[What keyboard tools are you using with the affinity apps on ipad?]

6 hours ago, Bound by Beans said:

Hm, but can you map CMD + X then, cut? Better than nothing? 

OMG! That didnt even cross my mind! Wow. LOL. Thats perfect! Im so dumb! 😆

Youre right! Use the shortcut for "cut" to delete your objects.

I just configured the cut shortcut to my 8BitDo button and it works. I can now delete objects....or cut.

Thank you so much for this work around. Im so happy now. My shortcuts on my 8BitDo are complete.  

[What keyboard tools are you using with the affinity apps on ipad?]

5 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

I'm not sure, on keyboards for Mac universe, whether Backspace usually exists, nor whether it's the same operation as Delete. (Or whether it's a different keystroke, as on Windows.)

Walter, Im confirming with you that the shortcut was"backspace." Not "delete." I had it set to "delete" and thats why I couldnt delete in v2. Setting it to "backspace" allows me to delete my objects now. Thank you to both of you. 

[What keyboard tools are you using with the affinity apps on ipad?]

6 hours ago, Bound by Beans said:

OK, but I'm thinking that if 8BitDo sends a regular Backspace keyboard signal, then it should at least work in version 2 of Affinity, where Backspace from a Bluetooth keyboard works exactly like Delete. It's not a customizable shortcut, but the Backspace key is supported, just hardcoded. That's why it doesn't appear in the shortcut overview.

Im confirming with you that configuring the "backspace" shortcut to a button on my 8BitDo DOES allow me to delete my object in v2. It didnt work before because I had set the keyboard shortcut to "delete." Not "backspace" and and thats why it wasnt working in v2. Now, I can delete my objects in v2 using my 8BitDo. 

However, it doesnt work in v1. This is an issue for me because Im a v1 user, not a v2 user. I dont use v2 at all, so I cant delete my objects in v1. 😔

[What keyboard tools are you using with the affinity apps on ipad?]

6 hours ago, Bound by Beans said:

can't you assign a button to Backspace in your configuration program for 8BitDo?

Yes. I can configure one of my 8BitDo buttons to have the backspace shortcut but pressing that button is not going to delete my object in the app because the app doesnt have a shortcut for delete. So pressing delete does nothing in the app because Serif never gave users nor the app the delete shortcut to delete objects. So the app recognizes the backspace command as doing nothing in the app. 

 

Look at the photo below. Under commands, theres no delete command to be able to delete objects and no shortcut for it. So because theres no shortcut you cant press the backspace to delete objects.   

[What keyboard tools are you using with the affinity apps on ipad?]

3 hours ago, Bound by Beans said:

In Affinity Designer for iPad, version 2 added support for deleting via the physical Delete key, but it’s not a customizable shortcut.

Oh, I see. That explains why it works for @walt.farrell Such a shame that its not a keyboard shortcut. 

 

3 hours ago, Bound by Beans said:

but to map an action like delete, it must exist as a shortcut in the app — and it doesn’t. So, sadly, it's not possible."

Exactly and this is the only action I needed to be fully happy with my device. I just needed the delete shortcut. 😩

 

3 hours ago, Bound by Beans said:

So, Serif and Canva, it's time for you to focus on the purpose of keypresses in light of the above, and make sure they can be added and customized to better support the increasingly popular tools like 8BitDo and others for more serious and ambitious workflows. In short, look at your customers' real-world workflows.

Yes! I need to make a new post on the forums about this delete keyboard shortcut issue because it should have existed since the app was created. 

[What keyboard tools are you using with the affinity apps on ipad?]

Im going to leave this here for anybody whos interested in using this 8BitDo Micro device for affinity apps on the iPad. I went ahead and shared my shortcuts based on how I would use affinity designer v1 & v2 on the ipad. I hope it helps. 

[What keyboard tools are you using with the affinity apps on ipad?]

3 hours ago, Bound by Beans said:

Are you saying that you can't assign the delete action to any other key than the delete key itself in the iPad versions?

Im saying that I cant assign the delete action to my 8BitDo because affinity designer v1 & v2 on the ipad dont have a delete shortcut. What is going on? 😱

3 hours ago, Bound by Beans said:

But is that a requirement for getting 8BitDo to map a key to delete in Affinity?

Yes, it is a requirement. Every action available in the app has a keyboard shortcut next to it. Because theres no delete action, theres no keyboard shortcut. Because theres no keyboard shortcut for delete, I can not map any keyboard short cut to my 8BitDo. Its so disappointing. 

3 hours ago, Bound by Beans said:

I honestly don't know what the folks at Serif in Nottingham are thinking. They seemed very busy assigning shortcuts to every single layer blend mode, but not to much more commonly used actions. Their choices have definitely made the iPad versions... less.

