Rectangle tool shortcut question

[MEB]

Rectangle Tool: Drag + ^

I can't make it work. Is it implemented already or is it a bug related with international keyboard configs?

If that's a circumflex accent, i need to press SHIFT+ ^ in my keyboard (portuguese) to access it. Maybe this is what's causing the problem?

[Ben]

The ^ symbol on the hintline denotes the Ctrl key.  That's an Apple choice of symbol that we just have to go along with.

 

Unfortunately, there is also a conflict with the way the Mac uses Ctrl+Click to simulate a right click.  If you left mouse down while already pressing Ctrl you would get the context menu appear (if there is one defined for the tool - otherwise nothing happens). We have gone along with this convention. This gets priority over the tool mouse input.  Try pressing the left mouse button before pressing the Ctrl key, and hopefully it will then work.

 

This modifier combination was also primarily added for the Arrow shape, but useful for all shapes.  It will allow you to create an arrow between two points (good for use with snapping).  You can also use Ctrl when resizing from an edge handle and you will get the same effect.  Mix that with Shift and you will get proportional resizing with rotation.

[Ben]

Just to contradict myself - we've had a think and decided that if you Ctrl+Click while over a tool handle (for resizing or editing shapes), then the tool should get priority over the right-click context menu.

 

This should hopefully make the whole thing more intuitive.  I didn't like the idea that one of the modifier keys has to be pressed after the mouse button whereas the others don't.

 

Of course, if you are dragging out a new shape you won't start with the mouse over a handle, so you will still have to press the Ctrl key after the mouse button.  Can't win 'em all.

[MEB]

Thanks for your explanation Ben. It's working as you described but the modifier key must be pressed after the dragging as you stated (that's where my confusion come from). And this is really a different behaviour from the other modifier keys which make it a little less intuitive. Changing it the way you described makes more sense to me (even with the little exception for newly created shapes).

[Ben]

OK.  I've made the changes, and it will be in the next Beta.  Seems to work much better.