[Scribus] I'm puzzled

[BandiPat]

Gregory Pittman wrote:
> BandiPat wrote:
>
>   
>
>   
>> Thanks Greg, this pretty much told me what I suspected about line
>> spacing in a frame, but it did remind me to bookmark the wiki page!  I
>> would hope that the future programming to handle this would change to a
>> point that if you want the whole text frame line spacing to change, then
>> just select the frame and change the line spacing settings in the
>> Properties window.  But, if you want just a couple of lines to change,
>> let the user select those lines of text only, then alter the line
>> spacing for just those two or three lines you have highlighted.
>>   
>>     
> This is the way it works now:
>     1. Select Item mode: change font settings for the entire frame.
>     2. Edit Contents of Frame mode: highlight letters, words, lines of 
> text. Changed settings apply only to highlighted text
>     3. Story Editor: highlight letters, words, lines of text. Changed 
> settings apply only to highlighted text
>     4. Story Editor: use of paragraph styles
>
> As others have pointed out, in a layout program, you many times need 
> this kind of manual control over variably sized parts of the text, so 
> the way it works now is the way it's supposed to work. I suspect if 
> there is some change in the future, it might be to add another mode or 
> create variants of paragraph styles.
>
> What can be irritating is when, after you've just spent a lot of time 
> highlighting and changing font features, you forget and change the whole 
> frame under Select Item mode -- remember the power of Undo!
>
> Greg
> _______________________________________________
>   
Greg,
Thanks for the clues to doing this.  The first part you mentioned is a
complete mystery to me as I don't seem to have a change font settings
for entire frame selection under Item in the menu?   I coudn't find
anything like that from the menu.  I did try the story editor, suddenly
noticing some great work the guys have been doing!  I feel like I'm
seeing a whole new program in many respects.  I obviously have not been
keeping up as well as I thought.   ;-)

The second part works nicely using styles in the story editor, then
applying that to the frame text, but you still have to set some style to
use first!    That's kind of a pain too.  Why not let the user select
the text there, apply the new line spacing and be offered a chance to
set it as a style?  Not a obvious way for new users or users coming from
other programs that have done it differently.  I know, using PageStream
on the Amiga/Linux, you can highlight the text on the page and apply
your adjustments right there, quick, simple & easy.  PS doesn't use text
frames though.  You could start typing anywhere on the page with it. 
Don't know if that makes a difference or not, but Pro Page on the Amiga
used frames and control of it all was right in the main window there
too.  Although it may be better to do all these things in the Story
Editor, it's not intuitive at all.    Saying this is the way it's
suppose to work I don't understand either, because I didn't know there
were any set standards how a DTP program was suppose to work!  I've done
desktop publishing a long time, so I feel if it's confusing to me maybe
it is to new users too?

It appears to me more concentration has been put on doing things like
this from the story editor rather than in the program.  I too require
doing things manually a lot of times, but just not use to doing them in
the manner Scribus requires.  I think I would have preferred doing &
having the options available in the main window, rather than trying to
make another internal program into a word processor.  Possibly this was
done for speed enhancements, since there has been so much trouble
accomplishing this in the main window, I don't know.  Usually a simple
editor for quickly typing text into, then pasting that into the main
window is sufficient for most, but they've taken this editor into the
word processing realm.  Those I've got plenty of already.  Feels like
the developers got sidetracked for a while and now can't go back.  Just
seems silly to have to make a new style just to change line spacing to
me.  It just feels suddenly like all my simple text/typesetting control
has been taken away from me in the main window.  Type the text in a word
processor and import, use the internal editor to quickly type text &
import, but give me all the typesetting controls in the main window so I
can see them as I do them and get a better WYSIWYG experience in the
process.  I honestly felt the need to print a page after making changes
to see the true effect of my changes.  The lady I was helping said;
"That's why I like the word processor more, it's more WYSIWYG and
doesn't require so much printing to see your changes!"  I can begin to
understand why some reviewers say Scribus is not ready for prime time,
it's actually somewhat confusing to use and understand.  Of course, not
ready for prime time is not true as it's, in my opinion, at the top of
the food chain for DTP programs in features.

I tell you, I'm just lost on the Select Item Mode, no clue as to what
you are referring too there.  Undo is good, yes indeedy!  Anyway,
learning to use Scribus all over again, so I can help others learn DTP
in Linux.  :-)

regards,
Pat

-- 
          ---SuSE Linux v10.1---
        Registered Linux User #225206
    "Life's a garden, Dig It!"  --Joe Dirt