I know! How of all actions do you not have a keyboard shortcut for delete? But hey, lets give you a shortcut for layer blend modes. 😂

3 hours ago, Bound by Beans said:

But I'm genuinely happy you're enjoying your little handy helper. Have fun with it, and thanks for getting back!

Thank you! I'm having so much fun. This little device is amazing, and Im so happy I invested in it. 

[What keyboard tools are you using with the affinity apps on ipad?]

I just found out that affinity designer v2 on the iPad doesnt have a shortcut for the action of delete either. 😅

 

[What keyboard tools are you using with the affinity apps on ipad?]

Friends, 

I just got my 8bitdo micro in the mail and it works with affinity designer v1 & v2 on the iPad! Its so cool! You can map all your shortcuts to this little device and all your shortcuts are at your finger tips. 

I bought this because I wanted to improve my workflow. I didnt want to toggle between tools by tapping on the screen with my finger tip. Thats one thing I hated about affinity designer v1 on the ipad. I would work with the node tool and then have to go to the top left corner to toggle into my move tool. Now, with the press of a button, I can toggle between tools and actions really fast. Its super easy. I love it, and I recommend it. 

My only issue is that affinity designer v1 never got a shortcut for delete. Which sucks so bad because thats all I need. How does an ipad app not have a shortcut for the simple action of delete? Now, that we have v2, we'll get more shortcuts down the road allowing us to improve our workflow on the ipad

 

[Fix Button Style (Designer V2 iPad)]

The style for the buttons on the designer V2 ipad app BADLY need to be fixed. 

You just cant tell what buttons are selected. Even if you are able to tell, its still badly designed and confusing. 

You dont use a light gray color to indicate a button is not selected & you dont use a darker gray color to indicate a button is selected. 

Using a light gray color for a button on a dark background only indicates that button as highlighted and selected. So when all your buttons are light gray color, theyre ALL active and selected. You can't do that. You're confusing the user. Everything shouldn't be highlighted or selected. Dont use this light gray color for your buttons.

You also dont use a dark gray color to indicate a button is selected because when something is selected its usually a lighter color to show that its been highlighted or selected. So making it a dark gray is the opposite. Its been......dehighlited. Not highlighted. Even if you were to stick with the dark gray color to show that the button is selected it would conflict with the other light gray buttons because they too are selected. So pretty much all your buttons, right now, are selected. Its shouldnt be like that.

Its so bad. 

The solution is the color blue. Blue is a good color indicator to show that something has been selected. Think of hyperlinks. You have normal black text and then you have blue text. They're blue to indicate that you can click on them and select them. So by making your button blue you can indicate to the user that button has been selected but it wont work if your other buttons are a light gray color because both are selected now. This blue button will only work if your other buttons are a deeper gray. 

Please review the photo attached to this post. I show you how v1 did their buttons vs how v2 does their buttons. V1 is the way to go. You use a soft gray color for your non selected buttons on a dark gray background to show that there are buttons and then you use the color blue to indicate that a button has been selected. 

You had it right in v1, but I dont know who made this bad design decision. Please fix it, go back to v1, and bring back the color blue. Blue is the answer. 

Please also use the color blue in your dials. Right now, theyre like a light gray colors. You can see them on the "new document" layout under "Dimensions." 

[What keyboard tools are you using with the affinity apps on ipad?]

8 hours ago, Bound by Beans said:

For example, there are no shortcuts for undo/redo, so you can't assign those to the 8BitDo Micro, which is almost too bad to be true

but on the keyboard shortcuts guide on the ipad there are shortcuts for undo and redo.... command Z & shift command Z. 

8 hours ago, Bound by Beans said:

But do let us know how it works in practice, and whether it’s a good companion for the iPad overall.

It hasnt arrived in the mail yet but Ill be sure to share my experience. Thank you. 

[What keyboard tools are you using with the affinity apps on ipad?]

14 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

However, to save some possible disappointment I will mention that there are some logged and unfixed issues with keyboard shortcuts on the iPad, anyway. And those bugs would also apply to a device like you describe. So if you get one before the bugs are fixed it probably won't help you.

Oh, thats disappointing to hear. I was so excited. I was ready to improve my workflow. I mainly use designer v1 on ipad. Not sure if there are bugs there but Ill see how it works for v2. Thanks for the heads up. 

[Duplicate in the Layers Panel (Designer V2 iPad)]

2 hours ago, Meliora spero said:

The interface on iPad is seriously flawed and in no way tailored for tablet use. It feels cobbled together by people with no usability expertise. I gave up using my iPad Pro for Affinity, and the tipping point was comparing it to well-designed tablet apps. What built up the "I don’t want this" feeling was how poorly thought-out the apps are in terms of workflows and intuitive use.

