sldx

Not sure it's a feature, more of an improvement, but it has cause some troubles to me.
 
In all applications that I'm aware of, the Save As function will save in the folder where the file is currently located in. 
A.D. does not, it saves in the last folder that was used, always. Even if I close a file and open a totally different one, SaveAs will default to the last saved folder.  I have files spread all over the disk because of that :(
 
It's annoying especially because the standard behaviour is so universally ingrained I find it hard to remember to change the save location every time. 
 
 
 
Keep up the good work

I would really like some sort of "isolation" mode for groups, similar to other 2D, 3D & video apps. Basically when I double click to enter a group, if I want to box-select a number of items from that group, there's no way to do it.
 
 
For example: I do a lot of UI work, and keep things in groups for organization and to easily move things around. But if I want to rearrange the contents of a group, I have to do a lot of work:
- either dbl-click and shift-select A LOT, but it requires 10+ clicks for a single selection, which is really not ideal. 
- or lock everything else, but that requires a lot of hunting inside the layers pane, especially since we can't directly select a locked object on the canvas.
- use layers instead of groups, in conjunction with the Edit All Layers button (thx Meb!), but again that involves a lot of layer-pane clicking on various layers. Plus I loose the grouping functionality, or keep a group in a layer then it gets a bit too much.
 
So yeah, the problem is that at the moment, in complex layouts, there's a lot of layer hunting in the palette no matter what I do. 
 
 
To solve all this, the best solution (in my view) is similar to how other apps work: when inside a group, a box-select only selects objects from that group.  When you want to "exit" a group, just click once outside (which is the current behaviour too).
I feel this fits perfectly with the existing workflow for object selection inside groups: dbl-click to enter a group, then select object from that group freely. The only addition is to have the box-selection constrained to the current group,  until I click outside.
 
I guess other methods could work too, like holding down a modifier key to constrain the selection to the current group, but it feels like more work when a dbl-click is enough. 
 
thx!

I would really like some sort of "isolation" mode for groups, similar to other 2D, 3D & video apps. Basically when I double click to enter a group, if I want to box-select a number of items from that group, there's no way to do it.
 
 
For example: I do a lot of UI work, and keep things in groups for organization and to easily move things around. But if I want to rearrange the contents of a group, I have to do a lot of work:
- either dbl-click and shift-select A LOT, but it requires 10+ clicks for a single selection, which is really not ideal. 
- or lock everything else, but that requires a lot of hunting inside the layers pane, especially since we can't directly select a locked object on the canvas.
- use layers instead of groups, in conjunction with the Edit All Layers button (thx Meb!), but again that involves a lot of layer-pane clicking on various layers. Plus I loose the grouping functionality, or keep a group in a layer then it gets a bit too much.
 
So yeah, the problem is that at the moment, in complex layouts, there's a lot of layer hunting in the palette no matter what I do. 
 
 
To solve all this, the best solution (in my view) is similar to how other apps work: when inside a group, a box-select only selects objects from that group.  When you want to "exit" a group, just click once outside (which is the current behaviour too).
I feel this fits perfectly with the existing workflow for object selection inside groups: dbl-click to enter a group, then select object from that group freely. The only addition is to have the box-selection constrained to the current group,  until I click outside.
 
I guess other methods could work too, like holding down a modifier key to constrain the selection to the current group, but it feels like more work when a dbl-click is enough. 
 
thx!

I would really like some sort of "isolation" mode for groups, similar to other 2D, 3D & video apps. Basically when I double click to enter a group, if I want to box-select a number of items from that group, there's no way to do it.
 
 
For example: I do a lot of UI work, and keep things in groups for organization and to easily move things around. But if I want to rearrange the contents of a group, I have to do a lot of work:
- either dbl-click and shift-select A LOT, but it requires 10+ clicks for a single selection, which is really not ideal. 
- or lock everything else, but that requires a lot of hunting inside the layers pane, especially since we can't directly select a locked object on the canvas.
- use layers instead of groups, in conjunction with the Edit All Layers button (thx Meb!), but again that involves a lot of layer-pane clicking on various layers. Plus I loose the grouping functionality, or keep a group in a layer then it gets a bit too much.
 
