[Scribus] Some queries

[Franz Schmid]

Kevin Donnelly wrote:
> I've translated Scribus into Welsh, and as part of that I have also translated 
> and updated the tutorial by Yann Cecco.  While doing that, some useability 
> things came up, and I just want to check that I have them correct, in case I 
> mislead new users.  I am using an rpm of version 1.0, based on a build of 14 
> July 2003, made by Lenz Grimmer for SuSE 8.2, so if some of these points have 
> been picked up in the most recent version, my apologies.
> 
> 1.  Changes to Preferences do not seem to "take" over program restarts.  For 
> instance, the default fill for a polygon frame is black, and the default 
> measurement unit is picas, but if I change these to white and mm 
> respectively, close the app, and reopen it, they are back to the original 
> black and picas.  Is this a "feature", or more likely to be something to do 
> with the rpm or something I have failed to spot?
The Preferences should be remembered during sessions, there must be something
with your rpm. Try a compile from source.

> 2.  I cannot see any way of editing the default "Normal" style - is this 
> possible?
No, this style should be a save fallback to display your text anytime.

> 3.  Does Scribus support UTF-8?  I am assuming not, because some of the Welsh 
> words in the translations that used utf8 characters (eg a w or y with a 
> circumflex) are shown as a ?, and text import containing such characters also 
> fails to show them.  If it does support UTF-8, what might I be doing wrong?
Scribus should support UTF-8 fully, but depending on your Application Font
Qt sometimes misses some Glyphs when rendering Text on the Screen. When you
import Text into Scribus you can choose the Encoding in the Fileselect Box.

> 4.  Some of the interface seems not to be caught in the .po file - eg I can 
> remember off-hand kerning, intervall (sic), and the colour names (although 
> the last may be a KDE thing).  Is there any way to trap these?
Must look at the code, some Strings aren't translated, may I've missed some.
But the Color Names can't be translated, these names are defined in the Code.

> 5.  The Measurements panel is now much more versatile than it used to be, but 
> by the same token hasn't it outgrown its name?  Would it not be better to 
> refer to this now as a Properties panel?
You're right, renaming it makes sense.

> 6.  It would be nice to migrate some stray items into that panel.  For 
> example, the only way to uncheck text flow around a line, or to enter a 0 
> degree angle for it to ensure a horizontal, is to right-click on it and 
> choose Modify.  From the point of view of consistent user interface, both 
> options should be in the panel.
The panel is currently in a process of redesigning so adding this will be
done in the future.

> 7.  A keyboard accelerator to show/hide frames (eg Ctrl+F) would be really 
> handy.
You can freely set up you keyboard accelerators in the Preferences.

> 8.  The Save As PDF option is terrific, but it doesn't alert the user to an 
> existing file of the same name.
Will add it.

> 9.  I take it that it is not possible to put a border around text frames.  
> (The workaround I have used, though, is simple - create a polygon frame of 
> the same shade, but 1mm bigger all around, and move it behind the text 
> frame.)
In Scribus 1.1.1 it is possible to put a border around text frames, this
new Version will be out in a few days.

> 10.  Is it possible to set a gutter around image frames?  I think not, but 
> what I have done as a workaround is set the image to fit in the frame, 
> adjusted the frame to the desired size, set the image to scale freely, 
> slightly enlarged the frame, and moved the image within the frame to give a 
> border between its edge and the text.
Your workaround is the recommended way to do it.

> 11.  I take it that it is impossible to do certain things like rotate to a 
> grouped frame?
Grouped Frames cannot be rotated in the moment, still to come.

> 12.  Clicking on the magnifying glass allows a mouse-click to zoom in on the 
> document.  Would it be possible to have left button zoom in and right button 
> zoom out?  At the moment, shift+button zooms out.  I also noticed that 
> zooming too far leaves Scribus twirling its wheels for a long time, so it 
> might be sensible to place a limit on the levels of zoom possible.
The easiest way to zoom in and out is to press the Mouse Wheel on a Wheel Mouse
(if you have one) and rotate the Wheel, keeping it pressed.

In the current CVS Scribus behaves much better at high Zoom Levels, maximum
Zomm is 3200% .

Best Regards,
Franz Schmid