Designer 2: can I align multiple objects with 1 being fixed in place?

[Scott_R]

That is, if I want to align the right edges of three objects, A, B, and C, is there a way to keep B where it is and move A and C to align their right edges to the right edge of B?

[NotMyFault]

If you select 3 layers, align to right will always use the right-most edge as target.

If you want to align to the right edge of a layer which is not the right-most, you have multiple options (using snapping):

• create a ruler at that position, and move the aligned layers
• create a helper rectangle, from target edge to right-most edge. Move aligned layers using snapping.

[lepr]

The Alignment popup in the main toolbar has target options including "first selected" and "last selected".

The Alignment Handles device, which can be enabled in context toolbar of Move Tool and several other tools, has a right edge handle for aligning the right edges of all selected objects to anything, and it observes many of the available snapping options.

[GarryP]

I’ve attached a short video showing one method which uses both the Show Alignment Handles and Transform Objects Separately options.

First select the layer you want to align to (important).
Then select the other layers (how you do this is fairly irrelevant).
Then switch both Show Alignment Handles and Transform Objects Separately ON in the Context Toolbar.
You can then click on (or drag) the alignment handles of the first layer to align the other layers to that layer.

There are lots of other ways to use these options (either together or separately) so experimentation will show other techniques.

[lacerto]

In version 2 apps you can select all objects to be used in alignment, then use Alt/Option key to select the object to align to (it will be highlighted), and finally use the main or context menu alignment command to align the objects:

As far as I know this only works with menu commands. When using the Alignment panel, use methods shown above.

[laurent32]

10 minutes ago, lacerto said:

it will be highlighted

Strange, option+select doesn't work for me ?  

[lacerto]

1 hour ago, laurent32 said:

Strange, option+select doesn't work for me ?

Odd, I recorded this on Ventura 13.2 and Designer 2.0.4 and just tried it with the other two apps and they operate as demonstrated. On Windows, have tested on Windows Pro 11 and 2.0.4 apps and using the Alt key works just fine. Note that it is just the object borders that are highlighted and in Designer and Publisher the color depends on the layer highlight color. It could e.g. be white (on white background) which means that the highlighting would not show. [In Photo I think the layer color is always fixed -- probably blue -- unless changed in other two apps.]

[laurent32]

What am I doing wrong with the option + click ?

I tried 3 times, starting with each object…

[Pšenda]

In Windows work only with Left Alt button. Right button (AltGr) selects an object and deselects others.

[laurent32]

Thanks @Pšenda, I'm on Mac and I cannot make it work, no differences between left or right option keys…

There might be something turned on or off in the prefs ?

Strange because @lacerto and I have the same configuration…

[lacerto]

28 minutes ago, laurent32 said:

Strange because @lacerto and I have the same configuration…

Yes. I also just tried with French language settings (though the language of the OS UI is still US English), and at least that did not explain it. Does the Opt key otherwise perform as expected within Affinity apps? (Also, on macOS it does not matter whether you use the left or right Opt key.)

[laurent32]

4 minutes ago, lacerto said:

Does the Opt key otherwise perform as expected within Affinity apps?

I think so… If you have an idea of some other thing to test with that option key, I'll try it ?

[lacerto]

3 minutes ago, laurent32 said:

If you have an idea of some other thing to test with that option key, I'll try it ?

If you have any snapping on, pressing and holding down the Opt key prevents snapping on anything while being held down. 

[lepr]

[deleted - was my misunderstanding]

[loukash]

19 hours ago, Scott_R said:

I want to align the right edges of three objects, A, B, and C, is there a way to keep B where it is and move A and C to align their right edges to the right edge of B?

Of course:

[laurent32]

37 minutes ago, lacerto said:

If you have any snapping on, pressing and holding down the Opt key prevents snapping on anything while being held down. 

Yes, working fine…

[lepr]

1 hour ago, laurent32 said:

What am I doing wrong with the option + click ?

You need to option+click the object's thumbnail or name in Layers panel.

[laurent32]

3 minutes ago, ,,, said:

You need to option+click the object's thumbnail or name in Layers panel.

Thanks @,,, ! That was it !!

[Pšenda]

5 minutes ago, ,,, said:

You need to option+click the object's thumbnail or name in Layers panel.

In Windows no, Alt+click work in the canvas (as Lacerto shows).

[lacerto]

15 minutes ago, laurent32 said:

Thanks @,,, ! That was it !!

Yes, it works there, but for me it also works directly on the canvas [as shown in the video clip, on macOS Ventura 13.2]... Something odd is going on. Or after having selected from within the Layers panel, does it also work on canvas now?

EDIT: Ah, could this be a macOS security setting, related to capture privileges?

[laurent32]

1 minute ago, lacerto said:

Yes, it works there, but for me it also works directly on the canvas [as shown in the video clip, on macOS Ventura 13.2]... Something odd is going on. Or after having selected from within the Layers panel, does it also work on canvas now?

No, it doens't on the canvas…

Here is my test file :

1675786093—test.afdesign

[lacerto]

Works fine here... The capture setting came into mind since there is an existing selection and then something that gets captured via Option key. That may be considered as a system wide operation similarly as screen captures (e.g. color picking that can also be done off the app itself), and require a permission. Which one exactly I am not sure. But check that you have permission for screen recording set for Designer v2.

 

 

[lepr]

14 minutes ago, lacerto said:

Something odd is going on.

Found it. Selecting the key object by opt+clicking on canvas is not possible when 'Allow selection to consider items inside a group' is enabled. Smells like a bug to me.

[laurent32]

All ok here…

[laurent32]

9 minutes ago, ,,, said:

'Allow selection to consider items inside a group'

Where is that option ?