So yeah, the problem is that at the moment, in complex layouts, there's a lot of layer hunting in the palette no matter what I do. 
 
 
To solve all this, the best solution (in my view) is similar to how other apps work: when inside a group, a box-select only selects objects from that group.  When you want to "exit" a group, just click once outside (which is the current behaviour too).
I feel this fits perfectly with the existing workflow for object selection inside groups: dbl-click to enter a group, then select object from that group freely. The only addition is to have the box-selection constrained to the current group,  until I click outside.
 
I guess other methods could work too, like holding down a modifier key to constrain the selection to the current group, but it feels like more work when a dbl-click is enough. 
 
thx!

I would really like some sort of "isolation" mode for groups, similar to other 2D, 3D & video apps. Basically when I double click to enter a group, if I want to box-select a number of items from that group, there's no way to do it.
 
 
For example: I do a lot of UI work, and keep things in groups for organization and to easily move things around. But if I want to rearrange the contents of a group, I have to do a lot of work:
- either dbl-click and shift-select A LOT, but it requires 10+ clicks for a single selection, which is really not ideal. 
- or lock everything else, but that requires a lot of hunting inside the layers pane, especially since we can't directly select a locked object on the canvas.
- use layers instead of groups, in conjunction with the Edit All Layers button (thx Meb!), but again that involves a lot of layer-pane clicking on various layers. Plus I loose the grouping functionality, or keep a group in a layer then it gets a bit too much.
 
So yeah, the problem is that at the moment, in complex layouts, there's a lot of layer hunting in the palette no matter what I do. 
 
 
To solve all this, the best solution (in my view) is similar to how other apps work: when inside a group, a box-select only selects objects from that group.  When you want to "exit" a group, just click once outside (which is the current behaviour too).
I feel this fits perfectly with the existing workflow for object selection inside groups: dbl-click to enter a group, then select object from that group freely. The only addition is to have the box-selection constrained to the current group,  until I click outside.
 
I guess other methods could work too, like holding down a modifier key to constrain the selection to the current group, but it feels like more work when a dbl-click is enough. 
 
thx!

.

Shift plus click to add objects
 
Press down Alt and drag a marquee completely around the objects you want. You do need to be outside the first object when you start to drag or it copies the object.
 
If you press Alt and the right mouse button, then drag a marquee, it will select objects the marquee just touches, rather than completely surrounding them. You must release the left mouse button first. Again, you do need to be outside the first object when you start to drag or it copies the object.
 
Alt plus click selects hidden (or buried) objects. 
 
 
 

I’d suggest to place the app directly into you „Application“ folder. Don’t put it into a subfolder.

Not sure it's a feature, more of an improvement, but it has cause some troubles to me.
 
In all applications that I'm aware of, the Save As function will save in the folder where the file is currently located in. 
A.D. does not, it saves in the last folder that was used, always. Even if I close a file and open a totally different one, SaveAs will default to the last saved folder.  I have files spread all over the disk because of that :(
 
It's annoying especially because the standard behaviour is so universally ingrained I find it hard to remember to change the save location every time. 
 
 
 
Keep up the good work

Been using Balsamiq for a bit and they have simple solution for unlocking: right click. ("simple" from UX point of view)
 
At right click, besides other options, is a list of all the unlockable layers (at mouse position), by name and something like the major color in that object. But even just by name I'd find it pretty useful too. 
 
Cheers

Are you planning on any feature to build grids of data?
Im recurrently needing this for data sheets, price tables, etc, so I was wondering if it is something you have considered.

booooooo! put it in designer as well! need it so bad right now!  :(

(later edit: sorry for the bitchy title :ph34r: )
 
I know there's been a few threads requesting either unlock all or hideObject/unhideAll, but I'm so frustrated that I created an account just to post this. 
I think AD is pretty awesome, the transition was almost flawless except this. Not even sure how some people can handle it in the current state, I know I'm struggling.
If I want to unhide something, I have to dig through countless layers and hope to not spend the next half hour scrolling, looking for a missing checkmark. It's silly, really silly. 
 
