Ability to turn off docking behavior

[aTanguay]

I work with a lot of photos and the default docking behavior is a real pain for me.

I'd really like to be able to have them cascade.

[russtanner]

I agree. I have posted some details about my request here: My Post

[russtanner]

I'll post the details below so they can be seen in this "Feature Requests" forum.

My thanks to the software developers for their amazing work on this product. My suggestion is below.

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I'm working with several windows while processing groups of graphics and I need to see previous graphics for a reference.

When I move the windows around, they keep wanting to dock, and when they dock, they change size of both windows:

1. The moved window, and
2. The other un-moved window that was docked-to.

So to recover, I have to

1. Undock the moved graphic, then
2. Resize the moved window, then
3. Resize the window that it docked to.

Needless to say, it's a frustrating workflow issue.

The only workaround that I found is that holding CTRL while moving windows seems to disable docking while CTRL is being held down. This helps, but we really, really need a way to just disable auto docking.

I would prefer docking work the opposite way: Docking only takes place when CTRL is pressed. After all, docking is likely needed much less frequently than moving undocked windows. This is likely true for the vast majority of workflows.

So perhaps, a solution would be: Having an option that reverses the functionality of CTRL in relation to docking. 

I love the software. I just hope this issue can be resolved for those of us who have to frequently move windows around.

[russtanner]

I have been using this current workflow for a couple days now, specifically, displaying multiple images in floating windows as a reference.

I do hope the auto-docking feature can be optionally-disabled in a future version.

The software is great, but I think I lost a few years of my lifespan by forgetting to hold CTRL when moving windows and then finding that I have to move and resize the 2 newly-docked windows again. 😀

[russtanner]

I want to support this "feature request" by saying...

A forum user suggested solving auto-dock frustration by using a free Windows add-on feature called "Fancy Zones". Although this does not really solve the issue that we have with Affinity's nail-biting auto-docking feature, it does have a UI feature that precisely mirrors my suggestion in the post above.

This is the suggestion that I made in the post above:

I would prefer docking work the opposite way: Docking (should) only take place when CTRL is pressed. After all, docking is likely needed much less frequently than moving undocked windows. This is likely true for the vast majority of workflows (<-- Very Important).

In learning about "Fancy Zones", they activate their docking feature only when the user holds the SHIFT key. This is a fantastic design decision as it accomplishes 2 things that are critical in UI design:

1. It make the window snapping feature quickly accessible to the user with a minimum of effort.
2. More Importantly: --> It prevent Fancy Zones from being frustratingly "over helpful" by allowing normal windows behavior when the user does not request help from Fancy Zones.

This is great UI design and mirrors my suggestion above.

I really hope you will implement this feature (dock only when a helper key is held down) in the near future. Affinity products are quite well-designed in my opinion, but the auto-dock feature is a constant source of frustration and wasted time causing about 30 to 40 seconds of recovery time every time unintended docking takes place.

Thank you.