Items in containers remain anchored to container, not to point on canvas

[Smee]

I have a suggestion: When an item is placed inside of a layer, make the item's X/Y anchor relative to the layer rather than relative to the canvas.

It may be much more difficult than one would think, but thought I would suggest it. Here's why:

When building, I often use layers to contain images, text, etc. Kind of like blocks. It just gives me a bit more control over appearance.

After completing the original page, I add the breakpoints I will use. Next, I begin working with the breakpoints. What happens then is when I get to each breakpoint, those layers will appear empty. I have to double click on the layer to get it to show me where the contents have gone, which usually will be outside of the edges of the breakpoint ... often at the page location it was originally inserted on the canvas. Of itself, this would not be a problem, but the layer being used as a container is now resized AND text objects are all extra long and cannot be quickly resized by either pulling the handles or inputting the correct dimensions. Text objects are also especially notorious for fleeing from the confines of the layer and having to be hunted down to be put back in the layer. Sometimes they even play peek-a-boo and completely hide behind other objects. When that happens, I have to use the object manager to locate them.

It doesn't make the program unusable, but it does make it time consuming trying to trace all of these things down while editing breakpoints.

If something must be added to a page after publishing (my customers are retailers, and want new items added on occasion), the problem sometimes becomes time consuming ...

Thank you sir for a great product, and the dedication you show to your customers!

Be well.

[Pablo]

This has nothing to do with 'relative to the layer' vs 'relative to the canvas'.
By default all objects have absolute position relative their container/layer.

The reason why the objects are outside the container/layer is usually because they have a undefined position in breakpoints or use the original position of the default view when you added it to the page.
If, after some time you switch to a breakpoint then the software has no idea where you want to place them.
However, there are some tools in the Object Manager to help you with this. For example: reset position, restore position and scale.

You will not have this problem if you use floating layout, because in that case the object positions are relative.

[Smee]

Agreed about the floating layout, however, this site was an early effort with the software --- so it wasn't a floating layout as I hadn't figured out how that worked yet. Was up against a time constraint, so thought I'd muddle through that way as it looked more familiar to me.

When an object is within a layer, I would have thought that the location X/Y would reflect the internal . X/Y of that layer. When I right click on an image in a container/layer, and choose <Center> <Horizontal> it centers the object relative to the width of the container/layer.

Also, text objects inserted on the right side of the page definitely did not show up at the original point of insertion into the page (nor did most of the images --- default page 1200 pixels, but one image was about 300 pixels past that: 1500+ pixels from the left margin).

Probably a moot point as current work is all on floating layouts, but was just a suggestion.

Thanks for all your hard work!

[Smee]

Now, this is working properly ... kind of . . .

The problem now is text boxes when moving to the next breakpoint (I build in default view, then add breakpoints one at a time). When adding a breakpoint, sometimes a single line of 18 pt text becomes 1300+ pixels tall. The text does not change, only its container --- and the dimensions cannot be altered by dragging the handle of its container or by typing in the dimensions of it.

Must double click on the text and edit it in every breakpoint. Just add a space then backspace (otherwise, it goes back to 1300+ pixels tall) and the container resized to its original size. After every text box in a container has been edited as above, then I can reset the container size.

Take a coffee break, then repeat each layer in each breakpoint.

Tried the flex grid, however, the information entered will not even appear on the page when previewed unless every block is populated.

So I set up a 4 x 3 grid (12 individually named blocks) and made sure each block had the information in it (pics, text, etc.) and the result when viewed was stranger than a Picasso painting. NOTHING was where it should have been. So, flex grid is out the window until I can figure out the problem with what I'm doing and why it's the wrong way to do it.

[Pablo]

When adding a breakpoint, sometimes a single line of 18 pt text becomes 1300+ pixels tall.

I have never seen or heard about this behavior before.
Can you please describe the exact steps to reproduce this behavior?

Tried the flex grid, however, the information entered will not even appear on the page when previewed unless every block is populated.

Maybe your browser does not support flex grid?
Did you try the examples?

[Smee]

I have never seen or heard about this behavior before.
Can you please describe the exact steps to reproduce this behavior?

I will post an example file this evening

Maybe your browser does not support flex grid?
Did you try the examples?

Firefox v 59.0 is the browser I use for most of my previewing, amd was what I used last evening.

I did look at the examples, but as I said, it is likely something I am doing. Will go back over the examples again tonite.

[Smee]

Okay, open the project, go to "Catalogs" and expand to show the pages below. Choose "wet_dry_slides" then go to the 768 breakpoint and you'll see what I've been talking about.

http://www.ahgweb.com/wwb_14/version1_b.wbs

The elongated layers are the result of expanding of the text boxes when they are pulled into the new breakpoint.

Have no idea why this is happening.

