Increasing/Decreasing shape properties with Arrow Keys

[Mr. Doodlezz]

Hey there,

I have the following issue (in all applications of the suite):

Expected/Previous Behaviour:

In V1 it was possible to use the arrow keys to change shape properties such as number of points on a star, sides on a polygon, hole radius on a doughnut etc. using the arrow keys right after a shape was drawn. As someone who does most things with shortcuts and generally uses the keyboard most of the time, this was very handy, intuitive and yet precise!

Current Behaviour:

Unfortunately, in V2 and even in the beta versions, this no longer operates as it used to: It is only possible to change by one value up or down once right after creating a shape. Any further arrow-keystrokes now unexpectedly leave the propertie-field and suddenly shifts the shape on the artboard! You are now either 1. forced to deselect the shape in order to get the previous behaviour 2. change the values by using definite values or 3. by using the mouse and slider tucked away in the property field.

I don't find it intuitive to enter a concrete value during the discovery phase, and changing the value with the mouse on the slider on the other hand feels too imprecise for me, especially when it comes to percentages or degrees. Deselecting and re-selecting the shape also seems like an unnecessary extra step added wich breaks the flow.

Is there a reason for this behaviour? Is it a bug, is it by design?

Here's a clip about what I mean.

I would be very happy to see this working as it did in V1.

The problem exists in both, the official releases and the betas.

Greetings

 

Edited April 20, 2023 by Mr. Doodlezz
Added that the problem appears in the official released version of the apps as well as in the betas.

[Old Bruce]

I really would like all of these little show stoppers in the interface to be fixed.

[Mr. Doodlezz]

25 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

I really would like all of these little show stoppers in the interface to be fixed.

Even more so the fact that you can't use tab to properly navigate from one property field to another (and so, so many other areas) bugs the hell out of me, constantly stops me in my tracks, and is just lamentable, because (to me) it’s one of those really, really basic things that need to work. It's a nightmare when you think about accessibility. 
Oh, the clicks, the unnecessary distance travelled by the cursor when it could all be just a tab away. 🫠

Admittedly, I always try to use tab, knowing that it won't work. It's just so ingrained in my workflow from other applications. 🥲

But I guess, no, I hope Affinity is working on it.
The use-tab-to-jump-layers-for-quicker-renaming-teaser on Instagram made me hope so for that one.

[Dan C]

Hi @Mr. Doodlezz,

Thanks for your report! I can confirm I've been able to replicate this issue here and will be logging this with our developers now - it appears to affect any input value box on the Context Toolbar as other input values (such as the Transform Studio) allow for multiple arrow key presses.

When using the arrow keys the first input is accepted, but then focus to the dialog is lost and the object is then nudged on your canvas with subsequent key presses. This seems to affect macOS only and not Windows.

34 minutes ago, Mr. Doodlezz said:

Even more so the fact that you can't use tab to properly navigate from one property field to another (and so, so many other areas) bugs the hell out of me

I can confirm that our devs are actively reviewing the TAB behaviour across the Affinity suite - I believe there are some improvements coming in 2.1, with further improvements to follow.

I hope this helps

[Mr. Doodlezz]

Hey Dan!

Thanks for your quick confirmation – on both counts! It makes me even more excited for the next update! 🤩

[Old Bruce]

39 minutes ago, Dan C said:

I can confirm that our devs are actively reviewing the TAB behaviour across the Affinity suite - I believe there are some improvements coming in 2.1, with further improvements to follow.

This is good news.

[Affinity Info Bot]

The issue "Context Toolbar value boxes loose focus after the first arrow key press" (REF: PD-636) has been fixed by the developers in internal build "2.2.0.1857".
This fix should soon be available as a customer beta and is planned for inclusion in the next customer release.
Customer beta builds are announced here and you can participate by following these instructions.
If you still experience this problem once you are using that build version (or later) please reply to this thread including @Serif Info Bot to notify us.