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  1. #61
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    Default Re: Version 23.7 Blocks

    Quote Originally Posted by bwood View Post
    The creative mind is out weighing what blocks actually can do, which is what I’m finding. The creative mind is far ahead of Blocks 2. The creative mind is already on Blocks 3 or 4. Blocks 2 as Gary mentioned is plug and play. The YouTube instructions are elementary Blocks 2. I want my flexible and creative blocks to echo what my creative mind wants.
    I couldn't agree more. I've been struggling to find a way to express exactly that.

    This whole exercise was to see how close reality came to the marketing. I was slightly surprised. With more practice and knowing the limitations, it wouldn't take too much on Xara's behalf to have this producing simple sites quickly and easily. I do think, in our minds, we need to separate Xara's traditional site building and the Blocks system. They aren't designed to be mixed and matched. Like SuperSites. Never the twain shall meet...unless you employ iframes. I've used iframes for both SuperSites and Blocks with good results.

    Going back to Bill's creative mind. At the moment, we have Xara's offering of those giant Lego blocks (Duplo or something). You can build a square tower as high and as wide as you like.
    I'm looking for the full Lego version where not everything is up, down, left or right.
    Acorn prefers Play-Doh that can have sticks and pipe cleaners stuck into it.

    What I would like to avoid is a tower of Duplo with a fancy section of Lego stuck onto it with Play-Doh and sticky tape.
    I'd like the Block system to actually work, with limitations, of course. In other words, at least try and make the marketing a little believable.

    Employing Bill's creativity: I picture each block as being a tiny site all on its own. Complete with layers, backgrounds, web animations et al. These tiny sites sit on each other shoulders and can be moved up and down, carrying their layers etc with them. Want something sticky to travel the full height of the stacked tiny sites? Pop it on the outside. Want a universal background? Pop it on the outside.

    I would like to know the reasoning behind the forced mobile site. The other problems all seem to be fixable niggles, but the forced variant???

  2. #62
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    Default Re: Version 23.7 Blocks

    Okay, we're now on version 28.3 and another problem has been fixed. I can no longer make images disappear, but others still remain.
    Disappearing images - fixed
    Marquee select - not fixed
    Moving multiple objects - not fixed
    Snapping to object inside a block - not fixed
    A few more updates and Blocks may be ready for release.

    General usability has some workflow problems that I think deserve a look at.
    The forced variant is awful, but if it's here to stay can we have it a little more consistent please? A few examples:
    Skewing/Rotating does not transfer to the variant.
    Adding Reveal Animations, Stretch Full Width and Sticky do not transfer.
    The Fill Tool doesn't transfer...well, it does, just not properly. Try it.
    Linear Transparency behaves in the same way as the Fill Tool.
    Repeat On All Pages doesn't work at all.

    There are probably a lot more, and all can be fixed by Stop Sharing With Variants, doing the edits, then sharing again. ORRRR, not force the variant in the first place!!!

    Looking forward to Xara actually testing before releasing the next update.

  3. #63
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
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    Default Re: Version 23.7 Blocks

    Chris, I personally would not want my variant being randomly changed by alterations in Main.
    I too would prefer the variant not to be linked until I chose.

    SFW and Stky are probably identified in Main by an ID, which will not therefore register in the variant.
    Xara has awkward issues to address with Names across variants still.

    When Xara went forward with SmartShapes, the traditional and solid Snap to Objects went West.
    Same for Web Blocks. You have to knife and fork inside to achieve the simplest of tasks.

    RoAP necessarily cannot work as the WBs are Shared and RoAP & Share do not mix.
    Be interested to see what a Live Shared object could do.

    Acorn
    Acorn - installed Xara software: Cloud+/Pro+ and most others back through time (to CC's Artworks). Contact for technical remediation/consultancy for your web designs.
    When we provide assistance, your responses are valuable as they benefit the community. TG Nuggets you might like. Report faults: Xara Cloud+/Pro+/Magix Legacy; Xara KB & Chat

  4. #64
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    Default Re: Version 23.7 Blocks

    Quote Originally Posted by Acorn View Post
    Chris, I personally would not want my variant being randomly changed by alterations in Main.
    I too would prefer the variant not to be linked until I chose.
    Totally agree. To show how much more work is involved...Pre-Blocks I would make a site, edit the objects to how I like and then create a variant where I would move the pre-edited objects into place.
    Post-Block, if I edit an object, I then have to go to the variant and do the same, or stop sharing, delete and go back to the other variant and share again.
    Marquee select doesn't work, so selecting objects en-masse isn't possible, and shift clicking all the individual objects adds too much time.

    As a user, I don't really care why Smart Shapes broke the Snap To Object, I would just like it fixed. This is on my list of reasons why I don't, yet, trust Blocks enough to make a site where I have a deadline to keep.

    If you try to invoke Repeat On All Pages on an object, the warning is it cannot be done because the object is Live Shared. I do understand why Repeat On All Pages would cause its own set of problems, but I can't see why a whole Block can't be repeated. This is more of a niggle, and it isn't one of the reasons why I find using Blocks non-viable.