Im sorry to hear that. I love affinity designer v1 on the ipad so, SO much. When v2 came out, I was disappointed how everything got changed around. I gave up on v2, but I told myself to give it another try. Which is why Im posting again . Affinity Designer v2 is bad. Its really bad. I think serif just needs to hire a graphic designer who can help them out. 

[More Keyboard Shortcuts (Affinity Designer v2 iPad)]

I invested in an 8bitdo micro device that will lets me map out shortcuts to it. 

I saw that there are some shortcuts that have not been implemented into the app, so I wanted to bring them up here. I know some you can do via quick menu but they should also be available as keyboard shortcut. If you have more keyboard shortcut suggestions for affinity designer on the ipad you can comment them here. These are just a few off to top of my head. 

• Convert to Curves - command + enter
• Lock Layer - command + L
• Find in Layers - command + K
• swap stroke/fill - shift + X

[What keyboard tools are you using with the affinity apps on ipad?]

I dont know if this is the right place to post this. I wanted to know what keyboard tools are you guys using with the affinity designer ipad apps?

I was thinking about getting a keyboard for my ipad to do shortcuts in the app and improve my workflow but i didnt want to have a keyboard next me. I also didnt want to press the keys on my board based on the keyboard shortcut. I want something more at my finger tips. 

I started looking online and found this little device that lets you map keyboard shortcuts. its called the 8bitdo micro. You hold it in your hand and you have all your shortcuts at your finger tips. I just bought it the other day. I havent received it but im super excited to be able to switch between tools and easily do shortcut with the press of a button in my hand. I know some artist use this device for other art apps like procreate and clipstudio. 

I was just curious if anyone is using any keyboard tool devices to improve their workflow. Are you using the 8bitdo micro for the ipad apps? how is it? how has it improved your workflow? do you know of any other devices that let you map shortcuts to your fingertips? im curious how everyone is working with the ipad. 

[Allow Us to Unlock A Locked Object through Quick Menu (Designer V2 iPad)]

8 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

The main problem I see with that idea is that the main purpose of Locking an object/layer is to prevent its selection by tapping on it on the screen, and require the use of the Layers panel when you want to select it. Therefore, unless the object is already selected (by using the Layers panel) you can't select it by tapping it, and thus there's no way to use long-press to unlock it.

I brought this up in a previous forum post about how theres 2 ways of working in affinity designer on the ipad. Working on the canvas & working in the layers panel.

If Im working on the canvas I should be able to do all my basic actions. Grouping, duplicating, locking, etc. I am on the canvas building my art. If I lock something and I can not unlock it and i have to go to the layers panel to unlock it, that for me is called "workflow disruption." I have to disrupt my workflow to go to the layers panel to unlock my layer. I couldnt unlock it from the canvas. This is an issue for me because I should be to do the basic action of unlocking something from the canvas.

Adobe illustrator on the ipad does a great job at locking and unlocking from the canvas. You can lock an object on the canvas and not have to go to the layers panel to unlock it. They want their users to be able to build on the canvas without having to go to the layers panel. So they give the user the option to still select their object and tap the "lock" icon around the shape to unlock it. No workflow disruption. Just a simple tap to unlock your object. And its not a selected locked object that has a bounding box. Its an object that has a ghost bounding box but has a lock icon to unlock it. This ghost bounding box does not let users transform it or anything. Its still a locked shape that you can not move or transform. But it lets you know that you have it selected and if you want to modify it you can simply tap the lock icon to unlock it without having to go to the layers panel and prevent workflow disruption. This is all done from the canvas. 

So my issue here was that I should be able to unlock my object from the canvas with out any workflow disruption. Without going to the layers panel to do this simple action. 

 

[Move Stroke Pressure Back Up (Designer V2 iPad)]

7 hours ago, Alfred said:

As I observed in my previous post, the ‘Pressure’ label above the graph provides a convenient scrolling point. In fact, trying it again now I find there is no problem scrolling up or down so long as I avoid the area where the graph resides.

Friend, I understand you but youre avoiding the issue because YOU found a convenient scrolling point for YOURSELF. The issues still remains & other users dont know about YOUR convenient scrolling point. 

I agree that placing your finger on the wording "Pressure" above the graph allows you to scroll up but I should be able to scroll up no matter where I place my finger. My finger naturally goes to the bottom of the panel to scroll up, but I cant scroll up because the graph editor isnt a scrolling point. You have to conveniently find an area above that will allow you to scroll. 

I dont know why affinity moved the graph editor at the bottom when it was originally at the top in v1. Moving it down now prevents users from scrolling up. You have to find a convenient scrolling point for yourself to able to scroll up.  

[Duplicate in the Layers Panel (Designer V2 iPad)]

7 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

What's wrong with that approach?

 

3 reasons.

