My "I'm new to Xara" blog.

[JurysOut]

As a new user who is having some difficulty, I am going to make notes about my experience with Xara Photo and Graphic Designer 9 here. Maybe the following will happen:

• I will get some help.
• The developers will learn where improvements can be made.

Hopefully the thread won't get hijacked, but I'll be keeping the content in the first few posts anyway.

[JurysOut]

After looking around thoroughly in the UI, the help and online I haven't been able to find how to:

1. Snap nodes of a new line to nodes to existing objects while drawing the line.
2. Centre text vertically in order to avoid having to re-align it after changing the content.
3. Automatically view two or more windows side by side. Neither tabs nor the automatic vertical stacking seem very good for working on two documents at once.
4. Turn off these lines (See Item #3 in Post #3. I think this is a bug).
   

[JurysOut]

I consider the following as issues which face all users, not just newcomers.

1. Ctrl+- does not function. It should zoom out according to the Help topics. Ctrl++ works fine.
2. When viewing multiple windows, it is hard to see which one is currently active as it is only very slightly lighter (in the dark theme).
3. When you change the default page backgroud colour you get some horizontal lines appearing. Some are solid green, some are dotted and blue. It seems to depend on the document template.
   

My version of the software is Xara Photo and Graphic Designer 9.2.7.30974 at the time of wring. This is the latest version available for download on the Xara website.

[JurysOut]

PLACEHOLDER 3

[gwpriester]

Welcome to TalkGraphics

Placeholder 3? Please explain.

I do not think anybody is going to hi jack this thread as long as you make your comments and questions positive.

Your questions:

1. Snap nodes of a new line to nodes to existing objects while drawing the line.

Do you have Snap to Objects enabled?

2. Centre text vertically in order to avoid having to re-align it after changing the content.

Not sure if I understand the question, but is the text set to Center Justification?

3. Automatically view two or more windows side by side. Neither tabs nor the automatic vertical stacking seem very good for working on two documents at once.

Have you explored the options in the Window menu? There are a variety of options that do this including a zoom in close view that you can toggle back and forth from.

4. Turn off these lines (See Item #3 in Post #3. I think this is a bug).

Are you referring to the green rectangle? If so that is a text frame and has been set up so that when the text frame is full that a new page is automatically created and the text flows into a new text frame on the new page. This is helpful for creating multi-page text documents and web documents.

In the Help menu, there is a item, Movies. Please click this link which will take you to the Xara website where you can watch videos on the basic functions. These videos should answer a lot of your new user questions.

[JurysOut]

Hi.

1. Yes I have Snap to Objects enabled. It only seems to apply to moving things and creating shapes, not creating lines. For example, how would I draw a line from the centre of a circle to the corner of a square?
2. I mean anchor the text dynamically in the centre (or at the bottom). All text is by default anchored at the top and I can't see how to change it. I suspect this feature isn't available?
3. As I said I've looked thoroughly and haven't found a way. I've looked again just now... nothing. Although "arrange icons" seems to be a dead entry with no function.
4. Oh. Yes I think so. Why do they only show up when you chang the background? That can't be the intended behaviour surely?

I'm working through some excellent videos from XaraXhris on YouTube

[gwpriester]

Maybe you could ask Xhris for the answers to these questions then.

[JurysOut]

Can anyone confirm the bugs I posted for PG9?

1. Ctrl+- to zoom out doesn't work.
2. Window > Arrange Icons doesn't do anything.
3. Page boundary lines show up on non-default background colours.

I suppose I'll raise a support ticket.

[WildRice]

I think you use Ctrl and the + or - on the numeric keyboard to zoom in or out.

[gwpriester]

Just updated my copy of Photo & Graphic Designer 9.

1. Ctrl + zooms in. Ctrl - zooms out.(you can also press 1 (100%) 2 (200%) 3 (300%) 4 (400%) and 5 (50%)

2. What do you expect to happen when you press Window > Arrange Icons? I select this and nothing happens, and yet I have not made any changes to the page so I would be very surprised if anything did happen.

3. Not page outline, just the page drop shadow (see attached). In the Page & Layer Gallery, you can unlock the page background layer, select the page with the Shadow Tool, and click the No Shadow icon on the Infobar.

None of these things you have mentioned are bugs as far as I can see.