Cmd+Shift+Arrow key command no longer working

[canni]

I just set up a new computer and have run into a problem with Affinity Photo where Cmd+Shift+Up/Down/Left/Right no longer works. I used to use these commands to do certain arrangement tasks. Other key commands work, but the particular combination of these keys no longer work. Not sure what to do.

[R C-R]

I'm not sure but I don't think there is anything assigned to those shortcuts by default in AP, so if you remember which tool or menu command you used them with it might help identify where they can be added.

[thomaso]

24 minutes ago, R C-R said:

I don't think there is anything assigned

Text Cursor: move (cmd) or select (cmd-shift) + arrow keys.

[R C-R]

39 minutes ago, thomaso said:

Text Cursor: move (cmd) or select (cmd-shift) + arrow keys.

OK, but how is that related to the 'arrangement tasks' the OP mentioned?

EDIT: assuming the OP means those shortcut keys, the Text shortcuts section of the Keyboard Shortcuts help topic should explain how to set them. (The Text Shortcuts section is the last of the second popup menu choices in AP.)

[canni]

I actually imported all of my keyboard shortcuts from my old install to my new one. Everything works fine except for the ones in question. I use them to align things to horizontal and vertical center respectively. This worked in my previous install and no longer works with my current install.

Everything shows up correctly. however when I execute either of these keystrokes, it just doesn't do anything. As an experiment, I tried remapping these commands to cmd+k and it worked just fine.

Additionally, erasing ALL shortcuts and just binding the ones shown here still do not allow them to work. I wonder if it's a problem with AF receiving arrow inputs. Nudging still works? But otherwise.

Edited November 19, 2023 by canni

[R C-R]

8 hours ago, canni said:

Everything shows up correctly. however when I execute either of these keystrokes, it just doesn't do anything.

I am assuming you are talking about the shortcuts for the Align items on the AP 2 Arrange menu. If so, do the commands work if you select them from that menu rather than by using the shortcut?

[canni]

14 hours ago, R C-R said:

I am assuming you are talking about the shortcuts for the Align items on the AP 2 Arrange menu. If so, do the commands work if you select them from that menu rather than by using the shortcut?

This is correct. I can also access the functions using the toolbar options in Photo view as well. Key commands not involving arrow keys seem to work for these options as well. But the moment arrow keys are involved, they don't receive the input anymore.

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, canni said:

This is correct.

If by that you mean the menu commands do work, do those menu items show the keyboard shortcuts you have chosen for them?

[canni]

4 hours ago, R C-R said:

If by that you mean the menu commands do work, do those menu items show the keyboard shortcuts you have chosen for them?

Indeed, as shown here:

 

On 11/18/2023 at 9:25 PM, canni said:

 

[thomaso]

On 11/19/2023 at 6:25 AM, canni said:

As an experiment, I tried remapping these commands to cmd+k and it worked just fine.

Does this mean one specific task is executed with cmd-k but not if you have cmd-shift-arrow assigned instead?

Do cmd-arrow / cmd-shift-arrow get executed for the text cursor in a text frame with some text?

[canni]

6 minutes ago, thomaso said:

Does this mean one specific task is executed with cmd-k but not if you have cmd-shift-arrow assigned instead?

That is correct. (Or rather, it's clear the command can be executed with a key binding, but not with cmd+shift+arrow, even when all key bindings are cleared entirely, meaning there would be virtually no overlap with other key bindings)

6 minutes ago, thomaso said:

Do cmd-arrow / cmd-shift-arrow get executed for the text cursor in a text frame with some text?

Only cmd+arrow resolves as expected. Cmd+shift+arrow seems to just act like "shift+arrow" are the only key commands being held.

Edited November 20, 2023 by canni

[thomaso]

9 minutes ago, canni said:

Only cmd+arrow resolves as expected. Cmd+shift+arrow seems to just act like "shift+arrow" are the only key commands being held.

Does it mean shift-arrow gets executed in a text frame while cmd-shift-arrow does just the same?

@R C-R, what do get in V2 in text mode for this two commands? To me in V1 shift-arrow selects single characters while cmd-shift-arrow selects words (left/right) or paragraphs (up/down).

[R C-R]

3 hours ago, thomaso said:

@R C-R, what do get in V2 in text mode for this two commands? To me in V1 shift-arrow selects single characters while cmd-shift-arrow selects words (left/right) or paragraphs (up/down).

It does the same for me in V2 but I think the OP is talking about the Align Center & Align Middle items on the V2 Arrange menu. I do not normally have any keyboard shortcuts set for any of the 6 align items on that menu but experimentally I set Align Center to Shift-CMD-Up Arrow & as expected, it did not override those two commands while in text entry mode. Of course, it works find if I am not in text entry mode but I think the OP is not trying to use those shortcuts while entering text so I am not sure if that is relevant here.

