TAB key functionality (still) buggy in export window

[VIPStephan]

Keyboard focus for input fields is very inconsistent and unreliable in the export preview window if I press the TAB key. There are different issues under different conditions.

Prerequisite steps:

1. Disable full keyboard access in macOS settings (for me on Catalina that’s in “System Settings > Keyboard” and there is a checkbox at the bottom; in more recent versions this might be under “Accessibility”, as described at https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/navigate-your-mac-using-full-keyboard-access-mchlc06d1059/12.0/mac/12.0) – the keyboard shortcut for this is Ctrl-F7
2. Start Affinity Designer from scratch
3. Create a new document
4. Export document (File > Export…) to bring up export preview
5. Press TAB and/or Shift-TAB multiple times to move focus (see steps to reproduce further down)

What is expected to happen:

First input field (file width) should be focused on first press of TAB key. Subsequent key presses should move the focus between the available input fields over and over again; Shift-TAB should move the focus backwards through the fields.

What is actually happening:

First field is only focused after pressing TAB two times, tab moves through fields but then disappears instead of circling through the fields.

Steps to observe/reproduce:

1. After opening the export preview, press TAB key once, there is no visual feedback (i. e. it feels like nothing is happening)
2. Press TAB again, the first input field (width) is focused
3. (Subsequent keypresses move the focus to height and image quality fields)
4. With image quality field focused, press TAB again and the focus disappears
5. Press TAB again (as often as you like), focus will never circle back to the first field
6. At that point press Shift-TAB; seemingly nothing is happening
7. Press Shift-TAB a second time and the focus goes back to the image quality field
8. If you keep moving the focus backwards to the width field and continue backwards, the focus will disappear and after four keypresses will be back at the image quality field
9. Move the focus into the image quality field (using the keyboard, of course)
   1. Press TAB two times (focus disappears)
   2. Press the down key; the image quality is lowered one step, the preview image is reloaded and the TAB functionality is apparently completely lost (i. e. pressing TAB or Shift-TAB doesn’t do anything anymore)
   3. Press Shift-TAB and then the up or down key again and image quality is changed again
   4. Press TAB and up or down keys and nothing happens
10. Close export preview and export the same document again; the focus will not work at all (i. e. it’s stuck at point 9.2 above).

If anything on this list isn’t reproducible, quit and restart AD again. Once the input fields are focused with the mouse pointer, none of the above is happening anymore.

Even with full keyboard access enabled, the focus behavior is very confusing; it requires many keypresses to move focus between different sections or isn’t possible to move it to the next section at all. Also, once I open the background color select, I can’t close it with the keyboard.

[Old Bruce]

Sadly you'll find this and similar behaviour in many of the panels. It is a massive pain having to rely on the mouse and clicking instead of being able to use the tab key. I, and others, have been complaining about this (these) bug(s) for years.

[NathanC]

Hi @VIPStephan,

These tabbing issues in the export menu have been previously logged with the developers, I've bumped the issue with your report.

[JEH]

Same in Photo 2.04 This is pretty basic user interface stuff - select the crop tool (the cursor turns into a bent double headed arrow that doesn't do anything) anyway, you click and type a value into the first box, TAB to the next box and wtf happens? So you click into the first box again and hit TAB - now it works properly, skipping into the next field, oh what joy! Using Affinity Photo is such a miserable experience. Do your developers have no shame?

[Hangman]

16 hours ago, JEH said:

Same in Photo 2.04 This is pretty basic user interface stuff - select the crop tool (the cursor turns into a bent double headed arrow that doesn't do anything) anyway, you click and type a value into the first box, TAB to the next box and wtf happens? So you click into the first box again and hit TAB - now it works properly, skipping into the next field, oh what joy! Using Affinity Photo is such a miserable experience. Do your developers have no shame?

I guess this should appear in the Photo forum but regardless, I totally agree about the lack of correct tab functionality in the context toolbar (this needs to be fixed across all panels and all apps). With regards the crop tool icons...

When selecting the crop tool in Photo you will see one of five icons, all have a purpose...

• A horizontal, vertical or 45° straight double headed arrow - to set the crop size using any of the eight perimeter drag handles
• A bent double headed arrow - to rotate the canvas
• A double headed arrow in the form of a cross - to move the current crop area
• A cross hair (with no arrows) - to click and drag a new crop area
• A cross hair with a spirit level (when selecting straighten from the context menu) - to straighten the image

In Designer there are three crop icons...

• A horizontal, vertical or 45° straight double headed arrow - to set the crop size using any of the eight perimeter drag handles
• A double headed arrow in the form of a cross - to move the current crop area
• A white arrow with a crop symbol attached - to move the object within the crop

[stinkykong]

I am sorry to complain and hope for a solution so I can feel happy about using Serif software but you orphaned the earlier versions touting the new product to be released and seeing such degraded behavior regarding the tabbing is really disconcerting.

I'm an advocate for Serif as an alternative to Adobe. I am so grateful to have the option you provide but no professionals would consider this a serious alternative, not with this sort of workflow oversight. As others have said, this is clearly an oversight and I'd say  it is neglectful.

There ARE nice enhancements that I enjoy but people won't see those when such (sorry to say) glaring issues hit them in the face.

I would rather pay double your price and have cleanly tested software.