[Pablo]

Thanks for sharing the project.
I can see the expanded layers. However how do I trigger this behavior myself from scratch?

In WB14, when you copy an object then it will include breakpoint data.
So, if you copy an object that that has the wrong size in a breakpoints then it will also copy this wrong data to the new object.
For example, if you copy object 'Layer10' (which is expanded in the 768 breakpoint) then the copy will also be expanded.
However, if you copy Layer8, the the copy will have the correct size.

[Smee]

These objects are exactly the same in ALL breakpoints.

Created the default, arrange. Create 768 breakpoint, arrange. Create 480 breakpoint, arrange. Create 320 breakpoint, arrange.

I'm not importing from 320 to 480 or 768 to the default. I always start with the default, then let the program populate a breakpoint. Then I arrange.

What you see in that file is what I see when I do the above. Takes a lot of time to fix all of those errors. Saving it as a "block" gives the same results. At the start of this project, tried existing blocks, but after adding content the containers would be different sizes and resize at different rates which really looked bad in my opinion. So, created this "block" and saved as block . . . it still did the same thing as what you are seeing in that example.

[Pablo]

I'm sorry, but I am not able to reproduce this behavior when I start a new project.
I can see the problem in your objects, but I need to know who this started.

For example: when I create a new project then what are the steps to get this behavior?

[Smee]

Start with a 1280 X 1000 page and do not create any breakpoints yet.

Now look at how my blocks are constructed and build one as follows:

• Layer (314px X 475px)

Inside layer place the following:

• Shape with single line of text

• text box (single line of text)

• 250 X 250 pixel image with link to larger image opening in 800 X 600 popup

• Two more text boxes (each with single line of text)

• Another shape with single line of text

Next, make first shape offset 10 pixels from top of layer, then bottom shape 10 pixels above bottom of layer. Now select all items in layer and distribute them vertically.

Copy the layer with its contents until you have 3 or 4 on your default layer.

Create the following breakpoints:

• 768

• 480

• 320

That is exactly how I made it happen the first time. When you go into the breakpoints, some of the text boxes will go wonky and resize as in the example I posted. Not all of the text boxes on every page will try to get off the reservation, but on some pages it will be all of them.

One more problem I didn't mention: Sometimes the items listed above decide they no longer want to be constrained by the layer and slip out. You won't notice it until you move the layer for placement. It remains in the same x/y location, but under the layer. This usually happens after the layer has been moved once, and on subsequent movements this will happen occasionally. In one of the breakpoints I have to place the layer over a flex container to keep the block showing in the right place when previewed/published. Occasionally, parts of the block decide to "change teams" and go with the flex container. You won't see it until you preview the page or try to relocate the block.

[Pablo]

Here is what I did:

- I opened your project and then I went to 'wet_dry_slides'
- copied object 'Layer8' (for example)
- created a new page
- pasted the object a couple of times.
- then I created the breakpoints
up till here, there are no problems as far as I can tell.

Do I need to do more to see the problem?

Can you again please check that you have the latest build of the application (5/15/2018), to make sure we are not working with different versions?

[Smee]

May 14 update.

Tried flex grids again. In WWB, looks like this:



In Firefox 59.0, looks like this:



Is there perhaps something I missed in setup? Do you know if perhaps I have some software that cannot coexist on the same machine that would cause this? I've seen others do these things, but it has to be a misconfiguration on my part or something incompatible for me to be having all these problems.

Win 10 Ultimate, 8gb ram, AMD processor on MSI MB, 2+tb HDD space, with about 1tb free.

Also have WPX8 & **** 365 installed. I need them until completion of moving my projects, but can probably move them to my laptop (intel w/ Win 10 Ultimate) along with data if needed. I also have Corel PSP 2018 Ultimate, Corel PSP X9 Ultimate, several pain and graphics programs as well as DTP software from Serif, video production software etc.

Any nudge in the right direction will be appreciated.

[Pablo]

I'm sorry, but I need your project file to see what you have done with flexbox.
Flexbox can be complicated sometimes, and you can easily make a mistake when using the wrong values.

But can we please focus on one thing at a time otherwise it may become even more confusing.

[Smee]

Sorry, I'll come back later when I have more patience. Up against another deadline, and getting more and more frustrated by the minute.

It has to be something wrong with my system. Even your flex grid demo goes screwy on my computer. Add images, make sure they fit within the constraints of each section of the grid --- and they're all over the place when I view the project in firefox or edge ... but not quite as crazy looking in internet explorer. which isn't supposed to be able to handle it.

I'm wasting your time until I figure out what is wrong with my system.

Thanks for the help.

[Pablo]

Did you also try the demos in another browser (like Chrome) so we can be sure it's not a browser related issue?
The demos should work correct, with exception of Internet Explorer.