Blocks feature suggestions (and bugs?)

[markhallcohen]

Hi,

I LOVE the idea, but after working with them for 6 hours, here are a few things that I really like to see added or fixed. Maybe there are workarounds for some of these? Presently, I can't do with blocks what I've done in Xara without them: https://mark-h-cohen.art

Or maybe I'm just trying to use blocks in ways they simply are not intended for. Anyway:

* Not sure I understand why setting the padding and object margins to 0px for block and image objects on desktop doesn't resize those 610px images on mobile variants to 480px, even when I redo zeroing the padding and object margins there as well.

* By making the block wider than the pasteboard, I was able to resize the mobile variant images to go edge to edge, but that broke the block; it no longer picked up changes in the desktop variant.

* Dynamic vertical resizing of blocks. Put the wrong thing in a block so that a new row is created, and and the block doubles in size. Delete the failed attempt, and it stays doubled. And that often breaks the mobile block as well. The only fix seems to be to start over.

* I'm baffled as to why I can sometimes drag an object from outside a block INTO it, and others just sit on top. Like, even a copy of the same object.

And an issue with variants regardless of blocks:

* Ability to disable/enable popups on individual variants - really doesn't work well for large popups on mobile. (My "workaround" was to make a straight forward variant for mobile, then disconnect it from the desktop variant. A relatively minor PITA for adding images but still.)

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Mark

[Chris M]

Observations on a couple of your queries:

When the block height is wrong, you click the block bar (green section on the left) and then drag the bottom of the block up...or...if the block has a background, select the background and drag to size, the block follows like a puppy.

Dragging objects into blocks. The mouse cursor determines whether the object goes IN the box, or sits on TOP of the block. Drag the object, ensuring the cursor is in the block to insert it.

Have a play with Flexible vs Freehand and Transparent vs Solid Colour

[Acorn]

Mark, I've had a 15 minute play one on of your pages: Marky.xar.
I suppose the main trick was to first group the images and other detail.

I just set the layout to Justify Centre & Top and added padding to come close to your page.

I did not include any HighSlideJS pop-ups as I don't like them and once you do, as you found out, you're stuck with them in the Variant.
I would use CSS to either hover a larger view or build up a number of pop-up layers, where you have total layout control.

I hope you have viewed https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...ykyW5rWlxeoLcf. It helps you over some of the initial hurdles.

Acorn

[Chris M]

I set off trying to show my preference for the Freehand over the Flexible blocks. However, the wheels fell off reasonably quickly, and I changed to trying to document my shortcomings. I then lost the will to live and went hell for leather to just get the damn thing over and done with.

I still prefer Freehand as they offer more flexibility than the rigid Flexible blocks [A rethink on naming might be a start =D].

Still, I was plagued with objects being accidentally taken out of a block and promptly vanishing. Some things are annoyingly linked to all variants, whereas others are not. One that occurred several times, the blocks slipped out of order between variants. As in Main block in position 1 and block in position 2 became position 2 and position 1 in the variant. Moving block 1 back to the top changed it to position 2 in the variant, and a so on and so forth.

In short. It took me WAY too long to create these 2 pages and I should probably do more so i can work out the foibles and become familiar with the way blocks work.

Anyway, back to the point.
@markhallcohen asked about padding. Using the Freehand blocks you eliminate the need for that.
Adjusting the height f a block is easily achieved by selecting the background and adjusting the height. If you use a Flexible block, all sorts of squishing and squashing occurs.

The project file is here, have a fiddle with the backgrounds in the individual blocks to see how you can alter the height. If you end up with a gap between 2 blocks, just select the lower block and give it a Y coordinate of 0. It will snap to the block above.

>>> Mark Cohen.xar <<<