Casual Notes on Xara Cloud+ and Xara Pro+ Combo

[Boy]

• There are list of Cloud Templates at https://www.xara.com/templates/.

I couldn't find the websites. Is there a different link?

[Acorn]

Boy, the link is to a Xara site, listing Cloud Templates, not websites. This link works for me.

Acorn

[Boy]

Well, yes, I understood that. I was talking about website templates.

[Acorn]

Boy, sorry I misunderstood. Xara Cloud does not handle websites, yet.
Neither does it cope with Presentations particularly well as you have limited access to Steps (Layers).

At present, you handle websites through Pro+. Cloud+ has a lot of catching up to do.

Acorn

[Boy]

So, how do you access the website templates in Pro+?

[Acorn]

So, how do you access the website templates in Pro+?

Boy, it is no different than XDPX & other XDAs: Download All & the use of the Online Content Catalogue.

Acorn

[Boy]

Okay, that makes sense but when I relate it to what you wrote in your OP, 'Xara has not provided a Download All for the Cloud+ Templates to be stored locally in Pro+', I get confused again. But that's probably because I have never used Xara Cloud. Never mind, Acorn, with regards to this cloud thing, I'll stay on the sideline for the time being.

[Acorn]

Okay, that makes sense but when I relate it to what you wrote in your OP, 'Xara has not provided a Download All for the Cloud+ Templates to be stored locally in Pro+', I get confused again. But that's probably because I have never used Xara Cloud. Never mind, Acorn, with regards to this cloud thing, I'll stay on the sideline for the time being.

Boy, all I was getting at was Xara failed to tell many people about Download All - it is an obscure Help Note with next to no technical explanation. It definitely has no contractual implications (its total loss out of Update Service cover). Now we have a separation of Templates between Xara Cloud+ and Xara Designer Pro+ with Cloud+ offering a very poor approach to collating any Templates: basically open one, try it out and then save as your own file somewhere.

People expect to see value for their money and in the Cloud all you can really achieve it local storage to offer you some feeling of possession and control. Those of us who can be disciplined enough can form Teams and Assets and build up a shared library.

It is more about getting to know what Xara considers a professional design is and how it is actually constructed that makes a designer the more capable. Abstracting things away never helps in this learning experience.

Finally, hiding a whole raft of "Real Estate" Templates behind an obscure selection mechanism, again without explanation, seems to be a replay of past mistakes.

Acorn

[Boy]

Thanks for the extensive follow-up, Acorn. I experience Xara's product development and marketing over the past so many years as mostly uninspired and opportunistic, so I'm not surprised.