Affinity Designer 2.0.3 MACOS New Layer Shortcut Issue

[jamratt]

Tried searching and did not see this subject come up.

In V2 of Designer for Mac, I am attempting to use the New Layer shortcut, however the listed shortcut COMMAND+OPTION+N opens a new document instead of creating a new layer.

I can't see that there is another shortcut in the File menu nor in the MACOS System Prefs>Keyboard... 

Anyone else resolve this WITHOUT changing the New Layer shortcut in Designer 2?

2019 MacBook Pro \ MacOs 13.0.1

[MikeTO]

Hmm, something odd is going on. Although Designer v2 still has the same Cmd+Opt+N shortcut as v1, as shown in Preferences, it's not appearing in the menu, at least in Ventura. I tried restarting, switching from UK English to US English, resetting shortcut defaults, etc., but it won't appear. It will appear if I change it to something else such as Cmd+Ctrl+N.

I can't find any conflict for Cmd+Opt+N so I don't know what's going on with this.

[R C-R]

25 minutes ago, MikeTO said:

Hmm, something odd is going on. Although Designer v2 still has the same Cmd+Opt+N shortcut as v1, as shown in Preferences, it's not appearing in the menu, at least in Ventura.

It's the same in Catalina. For me, both CMD+N & CMD+OPT+N open a new document in AD2 & no conflict is shown for CMD+OPT+N.

 It is the same in the Designer Persona of APub 2 -- CMD+OPT+N shows as the shortcut for new layer but it opens a new document. BTW, the shortcuts for APub 2 shows a "Develop" persona in the first popup but of course there is no Develop Persona in that app.

Lots 'o bugs left to exterminate in V2!

EDIT: So for now I changed the new layer shortcut to CTRL+OPT+N in both apps & that works.

[markw]

Yes something is up with that key combo…?
I too have it set to create a new Layer according to the Shortcuts Settings in Designer’s Prefs.
But on my system now in v2, option+cmd+N automatically creates a new Document using the last settings used in the New Document dialogue window? And so far I can see no entry in Shortcuts for this “feature”? in v2 or v1.

[R C-R]

3 minutes ago, markw said:

And so far I can see no entry in Shortcuts for this “feature”? in v2 or v1.

For me in V1 of AD the CMD+OPT+N shortcut is there & works as expected, so it is just in V2 that it creates a new doc instead of a new layer.

[markw]

I could have been clearer perhaps! The "feature" I was referring to was any shortcut being listed in v2 that creates a new Document automatically using the last used settings. Which could be handy...

[Ron P.]

8 minutes ago, markw said:

I could have been clearer perhaps! The "feature" I was referring to was any shortcut that creates a new Document automatically using the last used settings. Which could be handy...

Have you looked at the File>New From Last Preset ? I haven't tried it yet, but I think if you create a preset with those settings, it would work. Yes I know it's not the "Last used settings"... But I can't find anything closer..

 

[R C-R]

3 minutes ago, markw said:

I could have been clearer perhaps! The "feature" I was referring to was any shortcut that creates a new Document automatically using the last used settings. Which could be handy...

Interesting find! I had not noticed that CMD_OPT+N creates a new document using the last-used settings, which indeed could be quite useful. 

It isn't documented anywhere I can find & perhaps is 'wired-in' which is maybe why no conflict is shown.

BTW, it continues to work after I set the new layer shortcut to CTRL+OPT+N so both are available. 

[R C-R]

5 minutes ago, Ron P. said:

Have you looked at the File>New From Last Preset ? I haven't tried it yet, but I think if you create a preset with those settings, it would work.

I do not see a  File>New From Last Preset  item in AD 2 on my Mac. The only "new" items in my File menu are New... & New from Clipboard.

So maybe New From Last Preset is a Windows only item?

[Ron P.]

Must be a Windows only thing.. Also it's the same in Designer.

 

[walt.farrell]

On Windows, we have File > New From Last Preset, with no default shortcut. And we have Layer > New Layer with shortcut Ctrl+Alt+N. And Ctrl+Alt+N properly creates a new Layer.

[MikeTO]

So to sum this up, there's a Mac-specific bug with the Cmd+Opt+N shortcut. By default it should create a New Layer but the key combo doesn't work and the shortcut will not appear in the menu.

[v_kyr]

1 hour ago, jamratt said:

In V2 of Designer for Mac, I am attempting to use the New Layer shortcut, however the listed shortcut COMMAND+OPTION+N opens a new document instead of creating a new layer.

I can't see that there is another shortcut in the File menu nor in the MACOS System Prefs>Keyboard... 

