Auto-selecting next item on delete

[Davideo]

Still loving the Affinity programs. Working in Designer lately, and not sure if it's a new thing or if I've just not really noticed it before, but after I delete a shape or curve, Affinity automatically selects the next layer. Is there a way to turn this off? Having to find a blank space to click and deselect an item (or reach up and hit the esc key) every time I delete something and want an unobstructed view is not very UX friendly. It's never selected the layer I'm going to change or work on next, so not sure what the point of it even is? Often the next layer isn't even in my view and I don't realise I've unknowingly changed something for a while. Feels really un-intuitive.

Really having trouble finding anything about this. Maybe I'm not wording things right in my searches? I just want to be able to delete something and not have it auto-select anything else.

Also, rather than posting a whole other topic, is it possible to duplicate an object with Alt+click & drag without having to hold the Alt key BEFORE clicking? Like if I'm dragging something and decide to duplicate it I feel like pressing and holding the Alt key during the drag should give the same end result (duplicating the object).

Thanks, guys.

[Callum]

Hi Davideo,

There is no way to disable this behaviour I'm afraid. But it has been requested in the past so it may be considered for a future update.

Thanks

C

[Davideo]

Appreciate the response, @Callum. Is there a feature request that already exists where I can add my voice somewhere?

[carl123]

I think it's already in the beta (Windows)

 

[Davideo]

Ah, cheers, @carl123. Not sure how to gain access to the beta version? Or is it better to just wait until it's part of the official release?

[carl123]

Just now, Davideo said:

Or is it better to just wait until it's part of the official release?

One must choose one's own path in life

[Joachim_L]

4 minutes ago, carl123 said:

One must choose one's own path in life

You must be the philosopher in your House (under Arrest)?

@Davideo You find the latest beta here in the beta forums of your OS. Always the first post.

[Davideo]

@carl123 & @Joachim_L,

Cheers, guys. Both helpful in  your own ways.

[R C-R]

6 hours ago, carl123 said:

I think it's already in the beta (Windows)

Also there in the Mac beta 1.8.4.5.

[R C-R]

7 hours ago, carl123 said:

One must choose one's own path in life

As Yogi Berra said, "when you come to the fork in the road, take it."

[carl123]

Just noticed that this option is not available in the latest Photo beta but it is in the latest Publisher beta. Which seems a bit inconsistent and might be confusing for those users that may want to set it to its non-default setting in all apps.

Not sure if that is an oversight or "by design"?

[walt.farrell]

I am not sure what that option should do, nor whether it is relevant to the OP's request.

The OP is talking about deleting an object, and not having another object become selected. That would not be a "keep selection" action, but a "don't select something else".

As worded, it seems like it should be related to the menu items Select > Selection from Layer and Select > Selection from Layer and Delete, but I'm not sure how it would work.

[walt.farrell]

Also, and this might be a bug in the beta: In Publisher, that option is available in Preferences if one is in the Publisher Persona or the Designer Persona. But it is not available in Preferences if one is in the Photo Persona.

 

[carl123]

13 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

I am not sure what that option should do, nor whether it is relevant to the OP's request.

Have you tried it Walt?

Does it not work for you?

[thomaso]

On 7/23/2020 at 12:18 PM, Davideo said:

is it possible to duplicate an object with Alt+click & drag without having to hold the Alt key BEFORE clicking?

Yes: if you use Cmd instead Alt.

I am rather confused that cmd/alt-drag may create a duplicate only when used on page view but not when used in the layers panel.
Any disadvantage if it would work there, too?

[walt.farrell]

50 minutes ago, carl123 said:

Have you tried it Walt?

Does it not work for you?

As I don't know what it should do, and its name makes no sense, it's difficult to test with certainty. However,

• If I have the option on, and I have several objects, and one of them selected, and I delete the object, another object is selected.
• If I turn the option off, then when I delete an object no object is selected.

That does seem relevant to the OP's request.

However, the option is definitely misnamed. With it on it is not "keeping" the selection, which would be impossible since the selected object exists no more. It is selecting something else. So at a minimum that option needs to be renamed so it makes sense and is more self-explanatory. And it should also be made clear whether it's talking about deleting a layer selection or a pixel selection.

[thomaso]

52 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

• If I turn the option off, then when I delete an object no object is selected.

That does seem relevant to the OP's request.

Is this a Windows/Mac difference in Affinity UI?

To me this "off" state of the new preference option is currently the way it works in v183 (without having the option there). So, for mac, this option can enable a new UI behavior that the OP experiences already but wants to avoid.

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, walt.farrell said:

However, the option is definitely misnamed.

I suspect it is supposed to suggest to beta testers (who they presume have read the change log) is 'Prefer to keep the retail version's selection after delete' behavior.

Obviously, this would be a poor choice for the eventual retail release so hopefully it will be changed before then.