Affinity publisher, transform

[Iztok]

Width and Lenght shoud be linked as default, almost never nobody use unliked option

[KarinC]

If linked was the default then someone who uses unlinked would complain.

[MikeTO]

This is a common complaint but as KarinC pointed out, changing it will just make the other half unhappy. I believe whether it should be constrained (linked) by default depends on the type of object, which is the way almost every app works. Please see this other thread.

 

[KarinC]

@MikeTO Those are valid suggestions. I'd guess that I use unlinked more often than linked. It is so easy to undo if you accidentally use the wrong one it isn't a huge issue.

[PaulEC]

Maybe, rather than having a default, it should just stay as the user sets it until the user decides to change it. (This, IMHO, also applies to a number of other settings!)

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, MikeTO said:

I believe whether it should be constrained (linked) by default depends on the type of object, which is the way almost every app works.

Personally, I think it would be confusing if some items were & others were not linked by default. Don't forget that the Transform panel W & H fields can be used with things like selected nodes, 'marching ants' selections, & artboards, so it isn't just for shape objects, image layers, etc.

[R C-R]

3 minutes ago, PaulEC said:

Maybe, rather than having a default, it should just stay as the user sets it until the user decides to change it.

Isn't that how it works now?

[PaulEC]

12 minutes ago, R C-R said:

Isn't that how it works now?

You're probably right, (I'm not sure without checking) but, in that case, what is the point in the original post? If it already stays as you set it, why do you need it to default to one setting or the other, just leave it on your preferred setting and don't change it!

[KarinC]

33 minutes ago, R C-R said:

Isn't that how it works now?

That is how it works. I call it sticky. Sometimes it makes me mad because I forget to change it when I use linked since I usually use unlinked.

[PaulEC]

36 minutes ago, R C-R said:

I think it would be confusing if some items were & others were not linked by default.

Personally I prefer some settings to be linked and others not. So back to my previous point: don't have set defaults, just leave it as the user sets it. I don't get confused if settings stay as I've set them, (even if some things are linked and others aren't) but I do get confused/annoyed if they keep changing to a default someone else has decided it should be!

5 minutes ago, KarinC said:

That is how it works. I call it sticky. Sometimes it makes me mad because I forget to change it when I use linked since I usually use unlinked.

Which is why it should be sticky, otherwise, whichever setting (linked or not linked) is set by default some people are going to be unhappy with it. At least if you normally use a particular setting, and it is sticky, you will only occasionally find that it isn't on your proffered choice; if it defaults one way or the other, some people are going to have to keep changing it all the time.

[thomaso]

5 hours ago, Iztok said:

Width and Lenght shoud be linked as default, almost never nobody use unliked option

Don't you create layout objects with various aspect ratios numerically?

2 hours ago, KarinC said:

I forget to change it when I use linked since I usually use unlinked.

Sometimes I 'intuitively' press the Shift key when confirming a value with the Enter key to maintain the aspect ratio. Unfortunately, this doesn't work.

[R C-R]

42 minutes ago, PaulEC said:

Personally I prefer some settings to be linked and others not. So back to my previous point: don't have set defaults, just leave it as the user sets it.

But again, isn't that how it works now -- IOW, no defaults?

[PaulEC]

1 hour ago, R C-R said:

But again, isn't that how it works now -- IOW, no defaults?

Yes - but the OP said that there should be a default - "Width and Lenght shoud be linked as default".  I am not sure why my post confused you, I am simply disagreeing with the OP and saying: just leave it as it is and let the user decide what setting they want, rather than imposing a default setting that many people will disagree with.

[MikeTO]

3 hours ago, R C-R said:

Personally, I think it would be confusing if some items were & others were not linked by default

We all have different preferences, but other apps have worked this way for decades and it's Affinity's approach that I find confusing. The toggle is always on when I'm scaling a text frame and don't expect it to be constrained or off when I'm scaling an image and expect it to be constrained.

[Iztok]

if 90% of used is constrain, so it is wise to simplify, for users, because now isn't, or give me an option to decide on my own, with preferences

[Return]

https://affinity.help/publisher2/English.lproj/pages/Workspace/preferences.html (under tools)
Overridden by shift key.

 

[thomaso]

14 minutes ago, Return said:

Overridden by shift key.

It does not solve the problem when the Transform Panel gets used.
(…whereas this setting is why I 'intuitively' hold the Shift key when pressing Enter in the Transform Panel… which does not work in this case unfortunately)

[KarinC]

57 minutes ago, Iztok said:

if 90% of used is constrain, so it is wise to simplify, for users, because now isn't, or give me an option to decide on my own, with preferences

Constrain and linked are two different things. In the transform panel you choose to link or not. When you first open a new file the default is to not be linked when you enter the value in the transform panel. If you choose linked, it will stay that way in that document until you change it or close the document. I do not believe there is any data that confirms that 90% of users use linked.

 

[R C-R]

10 hours ago, MikeTO said:

The toggle is always on when I'm scaling a text frame and don't expect it to be constrained or off when I'm scaling an image and expect it to be constrained.

??? If I disable linking in the Transform panel while working on one document & close that document & open another (new or saved) then linking remains disabled for that document, regardless of if I add a text frame, a placed image, or whatever to it. Conversely, if I enable it in one document (or even when no document is open) it remains enabled unti I change its setting.

IOW, as has been mentioned it is a 'sticky' setting.

[PaulEC]

2 hours ago, Return said:

Overridden by shift key.

There seems to be something wrong here! 😉

[Return]

4 minutes ago, PaulEC said:

There seems to be something wrong here! 😉

And what may that be?

[thomaso]

8 minutes ago, PaulEC said:

There seems to be something wrong here!

Also my first impression – but note the tiny down/unfold arrow in the upper right corner of this menu.
(though I would have drawn the arrow to the "Move…" label, not the "Constrain…" menu entry which is highlighted anyway)

[Return]

It is the dropdown for the Move Tool Aspect Constrain option.

 

 

[PaulEC]

Sorry, now thomaso points it out I see what you are trying to show. Not wrong, just not very clear.

Edit: the video is much better and much clearer for anyone who does not know about this.

[dominik]

27 minutes ago, PaulEC said:

There seems to be something wrong here! 😉

Hello @PaulEC,

is it possible that you read 'Create Text with Blend Gamma:' next to 'Constrain by default' and think it is the wrong text for that option?

The blue highlighted line is part of a dropdown box that belongs to the entry two lines above. This option has the label 'Move Tool Aspect Contrain' and is correct.

d.