 
I know some people are fine with layer hunting, but in my experience they are always slower, for obvious reasons.
 
I suppose AD is trying to change this lock/hide paradigm, but there is nothing to replace it with. Because there is no option to automatically focus the current object in the layer palette either (I know about the right click, but it's a laughable workaround). And there's no way to unhide an object or all objects without frustrating layer hunting. 
 
So can we please have shortcuts for lock/unlock all & hide/show all, at least till you figure out something better? A script, a plugin, anything.
 
Thanks guys, and keep up the awesome work.
 
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Later edit since Matt confirmed it's coming :)
 
My usual workflow is something like this:
I usually keep stuff grouped and use Isolation mode a lot (dbl-click on a group). I do my thing laying out whatever I'm working on, hiding stuff in the process. So, UnhideAll will usually unhide a few groups that are easy to hide again (click, click click, Hide, or just deselect whatever I wanted to unhide, and then hide the rest, because they remain selected. see below for details). When it gets too messy I either clean up old stuff or just move it to a backup layer. It also takes care of cleanup when sending files (just delete the backup layer). 
 
There are a few important aspects to Unhide/Unlock All to help keep your sanity:
- Root layers are not affected by unhide/unlock all. If they were, it'd be a headache.
- Whatever is unlocked/unhidden becomes selected. So, SO helpful for moving it around and lots of other tricks.
- Objects that are in a Hidden or Locked layer are not affected. Just your "work" stuff. So if you separate your layout on regions of interest on layers, one unhide/unlock all is not gonna mess your scene. 

Yes, yes and yes!

 

Both options would be extremely useful.

I for one prefer the modifier+click version, it's simple and elegant.

For what it's worth, I agree on both points.
 
Being unable to select locked objects is one of those examples of needing to set the goals for a new-from-the-ground-up vector drawing program rather higher than just emulating Adobe Illustrator (arguably the worst drawing program interface out there).
 
Simply see historic FreeHand for the better treatment of this. One never had to dig through the Layers palette in FreeHand to find a particular object to unlock, because you could simply select it and unlock it. But it's not just about locating the particular object(s) you want to unlock. Consider:
 
Decades late (as were many Illustrator features), Adobe finally got around to providing some means by which to designate the "anchor object" which does not move when performing alignments and distributions. First, Illustrator just made it the last object selected. So the status of the "anchor object" was effectively invisible to the user.
 
That, of course, generated years of user complaints. So it was modified just a few versions ago to add a thicker selection outline around the "anchor object." All this unnecessary rigmarole just because you can't simply select a locked object and unlock it.
 
All the (literally decades long) while, FreeHand users simply temporarily locked any object to serve as the "anchor object" and performed the alignment or distribution, without any need for any other convoluted interface element or "hidden" feature.
 
The dark interface is a fad which can't end too soon for me. Besides the obvious contribution to basic eye strain, throughout my professional graphics career, I've been taught that it is very bad practice to surround your work-in-progress with darkness, because human vision is context-adaptive, and working against a dark background or (even worse) working in dim light, tends to make everything in the artwork look brighter and more saturated than it will appear in the final output.
 
If a software insists on this annoying "trendy" dark interface nonsense, it should at least provide for the user to lighten it to the medium neutral gray which is proper for all-day graphics work in the first place.
 
These, of course, should probably be discussed in the Feature Request or Discussion forums, because the stated current goal of the Beta is parity with the MacOS version.
 
JET

Charles,
 
I've been an advocate of adding "Hide/Show all" since I started using Designer. Having to dig through the Layers Panel is time consuming and it takes time and extra mousing, both of which I would like to reduce if possible. Unlocking is especially painful as there is no quick and easy way to do it now. Locking is easily done and hiding can be done but not nearly as fast as it could with a simple "Hide" command. Here's to hoping it gets added soon!
 
