Editing Contour Line: Select Multiple Nodes

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solaero

Is it possible to select multiple nodes on a contour line, say for a text box?

For anyone familiar with Inkscape, it is possible to select multiple nodes by SHIFT-clicking. Then the nodes can be moved in unison with either the cursor or the mouse.

This would've been super handy with the project I had today, but I couldn't figure it out and didn't have luck finding anything in the docs.

GarryP

You can move a single line segment by dragging the segment itself and not the nodes. The pointer should change to a "hand" rather than the "compass points".

Unfortunately you can't drag multiple nodes that are not on the same line segment, and you can't use CTRL to fix the drag to an axis, but it's better than nothing and quite usable for rectangular contour lines.

Kunda

Garry, is there an open feature request for this in bugs.scribus.net? If not does anyone mind making one ?

utnik

Quote from: GarryP on March 29, 2016, 08:10:52 AMyou can't drag multiple nodes that are not on the same line segmen...

yes, you can – if you're able to drag a selection window over these nodes without catching unwanted ones (and the selection isn't movable with the mouse, only by the arrow keys.)


utnik

GarryP

utnik: That's a great tip. I'll have to remember it. (Wish I knew about it a while back.)

Kunda: Which aspect of what I said are you asking about? Is it the lack of multiple selection or that you can't constrain to the axes? I can't remember multiple selection being mentioned anywhere but I'm sure I read something about axis constraint somewhere but I can't remember where.

There are quite a few things I'd like to change about the Node Editor:
1. Axis constraint.
2. Multiple selection of nodes.
3. Keyboard shortcuts for the icons (e.g. N for Move Nodes, C for Move Control Points, etc.).
4. A "preview mode" where you can see what the line looks like without the nodes/control points but without exiting the editor.
5. The shear functions working in the same direction as the icons (the horizontal ones are currently backward).
6. The editor remembering which icon selection was last used (so, for example, you can go back in and carry on moving control points symetrically again without having to re-select the icons). Maybe not so important if a preview mode is given so that the editor doesn't need to be closed.

And these are just the ones off the top of my head. (I use it a lot.)

Would it be best to put all of these in different tickets or wrap them up into one big one? I don't mind doing it either way if it's something that needs to be done. (I no longer have 1.5.x so I have no idea if any of these things have been addressed already.)

Kunda

Best way to get tickets resolved:

Make them
* easy to understand
* detailed and methodical
* one feature or bug per ticket
Also:
If it's a bug: Add Screenshots/screencast
If it's a feature: Add mockups

GarryP

Thanks Kunda. I'll see about getting my issues sorted into some kind of logical order and report them when I get some time. (They're low priority but they will make Scribus a lot easier to use in the long run.)

solaero

Quote from: utnik on March 29, 2016, 07:47:25 PM

yes, you can – if you're able to drag a selection window over these nodes without catching unwanted ones (and the selection isn't movable with the mouse, only by the arrow keys.)

utnik

Aha! That will work in the vast majority of my use cases. Thank you!

GarryP

#8
Ticket added for Shear Direction problem: https://bugs.scribus.net/view.php?id=13988
Ticket added for Axis Constraint feature: https://bugs.scribus.net/view.php?id=13989
Ticket added for Shortcut Keys feature: https://bugs.scribus.net/view.php?id=13990
Ticket added for Multiple Selection feature: https://bugs.scribus.net/view.php?id=13991
Ticket added for Preview feature: https://bugs.scribus.net/view.php?id=13992

Kunda

Garry, are these all for 1.4.x or they also impact 1.5.x
Devs have said they aren't going to introduce much more novelties in to 1.4.x

GarryP

Kunda, I've reported them all for 1.4.x as I don't have access to 1.5.x (yet).

The Shear Direction issue is probably only a case of cut/paste the method calls round the other way but if it's fixed in 1.5.x then that's probably fine. It just looks a bit strange.

The other issues are just feature requests so if they appear in 1.5.x (or later) then that would be great but they're not very important. They're just "nice to haves" which would enhance the usability of the Node Editor rather than "deal-breakers".