Add View Magnification to Status Bar

[MikeTO]

I work on a laptop screen and the Navigator panel, whether in Affinity or Adobe, takes up too much space so it's the first thing I closed when configuring my panels. With Adobe the Magnification level can be seen and changed through the control in the Status bar. With Affinity, the magnification level can be seen through the Toolbar's Status control but edited only through the Navigator panel.

Please make Magnification level editable through the Status bar so that those of us who can't keep the Navigator panel have a way to change the level numerically. It could also be done with the Toolbar but it doesn't have any text fields so it likely isn't the right spot for it.

Thank you

Affinity - Magnification level can be seen and changed in the Navigator panel

Affinity - Magnification level can be seen in the Toolbar's Status control but not edited

Adobe - Magnification level can be seen and changed in the Status Bar

[fde101]

Just to point it out, if you select the Zoom tool, it shows up in the context toolbar and you can set it numerically there.

There are also a few specific settings (with keyboard shortcuts) in the View -> Zoom menu in the menu bar.

[MikeTO]

8 minutes ago, fde101 said:

Just to point it out, if you select the Zoom tool, it shows up in the context toolbar and you can set it numerically there.

There are also a few specific settings (with keyboard shortcuts) in the View -> Zoom menu in the menu bar.

I should have mentioned that. I should have phrased it as wanting to be able to precisely set the view magnification without changing tools.

[Pšenda]

16 hours ago, MikeTO said:

I work on a laptop screen

If you're using a laptop with a smaller screen, you've probably noticed that the Status bar is often so full that it doesn't even fit the necessary contextual information about the tools used. Therefore, putting another control element there is probably not very reasonable (regardless of the fact that it is often requested to hide it in order to increase the working area).

It would therefore be more appropriate to be able to edit the value in the title of the window, or enable the Zoom menu via its context menu (right click on the value xx.x%).

[GarryP]

If you click on the Zoom Tool you can enter the required zoom value, or use a slider, in the Context Toolbar.

I don’t think there are more clicks to do that than there would be if there were a control in the Status Bar, although it does mean that you have to switch tools, which could cause problems if you are in the middle of doing something.

Maybe the Zoom Tool could be ‘dual-purposed’ in some way, e.g. Click to select, or, Drag left/right to zoom in/out.

[Pšenda]

2 hours ago, GarryP said:

If you click on the Zoom Tool you can enter the required zoom value, or use a slider, in the Context Toolbar.

 

18 hours ago, MikeTO said:

I should have phrased it as wanting to be able to precisely set the view magnification without changing tools.

 

[MikeTO]

2 hours ago, N.P.M. said:

You can detach the navigatorpanel and make it really small to not take up so much space

Really small is still too much space on a laptop screen.

5 hours ago, GarryP said:

If you click on the Zoom Tool you can enter the required zoom value, or use a slider, in the Context Toolbar.

I don’t think there are more clicks to do that than there would be if there were a control in the Status Bar, although it does mean that you have to switch tools, which could cause problems if you are in the middle of doing something.

Maybe the Zoom Tool could be ‘dual-purposed’ in some way, e.g. Click to select, or, Drag left/right to zoom in/out.

I think it's more of three decades of muscle memory from other apps like Photoshop and QuarkXPress. Putting magnification level in a consistent spot where it's always visible and editable is good UX. Affinity puts a non-editable magnification level in the Toolbar, an editable magnification level in the Context Bar but only when the Zoom tool is selected, and an editable magnification level in the Navigation panel which is often hidden on small screens. This is a bit all over the place.

The reason I forgot I could edit the magnification level with the Zoom tool is I never use that tool. I pinch to zoom with my trackpad since I work off a laptop. I keep the Navigator panel, Toolbar, and often even the Context Bar closed to save real estate so I can't even see what the current magnification level is.