A few questions/pain points

[ZigotoApocalypto]

Hi, all. I'm new to the forums but I've been using Scribus for a while now to layout zines and comics.  I've gotten quite comfortable in the application but I have some questions that I was unable to answer with a forum search.  Maybe some of these questions have solutions and maybe some can be used as pain points for further dev.  First off, let me say, I love this program and appreciate all the devs who made it possible!! Thank you!


1) Spell check - Is there a way to spell check an entire document? I am guessing the answer is no.  It's really QUITE time consuming and awkward to have to spell check each individual text box on a large document where you might have hundreds of thought/speech bubbles to go though.

2) Spell check again - It would be nice if we could add custom words to the dictionary, and avoid stopping at punctuation. Maybe there is already a way?

3) Tool window layout - Is there a way to save this so you don't have to arrange your tool boxes every time you start up Scribus?

4) Gripe #1- Every time you add or delete a page, you loose the horizontal scroll bar at the bottom, you have to save, close, and reopen the project. Not a huge issue but this is annoying.

5) Gripe #2 - Is there a way to save the view for projects?  Basically, always default to "Fit to Height" for example?

6) Gripe #3 - This one really annoys me above all. Text box default font size.  Let's say my default character size is 20.  If I select a text box, and set the font size to 12, why does the font CONSTANTLY change back to the default character size even if I am still working in the same box that I just set to 12?  I hope this is a bug rather than a feature!  If I am doing something wrong that could fix this, it would be excellent if someone could describe how to avoid this. I use a varying amount of font sizes throughout my projects, and constantly having to adjust this after setting the size for the box is very painful.

OK, that's all for now!

[AdmFubar]

(1,2) The primary function of scribus is to assemble materials (text and graphics) into a finished document. Checking spelling is to be done elsewhere, before you add to the document. I take you are creating your text portions on the fly as the document is created, hence the frustration of working with it.

(3) Not sure if this will help.. but tools windows can be docked on the left or right side of the document window. This feature has been available since 1.5.x versions, If you are using 1.4.x you should upgrade. It is very stable.

(4) Not having that issue, I am on 1.5.8 version. that might be the issue. or the config file for scribus might be giving the trouble you are experiencing. Another might be the OS platform you are on.

(5) Just check in 1.5.8 and it doesn't do it there either. Looks like we need to bug the developers nicely about adding this. 

(6) because you set the default font size to 20. I know I find this is the most irritating point of using scribus as well.  I do wish that it at least would still use the same size as the text you had just typed. It seems the end of line/return character is always set to the default text size and not the size you have chosen for the line you were working on. Took a while for me to remember to cursor back a character on the line add a duplicate of the last character, add what text i needed and then delete the extra character.

[utnik]

hi zigotoapocalypto

adm fubar answered almost all your questions. but there is an additional information for your last point:

6)...If I select a text box, and set the font size to 12, why does the font CONSTANTLY change back to the default character size...

there is the default formatting, the formatting for the frame and the formatting for the paragraph.
if you really change the font size for a text box (not in text edit mode!) then the size won't go back to the default. but if you set the font size for some selected text or while writing, then the first paragraph break will bring you back to the default (or to the formatting of the frame...)

utnik

[Jarod997]

Regarding #3 - I would love to be able to have the program remember where I've left my tool windows on another monitor, so I can use my larger main screen to do editing and work, and I can press buttons and fill in details on the "toolbox windows" on my smaller screen off to the side.

I just noticed that yes, you can dock the toolboxes, but then my document editing area shrinks - which for me is not idea.

[AdmFubar]

what os and desktop are you using?  In kde you can save the positions, and virtual desktop information of a window, not sure if this extends to a different monitor as well.

[MrB]

Scribus records the window sizes and locations. Detecting and dealing with the various ways multiple screens can be configured is complex and hard. Scribus does need improved code to deal with these variations.