Flare v4 Style Picker

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Richard Ferrell
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Flare v4 Style Picker

Post by Richard Ferrell »

Flare v4 Now allows you to have a Style Picker in your Topic, Hit CTRL+SHIFT+H while in a topic.

This will bring up the avialble styles for you to select
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Re: Flare v4 Style Picker

Post by forfear »

Super needed. and super useful.
If you submit your bug feedback request here, the more likely it'll get fixed or included in a future release
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DurtyMat
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Re: Flare v4 Style Picker

Post by DurtyMat »

thats a lot more handy then opening the styles window and having it float around the screen :D
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Lisa.Sawyer
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Re: Flare v4 Style Picker

Post by Lisa.Sawyer »

This would be a lot more useful if:
a) You could just right click and select it instead of having to use three buttons
b) It didn't disappear after you applied the style (not as big of a deal if you have it as a one button access instead of three)

Applying styles to a new topic is a fairly time consuming task in Flare. The less you have to move your fingers from the home keys, the faster you can go. Real estate in the Flare editor is at a premium so this is definitely better than the style window but it still needs to be more easily accessible.
Just my thoughts.
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Re: Flare v4 Style Picker

Post by KevinDAmery »

DurtyMat wrote:thats a lot more handy then opening the styles window and having it float around the screen :D
You don't have to have it float around the screen. You can dock it with the other tool windows. I have mine docked permanently on the right side.

To dock it, click and hold on the title bar. When you do this, you will see a number of blue arrows appear on the screen. If you move your mouse over one of the arrows, the window will be added to the elements associated with it. You can experiment with different locations until you find one you like.
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Re: Flare v4 Style Picker

Post by DurtyMat »

that also works :D
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Re: Flare v4 Style Picker

Post by Cecily »

KevinDAmery wrote:To dock it, click and hold on the title bar. When you do this, you will see a number of blue arrows appear on the screen.
I've docked other things in Flare and in other apps that way, but can't get it to work for the style picker: as soon as I start to drag, it vanishes.

However, I already have the Styles Window docked on the right, so I'm not sure what the advantage of the Style Picker is. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks.
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Re: Flare v4 Style Picker

Post by helen »

I think Kevin was talking about the Style Window - not the Style Picker. The Style Picker does indeed vanish, I assume this is intentional so it's not taking up window space after you've applied your style. If you prefer not to have the Style Window expanded or pinned, you can use the 3 button combination to pull up the Style Picker quickly - probably faster than the Style Window (if you don't have it pinned). I think I'll make an effort to use the Style Picker more!
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Re: Flare v4 Style Picker

Post by KevinDAmery »

helen wrote:I think Kevin was talking about the Style Window - not the Style Picker.
Yep, I was :)

The Style Picker is a neat feature, and if it had been part of 2.x I would probably be using it all the time. Since I'm used to having the styles window docked, though, I don't find I need the picker.

Basically, it's two different ways to get at the same functions. Use whichever one you find easier.
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Re: Flare v4 Style Picker

Post by Andrew »

Cecily wrote:However, I already have the Styles Window docked on the right, so I'm not sure what the advantage of the Style Picker is. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks.
Two reasons:

1) You can collapse the Styles window and get that screen space back for your topics, or so you can double up on Content pane and Project pane, etc.

2) Keyboard-only style selection. This is a GORGEOUS, BEAUTIFUL thing. I can type, and never take my hands off the keyboard while picking a style. I love that -- switching from keyboard to mouse to keyboard when I make a note or a new heading is really irritating.
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forfear
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Re: Flare v4 Style Picker

Post by forfear »

We need more of these 'keyboard' type enhancements...simply because it keeps a writers focus on the written word and not on manipulating knobs or buttons on the interface
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doc_guy
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Re: Flare v4 Style Picker

Post by doc_guy »

I totally love the style picker because I can apply styles as I write the topic, inline. I don't have to grab for the mouse to make a style change. I use the style picker all the time.

That said, I still have the style window on my screen, though it isn't pinned (it collapses on the right side of my screen). I can hover over it and apply a style that way, if I want.

This is nice, because if I'm applying a style to content that has already been created, I'm generally already using the mouse, so I use the Style window. But when I'm adding new content, I prefer the style picker because I can do it from the keyboard.

If you haven't tried this feature while you are adding content to a Flare project, you should. It is awesome.
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Andrew Heard
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Re: Flare v4 Style Picker

Post by Andrew Heard »

I like it too, and use it frequently - I second the keyboard-only operation.

My only gripe is the double-click mouse selection - sometimes it is convenient to use the mouse. It should be single click the same as the Style panel.
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