Feature Request – Up the Chain (Esc)

[HYR]

It's easy to cmd+click into a series of nested groups to select and element but sometimes you want select the parent or the group itself. I'd like to suggest that pressing `Esc` would then move your selection to the parent/group. Pressing it again would select the next parent element/group and so on and so forth until you at the top level. Pressing `Esc` this level would allow you to select the artboard. `Esc` at the artboard level would leave nothing selected. I suggest this because I like to try to avoid the layers panel as much as possible and stay within the canvas/artboards.

Sort of an "up the chain" kind of selection through deselection.

I know not everyone will like this type of workflow so maybe it could be a preference that is checked?

[Aammppaa]

I like the idea of being able to navigate the Layer tree with keypresses, but am not sure that Esc is the best keypress - it is already so integral to exiting menus and deselecting (especially with Text tool, where we can't press any other shortcut as it simply gets typed as characters).

There are already two keypresses (Ctrl+Alt+[ and Ctrl+Alt+] on PC) that select the Next and Previous sibling in the Layer tree.

It would be nice to extend this to Jump to Parent Container, which would work with clipped objects, groups, Layers, right up to artboards. 

[mfarooqi]

6 hours ago, Aammppaa said:

There are already two keypresses (Ctrl+Alt+[ and Ctrl+Alt+] on PC) that select the Next and Previous sibling in the Layer tree.

 

While using drawing apps, most of the time you use keyboard with one hand and dont' leave mouse. But such keyboard shortcuts need both hands. while.. Double click to get in.. and escape or even double click outside of the child group should go to parent groups and so on.. 

 

[Aammppaa]

@mfarooqi I agree - the default keypress is horrible!

Affinity uses the double click to enter containers and drill down one layer, so I'd like to see Modifier + Double Click be used to jump up one layer. Perhaps Alt + Double Click?

[Old Bruce]

Something would be good, I don't really care what sort of keypresses are involved but being able to jump up to the group and up again with a couple of keystrokes is a great idea.

[mfarooqi]

On 5/25/2019 at 4:57 PM, Aammppaa said:

@mfarooqi I agree - the default keypress is horrible!

Affinity uses the double click to enter containers and drill down one layer, so I'd like to see Modifier + Double Click be used to jump up one layer. Perhaps Alt + Double Click?

clicking double does step in one group and then to second and then to third.. but one sudden unintentional click on the canvas will take you to the great-grand-grand-grand-parent group. 

Should I share video as demo? ..