Hi, I'm new to this forum and new to Inkscape. I installed it a few days ago and am excited about learning all the cool stuff it can do but I've hit a snag. None of the options under the "Extensions" menu work. I'm trying to generate a "pattern along path" as in these instructions at http://www.susiesthoughts.com/2009/07/1 ... n-inkscape but nothing is happening. I don't get a live preview and when I click "Apply" the live preview box becomes unchecked.

Does anyone know what's happening and how I can fix this? I'm using Windows XP

Welcome pixelpaint!

Before I get started, I want to make sure that you realize the difference between raster and vector graphics, and that Inkscape is a vector graphics program. It's just that your username is kind of like the definition of raster graphics. It's not a problem, but I thought I would mention the difference. Here's a link to the Wikipedia on vector graphics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_graphics

When you click Apply, the Live Preview box is supposed to become unchecked. Apply means that you are performing the function, and you no longer need a preview (because the action has been performed, and is now there on your canvas). Sometimes I find things drawn with the extensions are drawn somewhere off the screen. Go ahead and set it up like in the tutorial,, and click apply. Then zoom out and look around the canvas to see if you can find it.

As for the Live Preview....if you're working on the same image as in the tutorial, you should probably be able to see it. Sometimes if an image is very large and/or complex, the preview takes a long time to display. You said you're using Windows XP, but how much RAM do you have on that machine? If you have 1 gb or less, you might just need to wait a little longer for the preview to display.

So let us know about those things. There are more potential solutions, but let's start with these for now

Thanks for the welcome. Yes I know there's a difference between raster and vector graphics, I been doing pixel based art for years and now I would like to learn to do vector. My computer has 0.99gb of ram. Nothing at all happens when I click Apply. I'm having the same problem with the Help menu, none of the options work except the Tutorials, About Memory and About Inkscape option. All the other menus seem to be working as far as I know.

Awesome, I didn't mean to belittle you about the raster vs vector, but I just wanted to give you info, if you didn't already have it.

I don't know about all the options in the Help menu, but the Inkscape Manual item requires an internet connection. It basically opens your browser and navigates to the online Guide. Actually, now that I look at it, I think all your missing ones do require the internet connection.

The extensions do NOT require an internet connection, but I THINK they MIGHT access the Command Line. And I know that those Help menu items which require an internet connection also do that. And since we're treading on the border of my knowledge here, I'll be very clear. When I use those Help items, I often see a black box, which I know as the "command prompt" flash on the screen briefly before I see the actual item I've selected from the menu. I'm not positive that the extensions also use the command prompt/line, but I seem to recall seeing that black box flash sometimes, not from the Help menu. I could be mistaken.

So while I'm not positive about the extensions, I am positive about the Help menu. And since there's a good chance I'm wrong about the extensions, I'll continue with a couple of other things to check for. Please make sure that you have both things selected -- the pattern item and the path. In the Guide, the instructions say to select the pattern item first and the path 2nd. I don't know if that's a requirement....I think it is.

I'm still not sure, but am assuming you're drawing what's in the tutorial (a lot of people follow tutorials, but draw something other than the tutorial). But if it happens to be a group, make sure the entire group is selected, rather than a single object of the group.

The lack of a Live Preview doesn't bother me so much, because often the preview is displayed off the screen (a known bug). But if after clicking Apply, and looking around the entire canvas (not just what's on the screen) you can't find the result, then that IS a problem! The last thing I can think to say, is give it a good....I don't know, if you're drawing the image in the tut, minute or so, because of your RAM. If it's something more complex, maybe a couple of minutes.

If none of that helps, and we can't come up with any other "symptoms" to investigate, then all else I can think is to suggest reinstalling Inkscape. Unfortunately, weekends can be kind of slow on this forum. So more knowledgeable people will be around by Monday or Tuesday. I'm sorry, I wish I could be more helpful.

Thanks for the reply. When I click on a help option I also get a flash of what appears to be some popup for a brief moment and then nothing, the browser does not open. I'm following the tutorial right down to the same flower image so I don't think it's a question of not enough ram. I installed Inkscape on another laptop to see if I would have the same problem but everything worked, I followed the tutorial and the flower came out fine. The Help menu options worked too, the browser opened up as it's suppose to. So I don't know what to make of it, other graphics programs on my computer work fine.

Hi!

I'm using both GNU/Linux and Windows XP on the same PC.

Did you get your copy from the source? Try this one, just in case:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/inkscape/files/inkscape/0.48.1/Inkscape-0.48.1-2.exe/download

That would be Inkscape's latest stable release for Windows. They use Unix-style version numbering, often beginning with a Zero: 0.48.1-2.

The copy you downloaded may have been corrupted. I would recommend:

Removing your current copy
Re-installing based on the official link supplied above

If ever there's one thing that can help a fouled install, it's the software's removal and re-installation.

Let's start there, shall we. We'll move along and research other avenues if this one fails.

Yay, a more knowledgeable guy!

"Windows are our speciality"

--Wallace, from "Wallace and Gromit in A Close Shave"

I removed inkscape and reinstalled the copy that works on the other computer and I have the same problem, neither the Extensions or Help menu work. Could it be some incompatibility on my computer? It's a Toshiba , the one on which inkscape works is a Compaq laptop. Both have xp

I would try the following. On your Toshiba, rename your inkscape settings folder to inkscape.old like this:

1. Uninstall your current copy of Inkscape, just in case.
2. Open the Windows Explorer (the file manager, not the web browser) and work your way down these folders:

C:
Windows
Documents and Settings
[user name here]
Application Data (This is a hidden folder. Set Explorer to show hidden folders in order to open this one.)

Here you'll find the inkscape folder. Click it once and then press F2. Rename it to inkscape-old.

Close Explorer, locate your download and re-install it. Let's see how this turns things around.

It may simply be that your settings folder was messed up during install. This will ensure its removal and replacement. If all goes well, you can toss inkscape-old in the trash.