Designer v2 Feature Request: Name multiple selected elements with the same name at once.

[Otto Manuel]

Hi,

 There are numerous occasions when it would be a great time saver if I could simultaneously edit the names of multiple objects by selecting all that I want and naming or renaming them with useful descriptive labels.

 Can you please add a feature where we can name multiple selected elements with the same name at once?

 Thank you!

[GarryP]

See: https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/200443-feature-suggestion-sort-or-rename-selection-of-layers/

[Otto Manuel]

That thread mentions renaming but seems focused on sorting layers by name.

My focus is on simply bulk naming or renaming the objects.

For example, I may get caught up in enthusiastically drawing numerous white blobby shapes on a blue background. When I am satisfied with the layout and appearance of the drawing, I may want to change the label on all the white blobs from "Curve" to "Clouds". It would be an effective time saver if I could select all the blobs and name them clouds with a single dialog text entry.

For example, I may get caught up in enthusiastically drag-and-drop copies of a leaf shape across my document and arranging them to assemble a drawing of a bush. I may want to select a subset of the "Leaf" shapes and name or rename them "Leaf-dark" or "Leaf-light". Then, I can select that whole subset by name and slightly adjust the color, which contributes color and light value variety to the illustration of the bush.

I have workarounds for all of this, some more or less tedious than others. The less tedious workarounds require anticipation, for example, draw a blob and name it "Cloud-medium", then copy the cloud numerous times and edit its shape to provide variety while creating a layout. This type of anticipatory workflow undermines the artfulness of hand drawing.

The more tedious workarounds occur after the fact.  For example, patiently select and name each and every object with a new name. That is just tedious but can afford significant time savings later in the project's life cycle. 🙂

I have no idea how complex providing the feature may be, but it seems a simple matter to appreciate how useful it would seem to illustrators using Designer.

Thank you.

[Otto Manuel]

Yesterday, while having several objects selected, I stumbled upon the hotkey combo Ctrl + Shift + R, which opens a Rename Layer dialog.

Previously, I always renamed my objects or layers by double-clicking on the row in the Layers window and typing a name into the row.

For a moment, I thought I might have found a way to rename multiple items at once, so I typed a name in the dialog window and hit OK.

The command renamed one of the selected items and ignored the rest.

Close, but no. 

[MikeTO]

Note that you can rename multiple objects sequentially (not at the same time) by pressing Tab instead of Return. Pressing Tab will give focus to the layer below the current one so that you can rename it next. This would allow you to copy the name to the clipboard and then press Ctrl + V, Tab, Ctrl + V, tab... This wouldn't be anywhere near as convenient as being able to rename them all at once but it would still be somewhat faster.

[Otto Manuel]

Hi,

 Thank you for the suggestion. I have done that many times.

 It can be an effective way to waste 15 or 20 minutes. 🙂

Sometimes, when I draw, I realize I am skipping the naming, and if I want to use names, I must return to the task later.

On those occasions, It feels more important to follow the sketcher's muse. It is not unusual to end up with hundreds of little curves that have been drawn and are candidates for naming.

On other occasions, I "engineer" an illustration with step-by-step intent, and I make time to name elements as I introduce them to the project.

I would appreciate the ability to draw freely and then name the elements afterward in the most efficient manner.

Thank you.

 

[retrograde]

Why not just select them all and group them and then name the group or select them all and "merge curve" them, then just name that layer?