Select object(s) problem

[Jim Monson]

A map doc I have been working on has many objects and texts (frame texts and artistic texts). I have always very much liked the fact that I could select these by simply pulling my mouse over a unique object or text box. All of a sudden, this feature no longer works. Nothing is selected when I drag my mouse over a unique object or text, even if it is totally isolated from other objects or texts. I have checked my locked and unlocked layers, and they are all as they should be.

 

Another problem accompanies the above. When I double click an object or a text box (even with all of its layers unlocked and all other layers locked), the complete set of objects or texts is selected rather than the individual item. However, selecting an individual object or text box by clicking it in the layer palette still works fine. 

 

A third and no doubt related problem is that the usual AD method of selecting a line and the adding a point with the node tool no longer works. The pen tool does not do this either.

 

At times, after working on such a doc for some time, AD seems to "get tired" and certain functions are slower or simply do not work. I have not documented this carefully, but in the past I simply save, exit AD and bring it up again. This seems to solve the problem, which must be a memory overload of some sort. In the case of the problem above (in the first two paragraphs), exiting AD and bringing it up again does not help. 

 

I've looked at various settings and preferences but see nothing that addresses this issue.

 

Thanks for any advice available. 

[Alfred]

It sounds as though you've grouped a set of objects ('Layer > Group', or ⌘G). With the group selected, choose 'Layer > Ungroup' or press Shift+⌘G to ungroup it.

[R C-R]

In the Tools preferences, is "Select object when intersects with marquee" checked? If not, you will have to drag a marquee that completely encloses an object to select it.

[MEB]

Hi Jim Monson,

 

Regarding your first issue and second issues: when your vector objects are inside a layer you can select them directly clicking on them on canvas or in the Layers panel. If they are inside a group as @Alfred pointed out clicking on one of them will select the entire group. In this case double-clicking the object on the canvas will select just the object you want (or selecting it directly in the Layers panel as you discovered). If you select the group and ungroup it you should be able to access the objects directly again just clicking on them on canvas.

 

If for some reason you are having trouble selecting one object - it may be nested inside several groups for example which may requires several clicks to get there - you can force select it. To do this press and hold ⌘ (cmd) and click the object you want to select on canvas. It should be immediately selected no matter where it's located in the Layers hierarchy.

 

 

 

Regarding the problem with adding nodes, make sure you are adding them to a (Curve) object and not to a shape (or text) objects. You can't add nodes directly to a shape (a rectangle, an ellipse or a star) without converting it first to Curves. To do it select the object and click on Convert to Curves button in the context toolbar with the Node Tool. The Layers panel should reflect this change displaying (Curve) between parenthesis rather than the shape's name.

 

The difference between a shape and a Curve is that shapes are parametric. They have a series of attributes you can change (number of points on a star, corner radius in a rounded rectangle for example) and must remain as shapes to keep those attributes editable. When you convert them to curves the shape lose those attributes and becomes just a simple curve (path) defined by its nodes which you can edit with the Node Tool (adding, removing or editing them).

[Jim Monson]

Thanks for your good responses. The objects actually were already curves, and I hesitate to confess that I had separated a long arrow with two side curves and was actually trying to add a point between two points where there was color ... but I had forgotten to join the object, not noticing that there was not curve between the two points. Duh! Sorry to put you all through my obvious mistake. I did learn something, however.