AFAI can see it's not listed in the ADe v2 online help as keyb command at all (...only New Pixel Layer --> Shift Cmd N). - On ADe v1 it works pretty well, so it's internaly either wrongly associated in v2 or defaults there to somehow to Cmd-N.

[R C-R]

9 minutes ago, Ron P. said:

Must be a Windows only thing.. Also it's the same in Designer.

it seems so. There is no New From Last Preset File menu item in any Mac V1 or V2 Affinity app.

[Old Bruce]

2 minutes ago, MikeTO said:

So to sum this up, there's a Mac-specific bug with the Cmd+Opt+N shortcut. By default it should create a New Layer but the key combo doesn't work and the shortcut will not appear in the menu.

Here on my Mac running OS 11.7.2 I get a brand new document with the properties of the last used preset (no preset window opens I just get a new document). This happens in all three of the applications.

[R C-R]

2 minutes ago, v_kyr said:

so it's internaly either wrongly associated in v2 or defaults there to somehow to Cmd-N.

Not quite. As @markw mentioned above, CMD+OPT+N is in V2 a shortcut that creates a new document automatically using the last used settings, whereas CMD+N opens the New Document window.

[R C-R]

6 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

Here on my Mac running OS 11.7.2 I get a brand new document with the properties of the last used preset (no preset window opens I just get a new document). This happens in all three of the applications.

I just checked & it is the same on my Mac running Catalina. It potentially is a useful feature but it needs to be documented & the conflict (such as it is) with the New Layer shortcut resolved somehow.

[v_kyr]

7 minutes ago, R C-R said:

Not quite. As @markw mentioned above, CMD+OPT+N is in V2 a shortcut that creates a new document automatically using the last used settings, whereas CMD+N opens the New Document window.

NOPE he initially said ...

Quote

I too have it set to create a new Layer according to the Shortcuts Settings in Designer’s Prefs.
But on my system now in v2, option+cmd+N automatically creates a new Document using the last settings used in the New Document dialogue window? And so far I can see no entry in Shortcuts for this “feature”? in v2 or v1.

So it's odd either way! - However on Macs an inspection of the related plist file could tell then, if it's a wrong command naming or some other glitch.

[R C-R]

11 minutes ago, v_kyr said:

NOPE he initially said ...

?? He literally said that "in v2, option+cmd+N automatically creates a new Document using the last settings used in the New Document dialogue window?" Yes, there is a question mark at the end but I think that just means he is surprised that it works this way.

Regardless, it does not work the same way as CMD+N so it does not "default" to the same behavior as CMD+N.

[markw]

4 minutes ago, R C-R said:

Yes, there is a question mark at the end but I think that just means he is surprised that it works this way.

Correct!😀

[v_kyr]

5 minutes ago, R C-R said:

?? He literally said that "in v2, option+cmd+N automatically creates a new Document using the last settings used in the New Document dialogue window?" Yes, there is a question mark at the end but I think that just means he is surprised that it works this way.

BUT the thread title is about the "New Layer Shortcut" not working, or? - And MikeTo also already told "...Although Designer v2 still has the same Cmd+Opt+N shortcut as v1, as shown in Preferences, it's not appearing in the menu ...". And Mark said "I too have it set to create a new Layer according to the Shortcuts Settings in Designer’s Prefs."

So for me the point here is that the old keyb shortcut for "New Layer" doesn't work any longer as before! - That's the point here and not that some new doc is then created, which I don't want if I use the "New Layer" command.

[jamratt]

Thanks for all the replies! 

I have submitted this as a bug for those who want to follow it. Affinity Designer 2.0.3 MACOS New Layer Shortcut Creates new Document

[jamratt]

I wonder why graphics programs went with N for Layer nomenclature rather than L

Understanding that COMMAND+L locks a layer in Designer. Yet COMMAND+SHIFT+L unlocks... or why isn't it a toggle Lock/Unlock vs yet another modifier key for Unlock...

This is why I am a designer and not a programmer I would go mad.

[R C-R]

11 minutes ago, v_kyr said:

So for me the point here is that the old keyb shortcut for "New Layer" doesn't work any longer as before! - That's the point here and not that some new doc is then created, which I don't want if I use the "New Layer" command.

For me there are two points to consider, one being the New layer Shortcut doesn't work & the other being that there is a new & apparently undocumented shortcut to create a new document based on the last used new document settings.

[markw]

10 minutes ago, R C-R said:

For me there are two points to consider, one being the New layer Shortcut doesn't work & the other being that there is a new & apparently undocumented shortcut to create a new document based on the last used new document settings.

Yep, those are my two takeaways from all this too!