Confirmation dialog available?

[PafCaf]

This is a (very) small irritation, but I was wondering if there is any way to turn on the "confirm delete" dialog in the layers palette? 

[R C-R]

Are you asking for a 'are you sure you want to delete?' option if you select an object in the Layers panel & use a right-click to pop open the menu with the Delete option & select it, or do the equivalent with a keyboard shortcut?

If so, there is no option to enable that but of course you can use Undo if you deleted something by accident.

[Pšenda]

1 hour ago, R C-R said:

but of course you can use Undo if you deleted something by accident.

... in general, only actions that have a significant impact and are irreversible should be confirmed. For example, unintentional/unconfirmed closing of a document that has been modified but not saved, which leads to the irreversible loss of the modifications made. Requiring confirmation of any action and change in the document (even if it is a deletion), which can be returned and restored to the state before the unwanted operation was performed using Undo, would just be an unnecessary disruption to the workflow.

[R C-R]

28 minutes ago, Pšenda said:

Requiring confirmation of any action and change in the document (even if it is a deletion), which can be returned and restored to the state before the unwanted operation was performed using Undo, would just be an unnecessary disruption to the workflow.

Exactly!

[PafCaf]

I'm a Photoshop convert and I used to get a warning box "confirm delete" when I went to delete a layer. I've hit the delete accidentally in Affinity when I wanted to create a new layer, so it's a feature I kind of miss. Hence my very small irritation. No biggee if there is no warning dialog box option in Affinity. It'll teach me to be more careful.

[R C-R]

2 hours ago, PafCaf said:

It'll teach me to be more careful.

Or just keep an eye on the History panel to see if you just accidentally deleted something.

[GarryP]

5 hours ago, PafCaf said:

I've hit the delete accidentally in Affinity when I wanted to create a new layer, so it's a feature I kind of miss.

If this came about because you accidentally pressed the “Remove Layer” button at the bottom of the Layers Panel rather than pressing the “Add Pixel Layer” (or “Add Layer”) button (which is right next to it) then I think this is a good example of where the UI could be altered to make it more difficult to do things accidentally without the need for a confirmation pop-up.

On Windows there is no gap (that I can tell) between the two buttons and it is very easy, ‘in the heat of the moment’, to accidentally press the wrong one – maybe because of a very slight slip of the mouse – and not notice that something has simply gone from the document.

The buttons have been as they are for as long as I have been using the applications but I think it would be nice if something was done about it.

In various other places in the UI – e.g. the Appearance Panel, the New Document Panel, but not, for some reason, the Guides Manager – the ‘creation buttons’ and the ‘deletion buttons’ are kept at different sides of their ‘container’ so it might be good if that was done here also.

However, some people might not like such a big change so maybe just putting a one-button-width ‘buffer’ between them would make a difference.

[R C-R]

5 hours ago, GarryP said:

On Windows there is no gap (that I can tell) between the two buttons and it is very easy, ‘in the heat of the moment’, to accidentally press the wrong one – maybe because of a very slight slip of the mouse – and not notice that something has simply gone from the document.

Again, just keep an eye on the History panel and/or notice that if you were trying to add a layer that did not happen.

[GarryP]

If I had a choice between:

• Having to confirm every layer deletion;
• Permanently losing screen space to show the History Panel so I could check it regularly;
• Having to switch to (and back from) the History Panel to check what happened;
• Having a small gap between two buttons;

...I know what my choice would be.

[Ron P.]

Another alternative, use Keyboard Shortcuts.

•  New Layer = CTL + SHIFT + N
• The icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel tool tip shows Remove Layer = Delete or Backspace key.

Big difference in them, no mixing up Adding or Removing a Layer. Plus you can set different keyboard shortcuts to your liking.

 

[R C-R]

6 hours ago, GarryP said:

Having a small gap between two buttons;

So why not add that as a feature request?

[R C-R]

11 hours ago, GarryP said:

Having to confirm every layer deletion...

Consider how many different ways a selected layer can be deleted, the simplest being just to hit the Delete key. Would anyone really want a confirmation before that happens?

I still think the best way to avoid accidental deletions that does not unnecessarily overly complicate typical workflows is just to pay attention to what happens when a button or keyboard shortcut is used, including but not limited to paying attention to the History panel & what (if anything) changes in the document window or Layers panel.

[GarryP]

17 hours ago, R C-R said:

So why not add that as a feature request?

Done: https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/215637-it-would-be-nice-if-the-remove-layer-button-in-the-layers-panel-was-not-so-near-to-the-add-layer-buttons/

[GarryP]

12 hours ago, R C-R said:

Would anyone really want a confirmation before that happens?

I certainly wouldn’t, and I am not advocating for such, but the OP was.

I thought I was clear that my preference was to have a gap between the buttons rather than the other options I mentioned.

[PafCaf]

I didn't mean to open a can of worms. Sorry y'all.

I have a pretty sensitive tablet, and sometimes my pen touches down on areas of the workplace that I don't intend to. I saw something change and I wasn't sure what had happened, so in the future I'll check the history panel to make sure I don't delete a layer accidentally.

Thanks everyone who responded.