    In my mind, I would create a Block(s), edit to what I want, flick it/them into a variant knowing the Blocks will fit to the page size without sticking out to the right for absolutely no reason. I would then open said variant, tuck the objects in, kiss their foreheads and turn out the lights. If that's never going to happen, let me know, and I can wipe away my tears get on with my life, much like I did when I realised I was never going to marry Jennifer Connelly back in the '90s.

  5. #65
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
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    Melfort, Saskatchewan Canada
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    Default Re: Version 23.7 Blocks

    Chris said “ otally agree. To show how much more work is involved...Pre-Blocks I would make a site, edit the objects to how I like and then create a variant where I would move the pre-edited objects into place.
    Post-Block, if I edit an object, I then have to go to the variant and do the same, or stop sharing, delete and go back to the other variant and share again”.

    The above is my major nigglet with blocks. I’ve used a couple of applications, including a Mac program, and all is duplicated in the small variant. Their users often ask the same thing.
    Say I have lots of text on the larger variant. I don’t want all that duplicated on the smaller variant. Why would I use a block solution when I can simply share on another variant, and edit.
    I think Xara will have to offer a choice.
    Bill Wood
    Charity Web Design
    XARA Pro+. WD17, Designer 17. Premium packages.

  6. #66
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    Default Re: Version 23.7 Blocks

    CaroleClaude's site needs the Gallery redoing. Being in an adventurous mood, tummy full of chicken Alfredo and a bottle of Tooheys Old chilling in the fridge, I thought, 'why not redo the whole site using the Blocks system?'

    The project would be mainly copying from the existing site and pasting into Blocks. A few things would be altered, but most would be as is.
    After 30 minutes, I had the index page as I liked, including 2 layers and a change of font style. Off I popped into the mobile variant, which is much like looking at a kindergarten after the kids found the toy box. A cleanup here, a tidy over there and I'll be neat and tidy in no time.

    Block 1 (Freeform Block) contained a rectangle, 3 icons and 5 text boxes. I deleted the text, ready for the hamburger icon.
    Block 2 (Flexible Block) contained 1 line of text.
    Block 3 (Freeform Block) contained 14 items, text, images, shadows.

    Moving a range of objects from side-by-side to above and below made the main variant go super nova. Parts of a page curl effect plunged several centimetres down the page. A rectangle I used to create part of a button was so repulsed by its position in life it jumped as high up the page as it could, shed its rounded corners and sulked.

    Moving things back into position created a blank space between Blocks 2 and 3 and a simple coloured rectangle slipped out of position and hoped I wouldn't notice.

    This was the 3rd Block on the first page. I closed the project, clicked Don't Save, opened the Tooheys Old and came here to report my findings.

    I shall be placing Blocks with the pre-made navbars and piles of widgets in the never-to-be-used section.

    Click image for larger version. 

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  7. #67
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    Default Re: Version 23.7 Blocks

    @Chris M, publish and be damned - and you would have been!

    One day...

    Acorn
    Acorn - installed Xara software: Cloud+/Pro+ and most others back through time (to CC's Artworks). Contact for technical remediation/consultancy for your web designs.
    When we provide assistance, your responses are valuable as they benefit the community. TG Nuggets you might like. Report faults: Xara Cloud+/Pro+/Magix Legacy; Xara KB & Chat

  8. #68
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    Default Re: Version 23.7 Blocks

    Quote Originally Posted by Acorn View Post
    One day...

    Acorn
    I'm not so sure about that. I'm still waiting for a fix to having sticky links on a layer Hamburger With Sticky Bun (talkgraphics.com)

    I claimed, above, that I was placing Blocks in the never-to-be-used section. I hadn't even finished the Tooheys before my brain went 'I'll bet it's easy to fix those exploding bits, and, if you immediately stop sharing with variants, maybe.....'

    I opened a backup of the site. I'm sorry. I'm weak.

  9. #69
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Version 23.7 Blocks

    Quote Originally Posted by Chris M View Post
    I opened a backup of the site. I'm sorry. I'm weak.
    Admission is the first step on the road of rehabilitation.
    Remember Blocks' Anonymous (BA) is always there for you.

    I too am a Blocks user but I've been clean since version 23.8.
    Another three subversions free and I'll get my BA Badge (Babbage No 1).
    This was devised by our founder when he found that he had a screw loose in his Difference Engine No 1.

    Stay strong.

    Acorn
    Acorn - installed Xara software: Cloud+/Pro+ and most others back through time (to CC's Artworks). Contact for technical remediation/consultancy for your web designs.
    When we provide assistance, your responses are valuable as they benefit the community. TG Nuggets you might like. Report faults: Xara Cloud+/Pro+/Magix Legacy; Xara KB & Chat

  10. #70
    Join Date
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    Location
    Australia
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    Default Re: Version 23.7 Blocks

    Quote Originally Posted by Acorn View Post
    Admission is the first step on the road of rehabilitation.
    Remember Blocks' Anonymous (BA) is always there for you.

    I too am a Blocks user but I've been clean since version 23.8.
    Another three subversions free and I'll get my BA Badge (Babbage No 1).
    This was devised by our founder when he found that he had a screw loose in his Difference Engine No 1.

    Stay strong.

    Acorn
    Hahaha, excellent.

 

 

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