iPad Designer: can’t direct-select unlocked object; Edit All Layers is Checked

[VectorCat]

I have the now-latest version of Affinity Designer for iPad OS, and the latest iPad OS version.

In my illustration, I just made a line, gave one end an arrowhead, duplicated that arrowed line, and now i can’t select it with either arrow tool; I need to select it in the Layer’s Studio, and with several items named “curve” it’s a bit trial-and-error-ish.

Is there some reason, I can’t select an unlocked object on and unlocked layer beneath and unlocked parent layer using the object selection tool?

Should I report this as a bug?

Thank you!

[walt.farrell]

26 minutes ago, VectorCat said:

Is there some reason, I can’t select an unlocked object on and unlocked layer beneath and unlocked parent layer using the object selection tool?

That sounds more complicated than simply two lines with arrowheads as you described earlier.

Can you provide a screenshot that shows the design and the Layers studio? And possibly a sample .afdesign document?

[VectorCat]

I stated that I was unable to directly select unlocked objects on unlocked layers by using the direct selection or object arrow; I could select them only in the Layer studio.

File attached. Thank you in advance for any clues.

selection_problems.afdesign

[walt.farrell]

4 minutes ago, VectorCat said:

I stated that I was unable to directly select unlocked objects on unlocked layers by using the direct selection or object arrow; I could select them only in the Layer studio.

Yes, but your description only included two objects, and nothing about parent layers, etc. That's why I said that the issue sounded more complicated. Thanks for the file; I'll take a look at it.

[VectorCat]

actually, in my original post, I did mention parent layers, etc. My point in mentioning parent layers was to say that all layers involved were unlocked, and there was no apparent impediment to selecting objects using the arrow tool.

Thank you

[walt.farrell]

3 minutes ago, VectorCat said:

My point in mentioning parent layers was to say that all layers involved were unlocked, and there was no apparent impediment to selecting objects using the arrow tool.

There are other impediments, though (e.g., when layers are under (covered by) other layers) which is why sample documents or screenshots are important.

[VectorCat]

18 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

There are other impediments, though (e.g., when layers are under (covered by) other layers) which is why sample documents or screenshots are important.

Now that’s a statement that makes one sit up straight and pay attention. What are the “other impediments,” when objects and layers are unlocked and “Edit All Layers” is checked?

This sounds very mysterious, as though there’s some Unknowne Knowledge lurking about. I’ve been using software like Affinity products for a long time. In all of the software tools which employ either layers, or locking, having items / layers visible and unlocked is all that’s needed to then select those unlocked and visible objects with some sort of tool, often an “Arrow” tool. 

There’s really no reason for a software environment to be coy about the process of selecting objects. Either something can be selected or it can’t, and the reasons for either need to be straightforward and identifiable by the User attempting to get work done. Maybe there’s a truly excellent reason for this, and I would like to know what it is for all of our sake so that the collective knowledge can be improved so that this great software tool can be utilized to its fullest potential.

Thank you

 

 

[walt.farrell]

17 minutes ago, VectorCat said:

This sounds very mysterious, as though there’s some Unknowne Knowledge lurking about.

The obvious one (to me) is the one I mentioned. I'm not sure if there are others.

But if you have, for example, a rectangle layer above (covering) another object, and you want to select the other object, you may not be able to simply click on it. That can depend on, for example, whether it has a Fill.

In the desktop applications, you might need to Ctrl+Click on it to select.

[VectorCat]

In point of fact, the rectangle in that file is not in front of the other objects (arrows) which I was trying to select; the arrows are in front / above the rectangle. Moreover, the rectangle has no fill.

So, provided that the layers controlling said object are unlocked, and the object itself is unlocked and on top, are there any other conditions which must be met to enable selection of that object?

As you can see from the file, it’s a very simple arrangement of few elements. Nothing tricky or complex is occurring in the file; nothing is clipping anything else. 

So, can anybody weigh in on what other impediments there could be in selecting an object with the arrow tool?

Thank you.

 

[walt.farrell]

I have no problem selecting any of your arrows with the Move Tool active.

1. Are you using an Apple Pencil, or your finger, to do the selection?
2. I noticed that in your initial post you said 

   On 4/14/2022 at 8:05 AM, VectorCat said:

   and now i can’t select it with either arrow tool

   I'm not sure what you mean by "either arrow tool". If you meant the Move Tool and the Node Tool, both work for me. So I'm not sure what might be happening on your system.

Have you tried closing and restarting Designer? Have you tried turning your iPad off and restarting it?

Can you have your iPad make a screen recording of the problem, in case it shows us something that might explain it?

[VectorCat]

Why, as a matter of fact, I shut down my iPad after each session. Since yesterday’s selection problem, I’ve used and shut down the iPad two, perhaps three times. So, yes.

When I say, “either arrow tool,” I am referring to the tools in Affinity designer which look like arrows and which are used to select objects in the open file. They occupy the top two spots in the tool pallet. Screen capture attached for clarity.

Put another way, the inability to select objects with either of the tools in the program used for selecting things in the drawing, with the relevant layers unlocked, and with those layers’ visibility turned on, is problematic.

For my money, it feels like a bug, and I shall report it as such. Thank you for your help.

 

 

[walt.farrell]

58 minutes ago, VectorCat said:

When I say, “either arrow tool,” I am referring to the tools in Affinity designer which look like arrows

Those are the Move Tool and the Node Tool. 

[VectorCat]

Any sense of what could be interfering with the selection of unlocked objects on unlocked layers?

 

Thank you!

[walt.farrell]

I have none. Perhaps someone else will have an idea.

All I can suggest is a screen recording to let us see what's going on, in case that helps.

 

[DWright]

Hi @VectorCat,

This seams to be an intermittent issue when using the Move tool with the finger but when using the Pencil or with the node tool selected the line is always selected.

I have logged this issue with our developers to investigate this further.

[VectorCat]

FYI, I was using a first-gen Apple Pencil. 
 

Thank you for giving this attention.