I’d love it if there was a way to make a “blank” repeater that didn’t require a bunch of extra work to remove stuff. It was simpler and easier in RP9 and I’ve really missed it since RP10 came out and I’m just tired of dealing with this awkward workflow.
Both methods of creating repeaters in RP10 (right-click Create Repeater or the repeater shapes in the Default Library) necessitate extra work and make incorrect assumptions about how I intend to use the widget. They both seem focused on simple use cases, I think only one should.
Here’s the thing: I almost never use the Connect Widget option in the Repeater Data section. If I need to be updating the content, 99% of the time I’ll be doing that inside the Interactions panel because it’s far more flexible. Connect Widget only allows a connection with one control per column.
More often than not, I need multiple shapes to change based on repeater values, so it’s easier to build that into a Load Item Interaction from the outset even if I only update one shape. It’s even more work to undo the Connect Widget stuff later. In fact most often, I put my Repeater Item states inside a one or more Dynamic Panels and use the Item.Column values to dictate which state to load in Load Item (Set Panel State to [[Item.Column0]]). I don’t care so much about the values in each cell than I do the behaviours based on the repeater data.
Usually, when I build to data grid row or whatever i’m repeating I go the right-click route, it’s muscle memory at this point even after 3 years of RP10:
- I build one repeater item,
- select it all
- right-click Create Repeater
- Then I have to go into the Repeater Data thing - select all the but one column (while also hoping I don’t drag past the bounds of the Repeater Data element with mouse down because then the focus gets locked on the scrollbar until you click again, unselecting the column),
- delete the columns
- clear the contents of Column1
- actually start build the repeater logic as I want it.
If I go the widget route:
- I pick one, it doesn’t matter which you choose, both are the same amount of work
- edit the repeater (f2/double click)
- select all
- delete everything
- drag in a blank repeater square (or paste in my repeater item, if I remembered to copy it first)
- exit edit repeater
- add new column to left of first column
- select all the but first column (while also hoping I don’t drag past the bounds of the Repeater Data element with mouse down because then the focus gets locked on the scrollbar until you click again, unselecting the column),
- delete the columns
- actually start build the repeater logic as I want it.
What I try to do, if I can remember:
- drag in a single blank box shape
- right-click, Create Repeater
- delete shape connection in Column1
I suppose the default Repeater behaviours work for really simple things and simple repeaters, but I don’t really build simple things. I’m using Axure over all your other competitors specifically because my needs are rarely simple, I absolutely need the complex prototyping features to accomplish my goals. I find it bizarre and more than a little annoying that this complex feature that is lacking in (nearly) all other visual prototyping tools seem to be focused on users with simple needs. Even the lesser repeater-like controls I see in other apps are still trying to appeal to those with more complex use cases.
Personally, I think the right-click Create Repeater option should go back to the workflow from RP9 (even optionally through an checkbox in Preferences):
- Select your shapes
- right-click, Create Repeater - this makes a new repeater with a single column (named Column1 or Column0), three empty rows, no connections to the shapes
I do see that the automatic connections to columns could be helpful, and those users that use it are now likely acclimated to the new workflow (I wish I’d complained about this during the RP10 beta) so maybe the easiest thing is a Blank Repeater widget instead.
Maybe I’m in the minority of users but Axure is like my Photoshop, I want it to be flexible and open ended and not make assumptions on how I’m going to use this set of tools you have on offer. The way repeaters work now feels like you think you’re Apple Photos, and that might be good for less experienced users but I’ve been using Axure daily for over 15 years - I can’t be the only one annoyed several times a day by making repeaters.