However, I did notice something odd in the OP's washed out grey screenshot of the Arrange menu. It is hard to see but as best as I can tell it shows the Align Center shortcut as ⇧⌘ ▲ (with a black upwards pointing triangle) while for me it shows as ⇧⌘↑(the same upwards pointing arrow symbol as in Settings/Preferences).

I am not sure why for the OP it shows that triangle but I suspect that is why it isn't working.

[thomaso]

2 hours ago, R C-R said:

I think the OP is not trying to use those shortcuts while entering text so I am not sure if that is relevant here.

It appears relevant because this is not working for the OP as it does for us. The OP answered to my question which literally asked "executed for the text cursor in a text frame".

[R C-R]

49 minutes ago, thomaso said:

It appears relevant because this is not working for the OP as it does for us. The OP answered to my question which literally asked "executed for the text cursor in a text frame".

If you mean this answer:

Quote

Only cmd+arrow resolves as expected. Cmd+shift+arrow seems to just act like "shift+arrow" are the only key commands being held.

then I'm not sure what the OP means by "resolves as expected" or by those two (?) being "the only key commands being held." 

[canni]

15 hours ago, R C-R said:

However, I did notice something odd in the OP's washed out grey screenshot of the Arrange menu. It is hard to see but as best as I can tell it shows the Align Center shortcut as ⇧⌘ ▲ (with a black upwards pointing triangle) while for me it shows as ⇧⌘↑(the same upwards pointing arrow symbol as in Settings/Preferences).

I am not sure why for the OP it shows that triangle but I suspect that is why it isn't working.

I'm not sure why this is happening either. Especially because:

On 11/18/2023 at 9:25 PM, canni said:

 

it looks correct in the preferences menu. But the dropdown menus display that filled in arrow.

To clarify, I typically use these commands to align any elements to middle and/or center quickly. It was working perfectly fine until I reinstalled Affinity Photo on a new computer. I use this both for text boxes, images, shapes, etc. What's strange is that I can easily set these key bindings in preferences; it recognizes the arrow keystrokes and everything. But then when it comes to actually executing the keybinds, it doesn't work.

What I notice particularly is that nudging still works, whether it's with or without shift held. But I'm realizing now that currently whenever Command is being held, nudging stops working as well, which may be tied with the same thing preventing the Command+Shift+Arrow key binding from working as well.

[R C-R]

7 hours ago, canni said:

What's strange is that I can easily set these key bindings in preferences; it recognizes the arrow keystrokes and everything. But then when it comes to actually executing the keybinds, it doesn't work.

Do the menu commands work? IOW, is it only these shortcuts that do not?

[thomaso]

8 hours ago, canni said:

But I'm realizing now that currently whenever Command is being held, nudging stops working as well, which may be tied with the same thing preventing the Command+Shift+Arrow key binding from working as well.

Since you also mentioned this above for cmd-shift-arrow in the Text Tool (text cursor) + "setup a new computer" I wonder whether …
… your keyboard hardware
… or its software
… or a keyboard setting in the operating system
may be influencing the use of cmd + arrow?

[R C-R]

5 minutes ago, thomaso said:

I wonder whether …
… your keyboard hardware
… or its software
… or a keyboard setting in the operating system
may be influencing the use of cmd + arrow?

A simple test for that might be to set some other shortcut to use CMD + one of the arrow keys & see if that works (& also to see if it shows a triangle or an arrow in the menu item it is assigned to).

[thomaso]

2 minutes ago, R C-R said:

A simple test for that might be to set some other shortcut to use CMD + one of the arrow keys

As the OP experienced + mentioned in the meantime, the issue is not with / caused by shortcuts in particular:

8 hours ago, canni said:

whenever Command is being held, nudging stops working

Thus assigning the shortcut to another task appears not to be a reliable test to detect the culprit. Even if cmd-arrow would work as shortcut for any other task, the nudge command issue does not have to be related to shortcuts.

@canni, your screenshots look like Windows – is there a custom system setting for the use of modifier keys, either generally or related to certain apps only? Or do you use a keyboard hardware with a software of its own?

[R C-R]

3 hours ago, thomaso said:

Thus assigning the shortcut to another task appears not to be a reliable test to detect the culprit. Even if cmd-arrow would work as shortcut for any other task, the nudge command issue does not have to be related to shortcuts.

But there appears to be more than one issue in play here, one of which is the odd display of triangle shapes instead of arrows in the menu commands. My suggestion was just to see if that also obtains with other shortcuts involving arrow keys.

Besides, I am not sure what you mean about the nudge command issue. The OP says that works as expected.

3 hours ago, thomaso said:

@canni, your screenshots look like Windows...

Several of the screenshots show the CMD symbol (⌘), so I think it is safe to assume the OP is using a Mac. However, it might be useful to know what kind of keyboard is being used & if there are any settings related to the keyboard that might somehow affect arrow key presses.