Help again ... scaling grapics panels

[doceye]

Okay, I see how you scale background graphics. It took a while, but I got it.

But now I have a further problem. When you scale a background graphics element the whole thing grows to scale. That makes sense. But in the case of the Social Networker theme in WD6, if you scale the graphic to lengthen the page, the "feet" on either side of the main text BG at the bottom grows too big to be covered by the footer graphic.

So my question from the "constraining" thread still stands. How do you lengthen the BG graphic while keeping the proportions of these "feet" short enough to be covered by the footer graphic?

[steve.ledger]

Method 1: Disable aspect lock and enter the new Hieght size in the info bar Size input
Method 2: (more control) "Ungroup" then resize each element by draging the lower centre node. You will also need to re-adjust the transparency areas of the two outer sections.
Method 3: Cheat... VIEW VIDEO

[doceye]

Oh my gosh ... you must be kidding, Sledger. Why in Heaven's name would something this simple be made so complex? Does no one at Xara remember what life was like before they became exalted graphics geeks?

Now don't get me wrong, I sincerely appreciate your help. You've been a bright light of assistance in this dark tunnel called WD6. But having to jump through these kind of hoops simply to lengthen a page so more text can be added is patently ridiculous. In fact, it's kilometers beyond ridiculous.

It's almost as if the old Monty Python gang did a sketch on making software as complex and maddening as humanly possible.

I must ask of Xara's developers, "What could you possibly be thinking here?" That everyone would be content with three or four paragraph long pages, and if you aren't, then we're going to make you disassemble most of the page simply to make it a touch longer?

It serves zero purpose to go to the trouble of writing templates and then making them so hard to use that end users feel so frustrated they throw the cat across the room.

The funniest, if not most irritating, part of that video is at the end, when the chap performing says, "I've effectively increased the size of the page quickly and simply."

I spat coffee all over my monitor and then chased the cat down and again threw him across the room. Quickly and simply? Are you out of your ever-loving mind, lad? We weren't attempting theoretical physics, we were trying to add a wee more area to enter text.

This program REQUIRES a considerable background and expertise in graphics packages to even begin to use effectively.

By the way, Sledger, where did you find that video? My guess is somewhere South of the Seventh Circle of Hades.

And finally, the chap doing the video blithely blows past explaining how he performed the screen capture he made. Why would he assume someone knew intuitively how to do that? If you need help doing this sort of thing, it stands to reason you might want to see all the steps performed and explained. Sheesh.

So how DO you do the screen capture referred to?

[steve.ledger]

Arrgh - you're a waste of my time. Go use something else if you can't be positive and learn how the software works.
Video removed.

[doceye]

I think you've got that a little backwards, Sledgie dear. This program is a waste of time if it requires something on the order of what was described in the video you removed during your little tantrum. The fact remains something as simple as extending a BG to accommodate longer text blocks shouldn't have ever been made this difficult. And suggesting someone "be positive" in light of irritatingly complex and poorly supported software is like getting mad at the guy flattened by a runaway bus because he hadn't consulted his schedule.

Oh ... and aside from not explaining how to capture that area, the video was wonderful. Sorry you couldn't handle the small suggestion I made. Now anyone else confronted with this same issue will have to waste a similar amount of time trying to figure this out. Congratulations.