Rules for broken curves

[toltec]

To save me hours of experimentation and brain cell abuse, does anybody know which part of a "broken" curve will be on top?

 

If I take a curve and break the shape, which node (or segment) will be on top. I foolishly assumed that it would have something to do with the start point, but in the two shapes below, I drew from opposite ends and clicked on the "break curve" button, but the right hand path node over the break, was the one on top.

 

It is actually quite important (?) because if you break a path, knowing which part of the line that is about to move saves a move, an undo, a selection change and another move.

 

I know clicking on the segment changes things but that doesn't help on a circle. 

 

I know I can drag the node tool over both nodes and shift click to get the bottom one but I would like a little clarity.

[dutchshader]

Would that not show in the layers panel?

 

Not with a circle 

Edited October 11, 2017 by dutchshader
forgot to think

[toltec]

Oh well, it's not just me then.

 

Where's Miguel when you need him ?

 

[R C-R]

From what I can tell, at least for open shapes it does depend on the start & end nodes -- the node nearest the original red end node is the top one.

[gdenby]

When a curve is drawn, the last point is shown by a red node. I guess it could be said to be at the "top" of the node list. Any node added to the curve, or already existing is below that. When one of those lower nodes is broken, it is still "below" the original top. The section moves up in the layer list. What is left of the original curve now has a "top" red node hidden under the bottom node of the new upper layer.

 

In a closed curve, a break point is promoted to the top. A second break defines the portion of a new layer, an unclosed curve. The remnant of the original is below. Try decomposing a polygon by sequentially breaking faces away. You will see the original figure shown in the layers panel to be whittled away.

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, gdenby said:

In a closed curve, a break point is promoted to the top.

I think part of what @toltec is asking is which node ends up on top. This seems to depend on the direction of the curve; or equivalently, which node becomes the end one after it is broken. Shapes like ellipses, rectangles, etc. apparently have a predetermined direction when broken, but it can be reversed prior to breaking it using the "Reverse Curves" action:

For nodes with an extended control handle like above, it is fairly obvious which node is selected, but this would not be true if the nodes at & adjacent to the break point were sharp ones with no extended handles.

[toltec]

9 hours ago, R C-R said:

From what I can tell, at least for open shapes it does depend on the start & end nodes -- the node nearest the original red end node is the top one.

 

Yes, thanks guys. That has sorted it for me.  

 

As gdenby says, the later ones are "on top" and as R C-R suggested, reversing the path sorts the circle selection.