Hokusai

(later edit: sorry for the bitchy title :ph34r: )
 
I know there's been a few threads requesting either unlock all or hideObject/unhideAll, but I'm so frustrated that I created an account just to post this. 
I think AD is pretty awesome, the transition was almost flawless except this. Not even sure how some people can handle it in the current state, I know I'm struggling.
If I want to unhide something, I have to dig through countless layers and hope to not spend the next half hour scrolling, looking for a missing checkmark. It's silly, really silly. 
 
 
I know some people are fine with layer hunting, but in my experience they are always slower, for obvious reasons.
 
I suppose AD is trying to change this lock/hide paradigm, but there is nothing to replace it with. Because there is no option to automatically focus the current object in the layer palette either (I know about the right click, but it's a laughable workaround). And there's no way to unhide an object or all objects without frustrating layer hunting. 
 
So can we please have shortcuts for lock/unlock all & hide/show all, at least till you figure out something better? A script, a plugin, anything.
 
Thanks guys, and keep up the awesome work.
 
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Later edit since Matt confirmed it's coming :)
 
My usual workflow is something like this:
I usually keep stuff grouped and use Isolation mode a lot (dbl-click on a group). I do my thing laying out whatever I'm working on, hiding stuff in the process. So, UnhideAll will usually unhide a few groups that are easy to hide again (click, click click, Hide, or just deselect whatever I wanted to unhide, and then hide the rest, because they remain selected. see below for details). When it gets too messy I either clean up old stuff or just move it to a backup layer. It also takes care of cleanup when sending files (just delete the backup layer). 
 
There are a few important aspects to Unhide/Unlock All to help keep your sanity:
- Root layers are not affected by unhide/unlock all. If they were, it'd be a headache.
- Whatever is unlocked/unhidden becomes selected. So, SO helpful for moving it around and lots of other tricks.
- Objects that are in a Hidden or Locked layer are not affected. Just your "work" stuff. So if you separate your layout on regions of interest on layers, one unhide/unlock all is not gonna mess your scene. 

Hi all,
It's now possible to customise nudge distances and units in Designer Beta 1.3.5.1
Check Preferences, Tools section: Nudge Distance and Modifier Nudge Distance.
You can download the Beta from here (Mac App Store version required to run the Beta).

PROTIP: Hold space while doing that.

Currently to get a color value with color picker tool, you have to drag it from the color palette and move it over the color you want. Only after that you can copy the color values from color palette, which is very unintuitive and complicated.
 
Please allow to select color picker with keyboard shortcut, like I in Photoshop and allow to get color value by clicking on it - this way it's possible to copy color exactly from specific pixel.
 
Also, Photoshop allows you to copy Hex color value directly to clipboard when color picker is selected and you right click on an area in image. This allows to easily get color values for web design.

With all respect to those asking for this option, for many (most?) of us, reading black text off the surface of a glaring light bulb all day is about the worst scenario.  This inverse color scheme (black text on a white background) is a vestige of the "desktop publishing" craze of the late '80s/early '90s, which made a failed analogy between a piece of paper and the computer screen.  That analogy is a failure because a piece of paper doesn't emit light (which is why a Kindle is a much better reading device than an iPad).  So users have sat in front of their CRTs with three electron guns going full blast in their faces all day, essentially reading off a light bulb.  And now with LCDs.  I'm very surprised to hear that this wouldn't trigger a headache for you guys, but rather the opposite setup does.
 
The default color scheme for computers before this detour was white text on a dark-blue background, because it was found to be the most legible and comfortable.  In fact, this scheme still exists as a checkbox option in Word ("Blue background, white text").
 
Affinity's color scheme resembles that of other professional art- and image-centric applications, where the color of elements around the image is important because it affects the user's perception of color in the image.  But for you guys, this isn't the greatest.  So your request would best be directed at Apple, which has forced a hard-coded color scheme on its users for 30 years.  Windows (and other GUIs) has let users define their own color schemes for 20 years, where you could configure a light-grey background and dark text that should be honored by all applications.  Application developers on those platforms don't need to do extra work to respect your color choices, except to avoid hard-coding colors in their applications.  They let the OS draw the screen elements using the system-wide colors dictated by the user's color scheme.
 
