Style window size locked

madrobot · Post by **madrobot** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:40 am

Hi. I'm having an issue with the style window which is set in size.

When I import assets from other AS files it appends the style names, which grow in length and crowd out the drop down menu. Even worse, they crowd it out from the end of the name not the start, so you lose all the short names and can't really see or use anything.

Is there a work around for this? Causing me significant problems...

neeters_guy · Post by **neeters_guy** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:57 pm

This has happened to me on occasion (I use a tablet). The things I do are probably what you already thought of, ie., undocking the palette, maximizing/minimizing/restoring the app window (get the screen to refresh), and finally exiting and restarting.

Also, as you said, when you import an AS file, the style names list just grows and grows. It's a hassle, but I usually delete and rename the styles to shorten the list to a manageable length (I believe the limit is 100)...and you have reapply the style.

It would be nice to have a dialog box asking if you would like to replace, keep, or add style when there's a name conflict when importing. Also, when deleting a style, ask what style to replace it with.

Barry Baker · Post by **Barry Baker** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 10:51 am

For the ever lengthening style names, I have often used the workaround of opening the anme file in a text editor, and using search and replace to shorten them all back to their original names. You should be sure that there are no other styles that have the same name though. If you always name your characters' skin colour "skin", it will mean all your characters having the same skin colour.

I wish that when importing another anme file, the program would simply compare the new styles with the existing. If 2 styles share the same name, and there are differences, then it adds a prefix, or maybe a simple number suffix. But if the two styles are the same, there is no need to rename, nor is there any need to rename an unique style name.

In fact, I think I have suggested this before, but I should probably submit it again to the feature request section of the forum.

madrobot · Post by **madrobot** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 2:59 am

Thanks guys that's very helpful

madrobot · Post by **madrobot** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 11:32 pm

Barry Baker wrote:For the ever lengthening style names, I have often used the workaround of opening the anme file in a text editor, and using search and replace to shorten them all back to their original names. You should be sure that there are no other styles that have the same name though. If you always name your characters' skin colour "skin", it will mean all your characters having the same skin colour.

I wish that when importing another anme file, the program would simply compare the new styles with the existing. If 2 styles share the same name, and there are differences, then it adds a prefix, or maybe a simple number suffix. But if the two styles are the same, there is no need to rename, nor is there any need to rename an unique style name.

In fact, I think I have suggested this before, but I should probably submit it again to the feature request section of the forum.

Thanks Baz
I used this just now and it worked a treat. Searches for "style" as I can't remember all the individual shape names, then when I found long appended (or "prefixed"?

) shape names I ran a replace all with all the extra text lopped off. (All my shape names are consistent across files with variations labelled, so I don't have any worries about overwriting.)

A ridiculous length to have to go to for a workaround to keep the style drop down menu functional - but it does work.

I like your idea to address style duplication on import of anme file. I think even if it wasn't comparing the contents of the file, at the very least there could be a warning that duplicate style names are being imported, and you could have 3 options:
1- append style name (as it does currently)
2- merge style names (where the imported file keeps the same style names, and all styles default to the open anme file styles)
3- cancel option (so you can go into the anme file you were about to import and make any changes as you see fit.)

Your idea is more elegant, but this might be simpler to implement?

Anyway thanks for your input, it really has been invaluable. Thank goodness we can edit anme file in a text editor whoo.