BrowserWidth>
<BrowserHeight>768</BrowserHeight>
<CreateURL>https://www.qrcode-monkey.com/</CreateURL>
<External/>
<WidgetHelp>
</WidgetHelp>
<HelpLink>https://helpandsupport.xara.com/index.htm?rhcsh=1&amp;rhmapno=1017</HelpLink>
</XaraWidget>

The <WidgetHelp> Tag is empty and it seems your new Widget mechanism can no longer handle this anyway.

When open, the Widget container has a Status line entry of "For help & information select Contents from the help menu" ???

It is quicker to use the URL directly.

Acorn

[gwpriester]

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg!!! The Align button is gone from the button palette. Or if not I sure cannot see it. There are individual buttons for the alignment functions but that to me is counter productive. I just want one button that opens the Alignment menu. And yes, Acorn, I know Shift Ctrl L will do the trick and that is pretty much what I use. And, maybe I need to reboot, but Alt + drag does not seem to move the buttons.

OK. Rebooting solved the Alt + drag issue.

And now the Align button is back.

Never mind.

[Acorn]

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg!!! The Align button is gone from the button palette. Or if not I sure cannot see it. There are individual buttons for the alignment functions but that to me is counter productive. I just want one button that opens the Alignment menu. And yes, Acorn, I know Shift Ctrl L will do the trick and that is pretty much what I use. And, maybe I need to reboot, but Alt + drag does not seem to move the buttons.
OK. Rebooting solved the Alt + drag issue.
And now the Align button is back.
Never mind.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg +1!

The changes I made to my toolbars were fairly modest.

It took me half an hour of wasted time to peck though B&W impenetrable icons to get them in the right place.

A personal layout is really important even if I am quite happy to and be able to memorise keypresses.

Acorn

[MB365]

Matt, the Link I first used now shows the v23.1 updates.

The toggle language EN/DE capability is useful as I had intended refreshing my Deutsch.
Does the on-line Help also toggle?
The Xara product manual is still v23.0 - https://helpandsupport.xara.com/xara...-0-update.html

Have you added new third-party widgets as the operation of these is now perplexing.
I would not call it integration.

As an example, I tried the https://www.qrcode-monkey.com widget.
Edit widget open blank.
No explanation that you need now to click the Edit in Browser button.
Doing so, opens the above link.
No explanation as to how to "integrate" back into the design page.

What you can do is download an image, or better, an SVG. You then close the widget and drag the resulting graphic onto the design page.
Alternatively, open the SVG with a text editor and Copy & Paste directly into the Enter HTML box and click OK.
The resulting box can be resized and if lucky you get to see your QR barcode. This also renders out as an SVG and not a Group is dropped onto the design page.

The underpinning XWR file is about the barest you could get away with:

<XaraWidget><WidgetName>qrcodemonkey</WidgetName>
<BrowserWidth>1024</BrowserWidth>
<BrowserHeight>768</BrowserHeight>
<CreateURL>https://www.qrcode-monkey.com/</CreateURL>
<External/>
<WidgetHelp>
</WidgetHelp>
<HelpLink>https://helpandsupport.xara.com/index.htm?rhcsh=1&amp;rhmapno=1017</HelpLink>
</XaraWidget>

The <WidgetHelp> Tag is empty and it seems your new Widget mechanism can no longer handle this anyway.

When open, the Widget container has a Status line entry of "For help & information select Contents from the help menu" ???

It is quicker to use the URL directly.

Acorn

Thanks for your feedback. Always appreciated.

[Acorn]

Recent Posts have morphed this Thread so they are now here: https://www.talkgraphics.com/showthr...netrable-icons.

Acorn