Selecting objects

[bikeman]

I am having a hard time selecting objects. It would seem that the hit area is very small and the exact tip of the arrow has to be exactly on the vector line. I think you need to increase this hit area.

 

Is there an option to highlight the selected object on hover?

[gdenby]

Assuming you are using AD. You should be able to click anywhere within a vector shape, not just on the stroke outline if you are in vector view mode. But if you are in outline mode, you do need to click on the bounding line.

 

In either mode, you can also select any object/layer shown on the layer panel, and the object(s) will be highlighted.

[bikeman]

Yes I am using Affinity Designer on Windows. It would seem that my rectangles etc were actually converted to paths somehow when exported to psd, so I had to select the path.

 

I still think that selecting a 1px line with the very tip of the selection arrow is difficult. Can't you expand the hit size a little? This is really detracting form my abilty to use AD.

 

When there are hundreds of layers it's not always easy to identify the one you want.

[R C-R]

It would seem that my rectangles etc were actually converted to paths somehow when exported to psd, so I had to select the path.

I do not understand what this has to do with selecting objects. You should be able to select any object, be it a shape or not, by clicking anywhere within it if it is filled (& you are not in outline mode). You do have to click on the stroke (path) of unfilled objects to select them, but if it is only a few pixels wide, you can zoom in so its display size is thick enough to make that easy.

 

You can also drag out a marquee with the pointer to select either everything the marquee touches or is completely enclosed by it, depending in how you have set Preferences > Tools > "Select object when intersects with selection marquee."

 

Enlarging the 'pick' area for the tool would make it difficult to select a particular object when several are in close proximity.

[bikeman]

I think the problem is partially due to everything being within artboards and then subgroups so I have to double click to get into the artboard, then double click to get into the group, then very carefully line up on an object to select it. I am repeatedly clicking and not selecting what I want.

 

I can't seem to just click and drag to select multiple objects. When I try I just end up selecting the entire artboard and dragging everything off it.

 

Many objects are not filled and are only 1px. It's just not practical to continuously zoom in to select them.

 

This is a real problem for me. I don't know if it's just the windows version but this is such a problem it's flaring up my rsi. As a long time Adobe user I've not come across anything like it and it's going to make me stop using Affinity Designer.  

 

I tried the setting you suggested without success but really why would that not be set by default. I've had a number of problems that have been resolved by flicking a setting that I wonder why it even exists: I really do think AD has too many settings. It's like these problems are identified and settings shoved in to resolve them. Adding more tools and settings is Adobe mentality. If something can be made better change it don't just add new tool or setting.

[R C-R]

I can't seem to just click and drag to select multiple objects. When I try I just end up selecting the entire artboard and dragging everything off it.

You can, depending on how your preferences are set, hold down the alt/option key when you start the drag, which tells the app not to drag the object under the pointer & instead just to select whatever the dragged out marquee touches or encloses.

 

The number of settings reflects the differences in how different people want the app to work. If you read through many of the posts here & in the feature request forum, you will see that a lot of people want substantially more of them, not fewer.

[MEB]

Hi bikeman,

To select a single object directly (even if inside a group) on the artboard you have to press CTRL and click the objector drag around it (enclosing it). If you want to select multiple objects directly you have to press CTRL + drag (enclosing) around all objects. There's also a way to select multiple objects directly without enclosing them (just touching them) but it's more complicated than on the Mac due to the use of the right mouse button: in this case you have to press CTRL then start drawing the marquee selection enclosing/touching the objects you want, press the right mouse button (while still keeping the left mouse button pressed) then release the left mouse button first.

 

 

@R C-R

I can't seem to just click and drag to select multiple objects. When I try I just end up selecting the entire artboard and dragging everything off it.

 

You can, depending on how your preferences are set, hold down the alt/option key when you start the drag, which tells the app not to drag the object under the pointer & instead just to select whatever the dragged out marquee touches or encloses.

 

There's no need to press ALT to prevent selecting the artboard. The artboard cannot be selected directly on the canvas with the Move Tool in any circumstance unless you click on its label.

The preferences are irrelevant because you can switch the selection behaviour on the fly (between enclosing or just touching) pressing ctrl on the Mac or the right mouse button on Windows.

[R C-R]

There's no need to press ALT to prevent selecting the artboard. 

True, but I was not talking about the artboard. I was talking about avoiding dragging an object on it that might be under the pointer when starting a drag to begin a marquee selection. When there are a lot of objects on the artboard (or the canvas if artboards are not being used) it can be difficult to find an 'empty' place to start the drag that does not immediately select an object & drag it unless I use the alt/option key to prevent that.

[bikeman]

...n this case you have to press CTRL then start drawing the marquee selection enclosing/touching the objects you want, press the right mouse button (while still keeping the left mouse button pressed) then release the left mouse button first.

 

All I can say is jeeze - do you have a UX guy there?

 

 

Thanks for the replies, I'm going to try an digest these suggestions.