Master Pages -- making them more flexible

At present, master layers must exist on every page in a document.

If you want a master layer not to appear on a page, such as suppressing it on the front and back covers of a multipage booklet, you have to implement a work-round -- such as blanking the master elements with a white rectangle. This may not always be convenient, especially if the page has an overall background tint or image.

A better idea -- by enabling a new "Flexible Master Pages" option (configurable "for the current document" rather than universally for a particular installation), the object manager will show the names of master layers on each page to which the layer can potentially apply.

Result: it could then be easy to turn a layer on or off on any given page, simply by clicking the usual display/print icons for that layer on that page.

Example:

In the above, I have shown master layers called Widgets and orders (forget the odd and even for the moment).

On PAGE 3 I have turned off display and print of the Widgets Layer. Thus, the elements of my widgets layer will appear and print on pages 1 and 2, but not on page 3.

Having (hopefully)understood the above ...

The concept can then be extended with enhanced Layer Attributes to make master layers even more flexible.

The present layer attributes: Display, Print, Edit -- these continue to perform their existing functions

Enhanced attributes could include:

  • ODD pages only -- the master layer is initially turned ON for odd numbered pages and OFF for even numbered pages. (But on odd pages, it can still be turned off using the display/print attributes on that page).
  • EVEN pages only -- the converse of above
  • AUTO -- an editable COPY of this layer is created whenever a page is inserted or appended into a document. To mimic current functionality, the master page of a newly created document should have ONE empty master page layer defined as AUTOMATIC and called Layer 1.

    (Note: auto pages can also have the ODD or EVEN attribute to limit which pages they are copied to).

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  • ACTIVE -- an additional attribute applied to an editable layer which causes that layer to become the active layer whenever the user changes between pages.

In the example, my "Borders Odd" layer has the ODD PAGES ONLY attribute and therefore appears only on pages 1 and 3. Similarly "Borders Even" appears only on page 2. I could nevertheless turn borders off on a particular page by removing the display/print icons for that page.

If I append two pages, then page 4 will initially be created to display and print the Borders Even layer and the widgets, and also to have a Layer 1 and a Layer 2. But above all, it will ensure that those layers are create in the front-to-back order as specified on the master page. Thus, my borders are guaranteed to be behind both layers but my widgets layer appears between layers 1 and 2.

A minor paradox occurs if a document uses layers with ODD or EVEN attributes and inserts an odd number of pages. Should the subsequent pages retain their current master pages, or should they be updated to ensure that the newly renumbered pages always have the "proper" master page? I think the latter is probably desirable, bearing in mind the likely intention of having odd/even master layers -- but the user should probably be warned what will happen, and be given the choice of inserting an even number of pages instead.