SUGGESTION: easy usage

[Raxsephon]

I'm new to trying this amazing software, and in just these few days, I've fallen in love with it.

Just two suggestions to improve ease of use: Please include an isolating editing group function, either with a double click or a key binding; another would be to change the name of groups and objects with a double click, rather than just selecting them in the layer panel (it irritates me because I frequently just want to select a group or object, and ALWAYS ALWAYS! the cursor is stacked waiting for a name).

Please, with these two changes, the enjoyment of this software will be even greater.

 

Thank you so much for your excellent work. 

[MikeTO]

Hi @Raxsephon. If two single clicks are being interpreted as a double click when clicking on a layer in the Layers panel, you might have your double click setting in System Settings/Preferences (Mac) or the Control Panel (Windows) set too slow. I never have a problem with this in Affinity but I keep my speed more toward the rabbit end of the slider than the turtle end.

[Pšenda]

1 hour ago, MikeTO said:

If two single clicks are being interpreted as a double click when clicking on a layer in the Layers panel, you might have your double click setting in System Settings/Preferences (Mac) or the Control Panel (Windows) set too slow. I never have a problem with this in Affinity but I keep my speed more toward the rabbit end of the slider than the turtle end.

The problem that the OP writes about, however, is that you only need to "click" the layer/description, and the description of the layer starts to be entered immediately. What the OP requires is that a double-click is "necessary" to enter the description.

I agree with the request - double-clicking to enter the layer description would be a much more standard and functionally pleasant way.

[MikeTO]

34 minutes ago, Pšenda said:

The problem that the OP writes about, however, is that you only need to "click" the layer/description, and the description of the layer starts to be entered immediately. What the OP requires is that a double-click is "necessary" to enter the description.

I agree with the request - double-clicking to enter the layer description would be a much more standard and functionally pleasant way.

If it's doing that it's a bug in the Windows version because that's not the way it works on macOS. Clicking anywhere on the layer in the panel on macOS selects it but never starts editing the layer name. I assume the OP must be on Windows if you're experiencing this issue on Windows.

[Raxsephon]

Hi, thanks for the answer. I'm using the Windows version, and as Psenda said, the double click is a more pleasant way to do it. It is just a suggestion; maybe add it as an option in the program settings.

[MikeTO]

2 hours ago, Raxsephon said:

Hi, thanks for the answer. I'm using the Windows version, and as Psenda said, the double click is a more pleasant way to do it. It is just a suggestion; maybe add it as an option in the program settings.

If it worked like on macOS, single click would select the layer and double click would edit the layer name. So this is just a bug in the Windows version and there's no need for an option in settings.

[walt.farrell]

7 hours ago, MikeTO said:

If it worked like on macOS, single click would select the layer and double click would edit the layer name. So this is just a bug in the Windows version and there's no need for an option in settings.

On Windows:

• If the layer is not selected already, a single click selects it.
• If the layer is selected already, a single click enters rename mode.
• A double-click selects the layer and enters rename mode.

This seems reasonable to me. But if it's different from the behavior of the applications on Mac they should be made consistent.

[MikeTO]

1 hour ago, walt.farrell said:

On Windows:

• If the layer is not selected already, a single click selects it.
• If the layer is selected already, a single click enters rename mode.
• A double-click selects the layer and enters rename mode.

This seems reasonable to me. But if it's different from the behavior of the applications on Mac they should be made consistent.

On Mac:

• If the layer is not selected already, a single click selects it.
• If the layer is selected already, a single click enters rename mode does nothing
• A double-click selects the layer and enters rename mode.

[Pšenda]

31 minutes ago, MikeTO said:

On Mac:

• If the layer is not selected already, a single click selects it.
• If the layer is selected already, a single click enters rename mode does nothing
• A double-click selects the layer and enters rename mode.

And this is how it should be - the behavior is understandable for the user and expected under all circumstances.

[Pšenda]

9 hours ago, MikeTO said:

So this is just a bug in the Windows version

Maybe in MacOS? 🙂

https://affinity.help/designer2/English.lproj/pages/Layers/selectEditLayers.html

Although the behavior does not correspond to the description in the help even for Windows - so who knows how it should actually work 😞

[carl123]

This is what the V2 help file says on Windows...

To rename a layer:

Do one of the following:

• Double-click the layer's label and type a new name. *
• On the Layer menu, select Rename Layer.

* Windows has been wrong since V1

[Pšenda]

1 hour ago, carl123 said:

This is what the V2 help file says on Windows

Interesting, so the online help for V2 (at least for Designer) is different from the built-in one?

So I have the same thing with me (Windows, ADesigner 2.0.4).

[lepr]

[oops]

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, ,,, said:

On Mac: if the layer is selected already, a single click on the current name enters rename mode.

As you and @MikeTO seem to disagree how it works on Mac, we may need to confirm which of the Affinity applications you each tested with, what release of the application you're using, and what release of macOS you have.

From the signature, Mike seems to be using macOS Ventura 13.2 but we don't know which application.

Can you tell us more about the application and OS you're using?

 

[lepr]

12 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

As you and @MikeTO seem to disagree how it works on Mac, we may need to confirm which of the Affinity applications you each tested with, what release of the application you're using, and what release of macOS you have.

From the signature, Mike seems to be using macOS Ventura 13.2 but we don't know which application.

Can you tell us more about the application and OS you're using?

 

 

Oops. Mike is correct. The procedure I wrote doesn't function in the 2.0.4 and beta 2.1.0.1730 apps.

It definitely works in the 1.10.6 apps and I used it for years in the 1.x apps.