Apple has forced Affinity and everyone else to hard-code their UI colors, making it impossible to cater to everyone without building a proprietary color-scheme-configuration tool into each application.  That's a shame, especially considering that 95% of the world's computer users enjoy this capability, but not those of the vaunted Apple UI.  By ignoring this situation, Apple ignores the needs of people like yourselves and others with visual conditions that simply can't be served by hard-coded colors.  The GUI is the fundamental component these systems, so when it's hobbled for millions of users by the glaring lack of this function (available for a generation on competing platforms), any marketing about "accessibility" or addressing the needs of disabled users rings hollow.
 
Ask Apple for user-definable system-wide color schemes here, and note that you have a condition that requires this flexibility in order to make productive use of your computer.  Mention that Windows and other systems have it.  Unless users make this an issue for Apple, we have no chance of getting Apple to address it.

Yes, I've definitely seen it ;)  I must confess that I also never realised it was intended to be a separate visibility state - I really need to try using it and see how it works for me because it's not what I expected at all! ;)

Hi Hokusai & sldx,
 
Sorry - I didn't spot this post until now :(  I try to read through as much of the forum as I can, but I also have to get some coding done otherwise there will be no new features! ;) I think this is simply a case of "I didn't use it before, so I didn't add it to the program because I didn't notice it was missing..."  By this, I simply mean that I love to draw things with vectors and always have, so when we started we fleshed out all the tools and features by actually getting to the point where myself and the creative team could use the program happily without getting annoyed about limitations... Clearly, this is one of those workflow things that if you need it, you need it and you find it a real problem if it's not there - but on the flip side, I can't imagine actually ever using it so that's why it never cropped up at me as something that we were missing - and for this, I can only apologise.
 
I will try to make sure it is added as soon as I can - I am currently focusing on getting the boolean geometry operations to work properly, but after that I will try to set aside some time to add this functionality :)
 
Thanks again for your patience - it is much appreciated :)
Matt

(later edit: sorry for the bitchy title :ph34r: )
 
I know there's been a few threads requesting either unlock all or hideObject/unhideAll, but I'm so frustrated that I created an account just to post this. 
I think AD is pretty awesome, the transition was almost flawless except this. Not even sure how some people can handle it in the current state, I know I'm struggling.
If I want to unhide something, I have to dig through countless layers and hope to not spend the next half hour scrolling, looking for a missing checkmark. It's silly, really silly. 
 
 
I know some people are fine with layer hunting, but in my experience they are always slower, for obvious reasons.
 
I suppose AD is trying to change this lock/hide paradigm, but there is nothing to replace it with. Because there is no option to automatically focus the current object in the layer palette either (I know about the right click, but it's a laughable workaround). And there's no way to unhide an object or all objects without frustrating layer hunting. 
 
So can we please have shortcuts for lock/unlock all & hide/show all, at least till you figure out something better? A script, a plugin, anything.
 
Thanks guys, and keep up the awesome work.
 
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Later edit since Matt confirmed it's coming :)
 
My usual workflow is something like this:
I usually keep stuff grouped and use Isolation mode a lot (dbl-click on a group). I do my thing laying out whatever I'm working on, hiding stuff in the process. So, UnhideAll will usually unhide a few groups that are easy to hide again (click, click click, Hide, or just deselect whatever I wanted to unhide, and then hide the rest, because they remain selected. see below for details). When it gets too messy I either clean up old stuff or just move it to a backup layer. It also takes care of cleanup when sending files (just delete the backup layer). 
 
There are a few important aspects to Unhide/Unlock All to help keep your sanity:
- Root layers are not affected by unhide/unlock all. If they were, it'd be a headache.
- Whatever is unlocked/unhidden becomes selected. So, SO helpful for moving it around and lots of other tricks.
- Objects that are in a Hidden or Locked layer are not affected. Just your "work" stuff. So if you separate your layout on regions of interest on layers, one unhide/unlock all is not gonna mess your scene. 

I'm with you brotha. The problem is that AD interprets an ALT-drag as two actions (duplicate and move) and an undo only undoes the move. You have to remember to undo twice after an alt-drag. Which, obviously, never happens :(