Dedicated node edit tool...

[PhilM]

Morphonius: You are right, it is a bit odd that you can't immediately create one type of node or the other in the shape editor tool.

Relying on the current creation mode or double-clicking to change the node's type after creation both upset the workflow because they force you to think about the type of node at the "wrong" time - I mean, not at the time you are creating the node.

MarkMyWords has the right solution - use a key modifier to change the node type that will be created when you click. We can't use right-clicks because they are standardised to bring up context menus now. (I realise there are exceptions to that standard but that's how right-clicks /should/ be used.)

Since the Shape Editor doesn't use any key modifiers when handling clicks that should be fairly easy to implement without affecting the existing working of the tool.

Please don't assume that we will be able to do this, though. There are so many other things to do.

Phil

[Sheff]

Actually, what I was looking to eliminate was the select before delete node. If there was a tool which would simply delete nodes as I single clicked them. Otherwise it's, select, delete, select, delete. Granted, I could select a batch of them, but I can only drag and select rectangular shapes. If I could lasso a bunch of nodes and delete them, that would be fine, but that's not possible right now.

The pencil tool kind of works, but you have to make sure that it is in proximity to the line so the cursor changes. I would like for it to stay in the mode where you can keep adjusting the shape.

[jclements]

What about a double-click to auto-delete?

[haakoo]

You can use shift+select the nodes you want to delete

[morphonius_821]

Nothing wrong with disagreeing with another persons point of view Morphonius, as long as we are all polite everything is hunky-dory. Sorry if I came on a bit strong, but I do like the shape-editor and, inadvertently, became somewhat defensive.

No matter... its an ongoing conscious effort of mine to de-emote my posts so i understand you 100%.

Morphonius your argument doesn't necessitate any change in the program anymore than whom ever you are arguing with.

It will be as Charles Moir and the Xara Developers wish it to be....................

This Dear Xara... forum was created by the Moderators and was not requested by anyone at Xara Ltd.

Yes i'm aware that my posts will most likely amount to nothing and any argument i come up with to support a new feature etc may well fall on deaf ears and fail to find a sympathetic audience here or anywhere...
But that does not mean i will not put forward my opinion in a forum when i see an opening...
Whether Charles or Xara agree with me or not is most likely a business decision and im guessing the fellow is a business man first and foremost...
Weather or not he will read this post i don't know but he is on this forum so i'm guessing the chances are at least fair that he would stumble across it...
But then i again im not just trying to convince him i think allot of people are resistant to change even though they may not have given any given idea due course...
I think this is a good one and one that involves very minimum code and one that will be beneficial to a great many (perhaps not you or a few others here but enough to make it valuable)...

i'm actually a very old hat when it comes to suggesting improvements to apps...its a thankless task...
even when you get a hit you get no thanks, no recognition and no acknowledgment from those who shoveled poop on the idea one week and somehow fail to recognize this when they praise it months or years latter.
But changing something is often difficult politically i think most of the progress in apps like this often can come from new starts or fringe projects which when they come to some fruition will be brought up by the big players for 50 x the cost of implementing similar change gradually...

[Soquili]

Careful David Hewitt we may decide your new identity is too similar to your old one.

Debating is not what these forums are about. Making a request is all that is needed, if you feel you need to debate things do so in personal emails.

[morphonius_821]

There is no need to threaten me...i have not incited anything (and i made no attempt to hide that)...
And most people don't mind debate on these topics or when people don't share their views and are willing to explain why this is so...
Im not a member of the xara cheer squad but i do concede there is much to cheer about (i use it) but how is xara going to improve if they do not get good feed back on what people feel needs changing?

[Soquili]

No threat David....just a reminder.

These forums are not a debating society. Simply state your opinion then leave it alone. Repeating yourself is not needed.

[morphonius_821]

Morphonius: You are right, it is a bit odd that you can't immediately create one type of node or the other in the shape editor tool.

Relying on the current creation mode or double-clicking to change the node's type after creation both upset the workflow because they force you to think about the type of node at the "wrong" time - I mean, not at the time you are creating the node.

MarkMyWords has the right solution - use a key modifier to change the node type that will be created when you click. We can't use right-clicks because they are standardised to bring up context menus now. (I realise there are exceptions to that standard but that's how right-clicks /should/ be used.)

Since the Shape Editor doesn't use any key modifiers when handling clicks that should be fairly easy to implement without affecting the existing working of the tool.

Please don't assume that we will be able to do this, though. There are so many other things to do.

Phil

(nice to see that people on the development team are looking in.)
I sorta intuited that "your hands were tied" on the right click menu thing...(or that it was something xara did not want compromised)
Generally i totally agree with you as im a big believer in the power of the right click menu and in its ability to serve up useful content in every situation.
This is why i thought of introducing this "right click corner" thing as an option only...but if this prospect makes people nervous then i guess other options could still achieve the same.

So i do understand the stance here totally.
But there still needs to be a way to serve up a corner with one click and also a curve point with one click with no modifiers even with this limitation....

Perhaps as a compromise you could enable customization for mice with extra mouse buttons so this could be achieved with-out compromising the universality of the right click menu?.....

But i should add here that i think this is not the only issue with inserting corners with the shape editor tool as for example:
if you are placing down all curve nodes and then hit the "L" key and then place down one node then "C" and resume placing down curve nodes...
ie inserting one corner node...then the "cornerness" of this node seems to apply to the previous line segment ie created between this node and the last and not so much the whole node (ie lines go in both directions.)
this means that a single corner node does not create a corner but a straight line segment with a line curving out of it which means the outward flowing line must be manually edited anyway so even if you could place down a corner with one click as i would like...still under the current scheme it seems you would still need to edit it anyway....
I propose that a corner point should produce a sharp corner......(both sides of it LOL it take two sides to make a point...)


Also i have interesting ideas (which is kinda related) concerning what happens when you delete nodes in the pen tool (object editor or any other.. more later):
currently it seems that when deleted any node simply vanishes and ignors the current state of the underlying path which is re-generated to reflect the nodes on either side...(which is logical from in a kinda puritanical sense).
But it could be argued that it makes more sense that the neighboring nodes should auto adjust to attempt to as best as possible maintain the old line with the new reduced node set....
Perhaps the alt key could be used to accomplish this.
or even a node reduction icon next to the node reduction slider could be employed to dictate when happens when nodes are removed...
(again not big changes but i think cool ones.)

[jclements]

Are you familiar with the Smoothing slider??????

Oops I see your are.