[scribus] Master pages not working as expected

[Gregory Pittman]

On 08/21/2018 12:31 PM, Mark Cornwell wrote:
> Hi, I've done one Scribus based project and managed to get through it OK. I
> can't say it was "easy" but it wasn't impossible. Now I'm trying a new
> project so I figured I'd do things a little more tidy this time than
> re-inventing the same layouts over and over. Last time I used the Scrapbook
> a lot. This time I thought it's time for Master Pages - just like I used to
> do when I edited presentations in PowerPoint years ago.
> 
>  
> 
> Using 1.4.7 on Windows 10 64bit.
> 
>  
> 
> I watched this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RrkoxJrRQs on Master
> Pages and read https://wiki.scribus.net/canvas/Help:Manual_Masterpages I
> also found out Page>Manage Guides to set up the number of columns/rows that
> I might want to set so that I've got a grid to work to.
> 
>  
> 
> I created an A4 portrait orientation document. I set it to have three
> columns and three rows with a gap of 10pt relative to the margins.
> 
>  
> 
> I went to Edit>Master Pages and created a new master page called "Left with
> header image and 3 cols of text". Again I set up for three columns/three
> rows with a 10pt gap. I dragged an image over the first full row (top third
> of page). Then I dragged a text box over the bottom two rows (bottom two
> thirds of page) and I set the properties of the text box Properties>Columns
> & Text Distances to be 3 columns with a gap of 10pt.
> 
>  
> 
> This all looked fine in the page master.
> 
>  
> 
> I applied this new left hand page master to the next page on the left hand
> side.
> 
>  
> 
> What I got wasn't expected. I found another text box covering all of the
> page was present - with three columns. If I put sample text in it the text
> covered the image space. But even if I deleted it I couldn't select the text
> area to insert text into it. Similarly the image area I can't do
> File>Import>Get Image because I can't even select it.
> 
>  
> 
> My plan was to create half a dozen master page layouts for left and right
> pages to use in my document and then simply populate the pages as I wished.
> I don't seem to be able to do that though because I can't add text to my
> "bottom two thirds" text area and I can't add images to my "top one third"
> area.
> 
>  
> 
> Frustrated I deleted the extra pages and tried again. I deleted the guides
> and under Page>Manage Guides>Misc deleted them from all pages. I've got ONE
> page in the document at this point on a right hand side. It has a single
> image on the whole of it (it's the front page of an eBook) and it has a text
> title. I'm wanted to add two double page spreads after it. I deleted the
> Master Page that I had created.
> 
>  
> 
> Page>Insert and add four pages at end. All four have three columns! Normal
> Left and Normal Right have no guides, no columns, but my new pages certainly
> do for some reason.
> 
>  
> 
> I'm must be doing something very wrong. I'm about to try again with a
> completely blank start in case the file itself has got confused (see below).
> 
>  
> 
> Any bright ideas, please? I thought master pages was going to be simple but
> I've wasted a couple of hours on this now.
> 
>  
> 
> My final attempt went like this:
> 
>  
> 
> New document, A4, vertical.
> 
> Edit>Master Pages
> 
> Create new Master Page called "Left Image and three columns"
> 
> Page>Manage Guides>Column/Row and create 2 horizontal and 2 vertical each
> with gap of 10pt relative to margins.
> 
> Add image to the top one third of the page.
> 
> Add a text box to the bottom two thirds of the page and in the properties
> for the text box set Columns & Text Distances to 3 columns with a 10pt gap.
> 
> Close master page view.
> 
>  
> 
> Page>Insert Page and add 4 regular "normal left/right" pages at the end.
> 
> Go to Page 2 (our first left hand page) and apply master page "Left image
> and three columns" to current page.
> 
> I can now see a "cross" on the top third of page 2 suggesting an image. I
> can now see a three column grid on the bottom of page 2 suggesting I can add
> text.
> 
> I cannot do File>Import>Get Text nor File>Import Get Image. Indeed I can't
> select either the text or image placeholders in order to interact with them
> at all.
> 
>  
> 
> I feel like I'm missing something really subtle. I can't believe I can't
> interact with those placeholders on a master. Nor can I believe this is
> proving so difficult.
> 
>  
> 
> If I can't get any progress on this I'm faster to abandon Scribus and use
> PowerPoint! That would be a sorry statement on usability.
> 
>  
> 
> What am I missing?

You may have to submit a bug with an attached document, since I'm not
sure what you're doing. One mistake people make is to put a frame in a
Master Page, then try to add content in their document, but you cannot
edit content except in Master Page mode, in which case all of the
instances of that Master Page are changed.

Something you can do is to make your frames in some sort of layout, in
regular editing mode, then select them all (hold down Shift while you
click them one by one), copy them (Ctrl+C), then paste (Ctrl+V) on some
other page, in which case each frame will have the same coordinates as
it had on the page you copied from.

Greg