1) What wrong is that duplicating something shouldn't take that many steps. Its not efficient. 

• I have to press shift on the command controller, select my layer, drag my layer somewhere on the layers panel. Which sometimes doesnt work if I dont press and hold long enough, and then let go to get my duplicated object. It took 3 steps to do a basic action.
• Left swipe takes 2 steps. Left swipe & tap duplicate. done. 
• If there was a duplicate button at the top of the layers panel where the other buttons are, which there should be, that would have taken 1 step. Tap duplicate button. Done.
• Less steps = good design. More steps = bad design. 

2) Some users aren't command controller users. 

• Im someone who doesn't use the command controller.
• Now, I have to use the command controller to do the basic action of duplicating in the layers panel. 
• I dont think this alt/drag should be removed. There are command controller users. 
• I just think there are more efficient ways of duplicating. 

3) There are 2 ways of working in affinity designer on the ipad. - On the canvas & in the layers panel.

• On the canvas, we can now long press to bring up our quick menu to duplicate. We can also go to the document button to duplicate from there. We can also 2 finger gesture on the screen to duplicate.
• On the layers panel, theres no duplicate action other than alt drag. Which isnt an efficient way. Left swiping or a duplicate button should be available in the layers panel because its more efficient. 

 

[Move Stroke Pressure Back Up (Designer V2 iPad)]

It is a problem. Try scrolling down in the stroke studio. Watch how it wont scroll down because of the placement of the pressure. 

[Clipping Mask Operation for Quick Menu (Designer V2 iPad)]

Yes, for now, I would have to do that. 

Im saying it should be an operation in the quick menu as well. 

[Remove color from stroke studio icon (Designer v2 iPad)]

Please remove the color from the stroke studio icon because it causes confusion.

By adding color to the stroke studio icon, you let users know that if they click the stroke studio they can change their color of their stroke in that studio but you cant. You can only change it in the color studio. So by giving 2 studio icons color(the color and stroke studio) you are confusing the user.  You are indicating to them that they can change their stroke color in the stroke studio. 

What you need to do is the following. 

1. remove the color of the stroke from the stroke studio icon and make it a black stroke icon. 
2. Introduce a stroke and fill icon for the color studio as the color studio icon. (see image below)

That way if users want to change their stroke color they can click on their "stroke icon" that has color. Not click on their stroke studio icon with color that leads to a panel with no color changing properties. 

[Hide the delete and deselect buttons (Designer V2 iPad)]

Now, that quick menu has been introduced, you can allow users to turn off the delete and deselect button at the bottom left corned of the interface. Theres no need for it. Just how in settings>user interface you can toggle the undo and redo buttons off and on, you should offer the delete and deselect buttons to be toggle off. Users can now use quick menu delete. 

Again, this is ONLY for users who use the quick menu feature. Thats why Im requesting to make it a toggle on and off button in the settings. 

 

[Customizable Tools & Studio Bar (Designer V2 iPad)]

The tool bar and studio bar need to be customizable already. New tools are being introduced and the bar just keep getting longer. So long that now scrolling is introduced and tools have to be hidden within other tools. Its time and its long over due for v1 users. 

Please allow users to customize their tool bar and studio bar. There are tools and studios we dont use and removing them would help organize things. 

 

[Move Stroke Pressure Back Up (Designer V2 iPad)]

In the stroke panel, the pressure is located at the bottom of the panel. This is bad placement design because if you need to scroll down in your stroke panel you can not. You cant because the placement of where you put your finger to scroll down is placed on the pressure box. Which doesnt allow you to scroll down. 

Instead, you have to place your finger somewhere above the pressure for you to be able to scroll down. I dont know why in v2 the pressure was moved from the top to the bottom but it should be move back to the top so that users are allowed to scroll down in their stroke panel. 

[Alt-click New Layer Adds Selection to New Layer (Designer V2 iPad)]

In 2.2, if you have a selection of objects selected, and you hold alt, and create a new layer, that selection of objects will be added to that newly created layer. I dont think this is efficient. I dont want to have to hold the alt key to move my selection to a newly created layer.

I would much prefer I have my selection selected, create a new layer, and have my selection be added to my newly created letter without having to alt click. I think thats better and it makes more sense that way. 

It wont work if you have 1 object selected but it will work if you have 2 or more objects selected. This is going to be more efficient because if we follow this new method, if we want to move objects to a layer, we can simply select the ones we want, create a new layer and they'll simply be added without the need to alt click. 

Currently, if you have objects selected and create a new layer, a new layer is created but nothing is added to that layer. You HAVE to alt click to move them to that new layer. Lets not give users more steps(alt click) to do a simple action. More steps does not equal efficiency. 

Its kind of like photoshop where if you select 2-3 layers and tap the folder icon it groups them for you.