We’ve just dropped another huge beta update! It’s got some great new features and tonne of fixes. Remember, if the bug you reported is not fixed in this build don’t worry, it’s ticketed and we’ll get around to it shortly.
Read Me First Before Updating!
We have merged the Section component into the Container component! Existing documents will still see the Section component but you cannot add new instances. Please migrate your layouts to Containers. The Section Component will be removed in a future release and documents will fail to load correctly.
What’s New in Beta 6
Collapse/Expand all option added to right-click in inspector
Single Group Mode option added to right-click in inspector
Added page indicator menu (next to editor breadcrumb trail)
Page folder name now disabled for root index page
Help Menu updated with new items and links
Send Feedback menu item now creates post on Forum with build number
Images files with extension .jpeg are now accepted
Uppercase video files with extension .MP4 now work are now accepted
Text entered into the Notes area while in Dark mode is now readable when reopening the file
Added example Visibility custom component
Removed Section and combined options into Container Component
Fixed editor slowdown (most noticeable when editing text)
Video: Allow video files to be chosen from Choose button
Media Object: Added Text Alignment options
Text and Image: Added text alignment and Drop Zone
Visibility switch now works on all components
Update to the latest Beta
Elements should prompt you while it’s running to let you know there’s an update, if it doesn’t you can select the “Check for Updates…” menu option from the “Elements” app menu. You can also download the latest build of Elements from the confirmation email you received as that link will ALWAYS give you the latest version.
Give Feedback on the Beta
If you are using the beta, please post all feedback in the Elements Beta Feedback Forum. You can use the Elements > Send Feedback… menu item to automatically pre-fill the build number into a new topic.
Get the Beta
If you’ve already signed-up for the beta, it might be a while before you get an email as we’re working our way through all the feedback. Hang tight for a little longer, you will get access in the coming weeks and months.
I think the problem is that if you first drop anything other than an element on the page (ie. a resource) it then becomes impossible to add anything to the page.
I keep thinking that each page should include a (non-removable) root ‘page’ element that all other elements can be added to, and which can also have properties applied to it (ie. background, margin, padding, layout; block, flex, grid, etc). This would ensure that there is always an element on the page to start.
BTW on moving section to container to simplify things. I would argue that it’s possible to further simplify things by adding a ‘layout’ property to the container element which would allow you to choose between none/block, flex, and grid reducing the need for other container elements.
All of these container elements (container, flex, and grid) have many properties in common, with only a few additional properties being required for the flex and grid options. By combining them into one you could take much of the guesswork out of which container to use, but also enable user experimentation as they could easily switch between different layout methods via the inspector to see the results in context (ie. no need to drag out a flex or grid and recreate your structure to see the results).
My worry with doing this would be that we would have to show/hide controls based on the type of layout selected. Switching between the layout types would also break the layout on your page.
I also think it’s more intuitive to have dedicated components for Flex and Grid. They both have their own individual uses so have a dedicated component for each makes sense IMHO
I’ve completely stopped using the pre-built components. I find it frustrating when I drag them on and expect to see all the properties available and I think new users will be confused.
Can I suggest the default setting for a Card component’s items should be ‘On’?
It looks a little odd when you drop a Card onto a layout and see nothing but a single grey drop zone. I think a more logical default would be to have all the available areas open - Header (image), content (heading), footer (paragraph) - so people get immediate feedback on what the component does.
This is a great addition. Can I request another option with regards selected components. At present, if you click on a component it is displayed as the type of component at the top of the Properties inspector - regardless of the name given to the component. Would it be possible to display the name of the component rather than simply the type?
When there’s lots of nested items it’s sometimes hard to tell which items you’re working on and it’s (a tiny bit) annoying having to constantly refer back to the node browser.
Maybe. I guess I’m just not looking there when looking for properties and the top seems a logical place.
Actually I think there’s a bug in the breadcrumb. I just tried it with my sample project and clicked on the parent item (Container) in the breadcrumb. It correctly selected the parent Container in the preview area but left the child container selected in the node browser. Clicking on the child item again did nothing (didn’t reselect it). I had to click off to a completely different item to get it working again. IOW, it’s not refreshing the node tree.
Hmm, it’s intermittent, sometimes it updates and other times it doesn’t. Here’s a couple of screen shots and you’ll see the inconsistencies in selected item in preview and in node browser.
First one, Image is select in tree and its parent’s parent container is selected in preview.
on moving section to container to simplify things. I would argue that it’s possible to further simplify things by adding a ‘layout’ property to the container element which would allow you to choose between none/block, flex, and grid reducing the need for other container elements.
