Version 23.7 Blocks

[Chris M]

So, after declaring I wouldn't use Blocks again, here I am with another wacky adventure with my best mate, Blocky McBlockface.

5 page existing site, transferring to Blocks.
Throwing single items, such as text, image, shape, and you can't really go wrong with either Flexible or Freeform.
Page 1 is covered above, page 2 was a mix of text areas and single jpegs. I used Flexible and Freeform with aero problems. Hopping into the mobile variant was equally problem free.
Page 3 was pretty much as page 2 with the added excitement of repel text in some cases. This was a long page with a lot of content. The mobile variant was a mess, but a doddle to sort once I had a rhythm going.
Page 4 was a repeat of 2 and 3
Page 5 was where things fell apart.

Let me state from the get-go. All the problems were caused by having Grouped objects. I am pretty confident that if I had exported the grouped objects and imported as a single image, or, Group As Single Item (wherever that setting is), then things would be a lot smoother.

There are book covers that consist of an image with text on top. There are icons made up of a 2 shapes, a line of text and a png. There is a page curl effect made up of a shape, a png and a shadow.
The Block with the book covers and icons was a Freestyle Block. Both covers and icons were Grouped.
The text on both covers and icons changed font and colour (possibly different text styles?). I resized and recoloured the text...easy enough.
The shadow on the page curl had gained a square where the shadow should be. Selecting the shadow tool brought up a system error. Using the eraser with heavy feathering brought up a different system error when applied to the shadow.
I then went to check the mobile variant.

The Block holding the covers and icons had stretched to -6672 on the Y coordinates. I couldn't see the top even at 5% zoom. I manually typed 0 into the Y box of the Block background, and I could then carry on.
The same Block had pushed itself to the #1 slot. Originally it was #3. Using the arrows on the Block I moved it back to #3. #1 was #2, so I swapped that too. I now have 1,2,3 in the right order.
Going back to the main variant. #1 is #2 and #4 was missing completely. I swapped 1 and 2. Went back to the mobile and 1 and 2 were incorrect, but 4 was present.
After several attempts at swapping to and fro, I deleted Block #1 as I could copy it from another page. I pulled #4 out of its Block and deleted the empty Block, then dropped the content back. I copied a fresh #1 and shuffled it to the correct position.

Just to be clear...all the problems were related to groups. Even the shadow errors were part of a group. Using single item objects, be they text, image or shape, behaved as they should.

>>> when adding an empty block >>> >>> I think it's because the pasted objects were originally set to Repeat On All Pages, but that's me guessing.

Page curl background shape randomly going for a walk, plus the sys errors.

[Chris M]

Good stuff:
Setting a header, menu and footer on the first page in both variants allows you to copy and paste that particular Block, and it will paste the Block to suit the variant.
Block backgrounds are full width by default, just colour the background instead of adding a rectangle.
Arranging symmetrical objects is a breeze with Flexible Blocks once you climb the gentle learning curve to understand how the padding stuff works.

I keep going hot and cold on Blocks, but the cold sections are warming up slightly.

[Acorn]

@Chris M, again thank you for persevering. No Badge though!

One small point.
"Group As Single Item" is Web Properties > Image > Group web export.
This is for rendering only; it will do nothing for group work in design.

My gut is telling me Xara is still getting JavaScript counting wrong.
In JS, 0 references the first item in an array, e.g., Month 11 is December.
Get this wrong, as has happens many prior times, and things go wacky.

Acorn

[handrawn]

In JS, 0 references the first item in an array, e.g., Month 11 is December

isn't that hardwired into programmers at an early age ?

maybe they don't actually use programmers, after all, they do produce design software pitched to those who are not designers

blocks seem a good example, maybe they work really well if you have no previous experience to compare them with..

[Acorn]

isn't that hardwired into programmers at an early age ?
maybe they don't actually use programmers, after all, they do produce design software pitched to those who are not designers
blocks seem a good example, maybe they work really well if you have no previous experience to compare them with..

We had a recent hiccough where sub-menu items were going astray. The Image Filename is poorly handles and adding links to SmartFields is still mega-wrong. All involve loops and counting. Nest loops incorrectly with a variable assigned a value too deep, output from the completion of the wrong loop, conditionality checks changing over and under the meant change, thinking you understand someone else' class construct and get the parameters wrong - all are weaning actions, yet they still occur. We may never know.

Acorn

[handrawn]

the butterfly effect... plus, no matter how hard you try, documentation nearly always assumes some intrinsic knowledge that the reader may not have...

[bwood]

no matter how hard you try, documentation nearly always assumes some intrinsic knowledge that the reader may not have...

That’s a very, very good point. Way back, Acorn stated that you really have to have a working knowledge of Xara before entering the “block world”; and he’s correct. When something goes south one should know why, or one chases down rabbit holes.

Regarding documentation there are many, many things that a user learns from this forum and not the documentation. Certainly a testament to the software. Documentation can’t keep up.

[Chris M]

When something goes south one should know why, or one chases down rabbit holes.

You should see my pelt collection!

Strangely enough, I was wandering through Block World when my foot slipped into a rabbit hole. "Good job I brought this shovel with me" thought I, "or I wouldn't be able to dig into this rabbit hole clearly marked 'Groups Do Not Enter'"

I made a rectangle. Added a photo of Grace and then a text area.
I grouped all 3 objects, copied the group and threw both groups into a Flexible Block.

CTRL click a rectangle and changed colour of one rectangle.
CTRL click Grace and move her in any direction, by any amount, and she will behave like the diva she once was and promptly leave the group.
CTRL click the text, it too will leave the group. However, not to be outdone by Grace, it will also chameleon into Times New Roman and increase size to appear more threatening. Interestingly enough, hitting the undo button will pop it back in the group, but not revert the font or size. It remains TNR 21.33 instead of Montserrat 16.

[Acorn]

@Chris M, thank your for a pleasant day out just wasting my time away.

I replicated your steps and threw in a Repel Text Under for the hell of it.

You can fudge away Grace's exit by moving her with the arrow keys.
Ctrl+Drag any of the three objects and they escape the Group!

What you have to do is Open Group and make the changes there.
One more unwanted nested activity.

The worst is the total garbage occurring with Text.
You have TNS and weird font size.
You have the remnants of the Repel Text Under with no repelling object.
You have loss of style.
If the text height increases, the FG does not notice. This occurs even if the text wasn't mangled and it extends below the text box boundary.
If another object is added to the new FG row, it sits over the text. The new object only "recognises" the pale blue boundary of the objects above.
Infinite Undo - gone with a drag of the mouse! In passing, Undo steps history is always zapped when you close the application or save the file, so advertising hype loses to reality (Rock, Paper Scissors).

I then switched to the Variant...

Acorn

[Chris M]

I then switched to the Variant...

Acorn

Ahh, the Netherworld. Mine was blank except for a large image of Grace outside the Block. I couldn't make it do that again, though. That place is a real hall of mirrors.

On a positive note. I did re-create the CaroleClaude T site using nothing but Blocks. Sure, I could've made it quicker using the traditional method, but it wasn't painful. The more I use it, the more I can avoid its (many, so many) limitations.