Move tool selects curves only not layer

[artistraman]

Hi,

In Affinity Designer, The selection tool when clicked on something by default selects a curve only. I place a number of curves inside a layer. But then when I want to select the entire layer by move tool to move around or scale, it would select only a curve on which the cursor is clicked. Is there a setting by which we can make the selection tool select entire layer on clicking inside artboard rather than going to the layers panel and selecting the layer?

 

regards

[R C-R]

The Move Tool (which I assume is what you mean by selection tool) selects whatever is the topmost layer where you click. It could be a Group layer (maybe what you mean by a number of curves inside a layer?), or any other layer that is not locked. It does not have to be a curve layer.

[lepr]

.

[toltec]

If you group the layers, they will all select at once.

If they are not grouped, you can drag a marquee around the objects to select them.

 

The selection marquee has to completely surround everything to select it. To make the selection marquee select everything it touches, set this in Preferences. Preferences > Tools and tick this.

 

[lepr]

.

[toltec]

Doesn't work on Windows. Photo or Designer 1.5 somethings 

[Alfred]

1 hour ago, owenr said:

A Layer object (an object with " (Layer)" appended to its name in Layers panel) is not selectable by clicking in the document view with Move Tool; its contained objects (other than Layer objects, of course) are always directly selectable.

A Group object is an alternative container object that can be selected by Move Tool, and an object inside a selected group can be selected by double-clicking that object

 

You can also select an element of a group by Ctrl-clicking on it.

 

51 minutes ago, owenr said:

58 minutes ago, toltec said:

The selection marquee has to completely surround everything to select it. To make the selection marquee select everything it touches, set this in Preferences. Preferences > Tools and tick this.

 

That behaviour can be temporarily toggled on the fly by holding down Ctrl key after starting to drag out the marquee. Much more convenient than going into preferences each time you want to switch the behaviour.

 

47 minutes ago, toltec said:

Doesn't work on Windows. Photo or Designer 1.5 somethings 

 

The Alt key seems to be the required modifier here.

[toltec]

12 minutes ago, Alfred said:

The Alt key seems to be the required modifier here.

 

No. Still doesn't work, Photo (1.5.2.69) or Designer. (1.5.3.69)

 

 

[lepr]

.

 

[Alfred]

23 minutes ago, toltec said:

No. Still doesn't work, Photo (1.5.2.69) or Designer. (1.5.3.69)

 

Sorry, I was working from (my obviously faulty!) memory. I can't press the RMB and the LMB at the same time on this laptop, so I can't try the Windows equivalent of @owenr's suggestion here, but I'm pretty sure it will work for those lucky Windows users who can actually do it.

 

The confusion that has arisen here is down to the fact that Macs have an extra modifier key. Shift is the same on Mac and Windows, and this also applies to the Alt key, but (at least in the Affinity apps) Cmd on a Mac is Ctrl on Windows. Because there is no direct equivalent to the Mac Ctrl key, Windows users currently have to do the RMB/LMB thing instead.

 

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, owenr said:

That behaviour can be temporarily toggled on the fly by holding down Ctrl key after starting to drag out the marquee.

This is confirmed in the Mac AD help topic Selecting Objects:

However, the problem I have with this in real-world everyday use is if there is anything under the pointer where I want to start the drag (& there usually is) clicking to start the drag instead selects that object, so as I drag it is moved. It isn't possible to hold down Ctrl first on a Mac because if I do that & then click, the context menu pops up. Consequently, I keep the "Select object when intersects with selection marquee' option enabled.

 

The alt/option key would not work for this for similar reasons -- if there is anything under the pointer, trying to start dragging out a marquee would move & duplicate that object.

[lepr]

.

[R C-R]

20 minutes ago, owenr said:

The system works very well in real-world use. You avoid moving an object when making a marquee by holding down Opt/Alt before beginning to make the marquee, and then you can release Opt/Alt as the marquee starts to be dragged out. Also, you shouldn't be trying to hold down Ctrl before starting the marquee creation. Ctrl is to be held down during the marquee creation to toggle crossing/surrounding behaviour.

The problem I have with that is it will include in the selection any objects under the pointer when the drag starts -- the option key avoids the drag/copy behavior fine, but once the Ctrl key is pressed after starting the drag, any & all objects under the pointer's initial position are included because they all partially intersect with the marquee.

[toltec]

1 hour ago, owenr said:

Are you definitely starting to drag out the marquee before holding down modifier (Ctrl on a Mac)?

 

 

Yes. tried shift. ctrl, alt, ctrl + alt, ctrl + shift, alt + shift, left mouse, right mouse middle mouse, etc etc etc.

[dutchshader]

with only the left mouse button you have to completely surround objects, with left and right mouse button pressed its selects when it intesects.

at least on win 10

[R C-R]

2 minutes ago, toltec said:

Yes. tried shift. ctrl, alt, ctrl + alt, ctrl + shift, alt + shift, left mouse, right mouse middle mouse, etc etc etc.

I don't know if this applies to Windows, or if it is a quirk of my Mac system, but I find that I have to be very careful about not clicking & using the modifier keys at nearly the same time, even if I am sure I have done everything in the correct order. It is as if sometimes there is a tiny delay between when the mouse & keyboard inputs are processed by the app, so for example clicking & then immediately pressing the Ctrl key is interpreted as pressing the key first.

 

It may have something to do with the complexity of the document or with the driver I use for my trackball or some other process going on in the background, but I have not been able to pin it down to any likely cause. All I know is if I take a little time to make sure the clicks, drags, & key presses/releases are each distinct, separate events, it works as expected, otherwise it may not.

[jer]

36 minutes ago, R C-R said:

I don't know if this applies to Windows, or if it is a quirk of my Mac system, but I find that I have to be very careful about not clicking & using the modifier keys at nearly the same time, even if I am sure I have done everything in the correct order. It is as if sometimes there is a tiny delay between when the mouse & keyboard inputs are processed by the app, so for example clicking & then immediately pressing the Ctrl key is interpreted as pressing the key first.

 

It may have something to do with the complexity of the document or with the driver I use for my trackball or some other process going on in the background, but I have not been able to pin it down to any likely cause. All I know is if I take a little time to make sure the clicks, drags, & key presses/releases are each distinct, separate events, it works as expected, otherwise it may not.

 

Absolutely agree for Windows also. To prevent unintended Moves of other accidentally selected curves (most often due to being zoomed in and not seeing selection indicators on other items) I almost have to put a lock on all other layers or give up any speed advantages by using the modifiers. Usually the latter because locking & unlocking is a nuisance too. I need to read up on locking/unlocking too because I have seen many instances where locking the Group DOES NOT lock layers within the group. Weird Weird Weird. 

[toltec]

Ah, got it 

 

You have to press the left mouse button, then the right mouse button, drag to select then release the left mouse button first. 

 

So thanks everybody for the various inputs.