Able to delete a locked layer

[_mkn_]

I don’t know if this is a bug or just a feature (a really annoying and illogical one, if you ask me), but why oh why does all applications (Publisher, Photo and Designer) allow a locked layer to be deleted by pressing delete or backspace? Is it just me but isn’t that just the point of locking a layer that you are keeping it safe from accidentally deleting it? Or have I missed some setting?

Since this problem applies to all three applications, I’ll post this to every forum just in case. Apologies if that is ”over the top”, Admin can clean away the redundant topics if they choose so.

[thomaso]

48 minutes ago, _mkn_ said:

Is it just me but isn’t that just the point of locking a layer that you are keeping it safe from accidentally deleting it? Or have I missed some setting?

The various locks in the Affinity UI work different to the macOS lock in a file info window, which indeed is meant to prevent a file from deleting.

Instead the Affinity layer's lock prevents from selecting an object on page. Mainly to avoid transforming (move, scale etc) or e.g. grouping it with others. And if it can't be selected it can't be deleted, too. But if selected in the layers panel you still may edit such a locked object, for instance to change its style properties, like its colors or text attributes – or even delete it.

The lock function in the context toolbar has no icon but says "Lock children". This also does prevent from transforming, regardless whether an objects layer lock is set. This feature works for according object types always in the entire document, not to single objects or layers.

The lock in spread properties does rather link than lock, equally to the link icons in the transform panel and the text frame panel, it locks the current ratio among various values.

The lock in the colors panel does something totally different: it forces each object to present its fill and stroke color values in that color mode for which the lock got activated, e.g. all colors in CMYK only, regardless in what mode a certain color initially was created and actually is. This way it also ensures that new colors will be crated in the locked mode only.

[_mkn_]

2 hours ago, thomaso said:

The various locks in the Affinity UI work different to the macOS lock in a file info window, which indeed is meant to prevent a file from deleting.

Instead the Affinity layer's lock prevents from selecting an object on page. Mainly to avoid transforming (move, scale etc) or e.g. grouping it with others. And if it can't be selected it can't be deleted, too. But if selected in the layers panel you still may edit such a locked object, for instance to change its style properties, like its colors or text attributes – or even delete it.

The lock function in the context toolbar has no icon but says "Lock children". This also does prevent from transforming, regardless whether an objects layer lock is set. This feature works for according object types always in the entire document, not to single objects or layers.

The lock in spread properties does rather link than lock, equally to the link icons in the transform panel and the text frame panel, it locks the current ratio among various values.

The lock in the colors panel does something totally different: it forces each object to present its fill and stroke color values in that color mode for which the lock got activated, e.g. all colors in CMYK only, regardless in what mode a certain color initially was created and actually is. This way it also ensures that new colors will be crated in the locked mode only.

Thanks thomaso.

I probably should've said that I was referring how layer locking works in InDesign. When you lock a layer, it is locked, that's it.

I just have to learn how to use this "feature" in Affinity apps, if it is meant to work like that and is not a fault. Who knows, it might prove to be handy when I get the hang of it..

[ashf]

1 hour ago, _mkn_ said:

Thanks thomaso.

I probably should've said that I was referring how layer locking works in InDesign. When you lock a layer, it is locked, that's it.

I just have to learn how to use this "feature" in Affinity apps, if it is meant to work like that and is not a fault. Who knows, it might prove to be handy when I get the hang of it..

I see what you mean, it might be better to show alert or  something before delete them.
post in the feature request section, or ask Serif to move this topic to there.

[thomaso]

1 hour ago, _mkn_ said:

I was referring (...) InDesign
I just have to learn how to use this "feature" in Affinity apps, if it is meant to work like that and is not a fault. Who knows, it might prove to be handy when I get the hang of it..

The Affinity help says: , so "prevent ... selection" is its conscious goal.
Actually I have neither a reason nor a need to suspect a bug once I experience something differently to InDesign or to any tool I am used to. It is obvious that Affinity does not try to copy or simulate a competitor but rather goes a different way. That alone is a reason not to expect the commonly experiences but to ask or research when unexpected occurs – before I assume or report a bug.

[thomaso]

3 minutes ago, ashf said:

I see what you mean, it might be better to show alert or  something before delete them.

Usually the delete key on the keyboard simply causes a deletion - and normally the Undo command undoes the last action. It sounds a bit odd to expect a special user interface with additional warnings for users who wouldn't expect what happens if they didn't get those warnings.

"Do you really want to type this character?"
"You are going to draw a cog. Do you want to continue?"
"Do you really want to save this file into a different folder than before?"

[ashf]

it might be so, but a user may not notice that they deleted locked layer while they can recover it.
Also most of graphics app do not let users delete locked object with delete key, not just Adobe's but also CorelDraw and even old Serif's such as DrawPlus or PhotoPlus.

[thomaso]

> even old Serif's such as DrawPlus or PhotoPlus.

That may increase the impression that there is no bug ( = error in programming code) with the delete function but rather a conscious decision in the UI concept in Affinity.

Note that there are many differing UI behaviors, the entire Layers Panel has a different approach compared to e.g. Adobe (as macuser I couldn't try Serif Plus apps). The Layers Panel is not just an additional UI area for object selections (as alternative to layout page view), but delivers functions of its own and available only via the Layers Panel. Deleting locked layers is one of them (I do neither prefer nor appreciate, too!).

I still miss very much Global Layers and their efficient workflow which has no alternative in Affinity. Or very simply the ability to drag-copy a layer in the Layers Panel. Nevertheless, also those habits don't name bugs but possible feature requests – an endless wishlist, from yearning desires up to absolute necessities but always differing in the eyes of users.