Request : shortcut for the hand tool when editing text

[steday]

Hello

As the title said. It would be useful to have a shortcut to momentary call the hand tool when editing text. Of course, H or the spacebar won't work in this context. For me it's something that break my workflow (specially in Publisher). InDesign use the ALT key for that.

Hope to be heard by Affinity Team. Thanks.

[Pšenda]

ESC?

[MikeTO]

Esc and then V

[walt.farrell]

Esc then Spacebar.

Or, if the intent is to be able to move the Text Frame, just put the mouse cursor over the frame until it turns into the 4-ended move cursor, and drag as needed.

[Pšenda]

15 minutes ago, MikeTO said:

Esc and then V

If you use the standard keyboard shortcuts, then V is the Move Tool. So I would press ESC and H for the desired Hand Tool.

[MikeTO]

9 minutes ago, Pšenda said:

If you use the standard keyboard shortcuts, then V is the Move Tool. So I would press ESC and H for the desired Hand Tool.

Sorry, I misread the post

[steday]

Hello

Thank you every one for your answers.

I know about what you say, but I think a solution with one key is better.

I do very often the sequence :  zoom - typing texte - pan - continuing typing. With your solution I have to press ESC -  press V - press spacebar to pan - double clic to re-enter the text frame for typing.

So having a one key fast solution for panning is better. Again the ALT key as InDesign is a good way : press ALT - Pan - release ALT - continuing typing.

[carl123]

21 hours ago, steday said:

Of course, H or the spacebar won't work in this context

Can't you just change the "H" shortcut key to something else, like F4

Note: Pressing the F4 key a second time returns you to the text

[steday]

 

Thank tou for your suggestion Carl.

But this is not as efficient as what I'm asking for. It work, but after that, I have to select the move tool (V) to re-enter the text, on more click.

What I'm asking for is just pressing a key, pan, release the key.

[Pšenda]

3 hours ago, steday said:

What I'm asking for is just pressing a key, pan, release the key.

Just to clarify - your request "shortcut for the hand tool when editing text" (see your topic title and first/request post) is exactly what Carl suggested. So you are not requesting a shortcut for the Hand tool, but a temporary switch to the Hand tool while working with text. That's a little different, so clarification was helpful.

[steday]

Hello Psenda

Yes, you're right.

My English is so poor that it's not easy for me to explain !!

[redlik]

I've asked for that feature while we're were still around v.1.7 I think. If we can just get the exact copy of Indesign it would be perfect. Hold alt to get the hand tool, let go to get back to the text cursor. 

[Gigiga]

+1 This should be a basic functionality. The way it is now really interrupts the workflow.

[fde101]

On 3/17/2023 at 1:44 AM, steday said:

So having a one key fast solution for panning is better

There is already a zero-key solution for this if you have the right input devices: a Wacom tablet with touch sensitivity lets you do this using gestures without holding any keys and without losing your position in the text; I haven't verified but I suspect a trackpad on a laptop might do the same?

I also plugged in a mouse for a moment and verified that the scroll wheel on the mouse allows for vertical panning while editing text and holding down the middle mouse button (the scroll wheel) allows bidirectional panning (at least for my 3rd-party mouse on my Mac), so a mouse with a scroll ball or a Magic Mouse would probably allow bidirectional panning as well.

For my own part I would normally arrange for the entire text area I need to work with to be visible before I start typing rather than mess with this, but depending on the project I can understand that might not always be practical, so while this isn't really something that I need or am bothered by, it is not an unreasonable request, but as most modern mice have a scroll wheel and that seems to provide a solution for this, I'm not so sure it isn't already there...

[Gigiga]

No Tablet, laptop is in shell mode so no trackpad, mouse wheel is assigned another action. What does everyone working with text and a layout tool have? Right, a keyboard. If only one could make use of that easily...

My point is, there is a proven, widely used command for that specific use case around for decades in the dominant tools for designers. Just not in affinity. Why? I'm not working as a designer anymore, but when I work in publisher for example, 20 years of using Quark, Indesign etc. WITH this command lets you do exactly that automatically. Every time my Finger finds the alt key and it does not work as described makes me roll my eyes at this. Some things are so little to implement but have such a huge impact on proven and standarized workflows.

[Latens]

I Have set the shortkey for zoom in tools to F4
Press F4=zooms.
Press F4>press and hold spacebar = panning.
Press F4 again goes back to text caret. 

[deeds]

Trackpad:

 

There is no use for two finger slides/drags whilst editing text, so this would probably be the ideal for both zoom and pan. If the initial two finger movement is vertical, then zoom. If it's horizontal, pan.

 

Please.

[Ash]

Thanks for your suggestion, this has now been added to the 2.2 beta:

We would love you to give it a go – if you aren't already, you can join the beta program here: https://affinity.serif.com/affinity-beta-program/