Plus (+) and Minus (-) on Windows Numpad don't work for Zoom

[Ron P.]

While checking on a post in the Beta section by @ronnyb, about on Macs, using the shortcut of Cmd + does not zoom into where the focus, where you want it to. Which would be nice.

What I discovered is the typical Serif consistent, inconsistency. Using the shortcut CTL + or CTL - (numpad) does not work in the Retail 2.5.7 However it does in the current Beta 2.6.0. AND in V1, 1.10.6.

So it worked in V1, then they broke it in V2, and they now fixed it in the V2.6 beta? It's not that none of the Numpad keys work, it's just a select few, like the Plus and Minus for Zooming in and out. There's no logic to this at all. If most of the Numpad keys work for shortcuts, why did they do this? I searched (the world over and I thought....oh that's an old Hee-Haw song), and noticed several posts from years gone by, about this.

I checked the Default settings, which are CTL + =, and CTL + - in all apps. In Designer Beta using the Numpad plus and minus works. It does not for the others. In V1, using the Numpad works.

Finally we can set the shortcut for zooming in / out, so it will recognize the Numpad use, and in the keyboard shortcut dialog, it shows as much, ie; CTL + Numpad + or CTL + Numpad + -.

Running out of Keyboard shortcuts is not a viable explanation. It is an excuse due to the writers lack of ability to code it. My evidence is look at what Blackmagic Design (hey everyone comes on here crying about PS does it this way or that way), has done with their keyboard shortcuts. They not only are based on Pages, but even down to the panels and menus. So you can have the same shortcut that applies differently based on where you're at in the app.

 

 

[R C-R]

5 hours ago, Ron P. said:

... using the shortcut of Cmd + does not zoom into where the focus, where you want it to.

I'm not sure what you mean about the focus. Are you maybe talking about the View > Zoom to Selection menu item & its shortcut?

If so, on my Mac in the current AD beta it is set to ⇧⌘0 (Shift + CMD + Zero) & that works with the keypad's zero on my extended Mac keyboard. I assume this is the default.

In the retail AD version it is set to ⌘ 4 & that also works with the keypad's 4. I think I changed it to that but I'm not sure if I doid or it was a default.

[Ron P.]

1 hour ago, R C-R said:

I'm not sure what you mean about the focus

Focus, like when you focus on a specific spot. It's been known for years and years, where you place your cursor gives focus for operations. By that I mean for example: If you have several objects like shapes or whatever, selecting in the View window, and pressing the shortcuts would zoom to that specific object. Sometimes even having just your cursor hovering over a specific spot, will allow zooming in on that spot. Davinci Resolve is an app that does these sort of things, based on where your cursor is, View area, or play-head in the Timeline, ect.

[R C-R]

1 minute ago, Ron P. said:

If you have several objects like shapes or whatever, selecting in the View window, and pressing the shortcuts would zoom to that specific object.

In Affinity Designer, at least on Macs that is the  View > Zoom to Selection menu item (& there is just one menu item & a shortcut for it).

Do you not see the same item in the Windows version? Is there a different name for that in AD for Windows or is it totally missing?

[Ron P.]

Yes I do. However Zoom being referred to is incremental. Not zooming all the way in. It would be like using the Spacebar + CTL and dragging.

[R C-R]

26 minutes ago, Ron P. said:

However Zoom being referred to is incremental.

Are you talking about the View > Zoom > Zoom In & Zoom out menu items?

If so, all I can tell you is that on my Mac in every version CMD + & CMD - both work as expected with both the plus & minus keys on the keypad & main keyboard.

So maybe this is a Windows only issue?

EDIT: One other thought -- what keyboard are you using? Does it have a physical builtin Numpad or are you using a smaller keyboard with an outboard physical numeric keypad, or maybe a virtual one? That probably doesn't make a difference but it might help others testing this on their computers.

[lacerto]

On 1/8/2025 at 2:26 PM, Ron P. said:

So it worked in V1, then they broke it in V2, and they now fixed it in the V2.6 beta?

This is odd, because I cannot reproduce this in v. 1.10.6(.1665) -- any of the three apps -- and also, the shortcut definitions do not make a distinction between Ctrl + numpad +/- keys and Ctrl + regular +/- keys. I wonder if this could somehow be system/machine specific? I tested the v1 behavior on Windows 11 Pro 23H2 both on a computer that has a separate numeric keypad (and using NumPad +/- keys both NumLock on and off), and one that does not (using regular Ctrl + +/- key combinations). As for Adobe apps, zooming in and out incrementally to selection with Ctrl+regular/numpad plus and minus keys works e.g. in InDesign and Illustrator but not in Photoshop (CC2025 versions tested).

[UPDATE: What I meant is that zooming in and out has always worked similarly for me in 1.x and 2.x release version apps no matter whether using NumPad keys (NumLock on or off) or regular plus and minus (dash) keys, and have never featured a capability of zooming in/out in relation of a selection.]

[Ron P.]

On 1/8/2025 at 2:01 PM, R C-R said:

Are you talking about the View > Zoom > Zoom In & Zoom out menu items?

Yes, I'm talking about those shortcuts. By default they are CTL + = and CTL+-. Those are the number keys across the top of my Qwerty keyboard, that has a built in Numpad on the right side.

I just checked my Affinity apps again. Affinity Photo and Designer V1, I can Zoom In & Zoom Out using the shortcuts of CTL+NUMPAD + & CTL +NUMPAD-. Even though according to the setting in Preferences>Keyboard Shortcuts>View are the default CTL + = and CTL+-.

Retail versions of Photo  Designer, Zooming In & Zooming Out does not work using CTL+NUMPAD + & CTL +NUMPAD-. <--(This is what I press, not what's set in the Keyboard shortcuts of Settings).

Beta versions for some reason using CTL+NUMPAD + & CTL +NUMPAD- does not work in Photo, but does in Designer and Publisher. Again, it's what I'm pressing on my keyboard. In Settings>Keyboard Shortcuts>View for Zoom In & Zoom Out, it is CTL + = and CTL+-.

I was going to do a video, however I don't have in my capture software (OBS) that shows what keystrokes I'm pressing, so would not prove anything by showing the screen zooming in and out.