Zoom in, zoom out

2D CAD software for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux
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Mikerosen
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Zoom in, zoom out

Post by Mikerosen »

Although ⌘ + - will zoom out, I need SHIFT + ⌘ + = to zoom in.

No other program works this way.
Mike Rosen
Seattle, WA, USA

Mac OS Ventura 13.1, iOS 11.4.1 on iPad Pro
debenriver
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Re: Zoom in, zoom out

Post by debenriver »

Mike:

Go to System Preferences >> Keyboard >> Shortcuts >> App Shortcuts and create a shortcut for RealCADD so that Zoom is ⌘= See screen shot below:
Screen Shot 2014-08-28 at 01.03.45.png
Screen Shot 2014-08-28 at 01.03.45.png (85.32 KiB) Viewed 9862 times
Then it works without the use of the shift key.

I didn't really understand the post about the ESC key ...

George
debenriver
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Re: Zoom in, zoom out

Post by debenriver »

By the way Mike, you can create all sorts of shortcuts using System Preferences >> Keyboard >> Shortcuts >> App Shortcuts

E.G. I have:

Action->Align->Left set to ⌥L
Action->Align->Right set to ⌥R

I think that for menu items that have a screen icon like "Zoom in" you can just enter the exact words and the shortcut – so Zoom in can be ⌘= You could equally well have entered Window->Zoom in

You do need to enter the "->" bit in between each menu and sub-menu as I have typed it, with no spaces between the menu/sub-menu items.

For menu items that don't have a screen icon you need to specify the whole path. This works fine with sub-menus (like the Align menu for example).

You need to use keystroke sequences that are not already assigned and you can't use more than one letter – but I think you can use a combination of several command keys (shift, control, option and command0. You can also use the four arrow keys – so there is actually a huge number that you could create!

You may need to quit RC and restart it after creating the shortcut. And you may need to do a computer restart (though I didn't).

You will see the new shortcuts in the menu items as if they were coded there originally.

If RC isn't directly in you Applications folder scroll to the bottom of the applications list and use Other – and then navigate to where you have it located on your computer.

Shortcuts are IMO as not nearly good as the old MacroMaker in earlier mac systems, which could record all sorts of keystrokes, chunks of text etc. - but that is the pain of upgrades – useful things seem to get upgraded out!

There was also a great little program called ResEdit – which let you tamper with the basic coding of programs – I had lots of fun and a few disasters with that!!

Turning back to the Zoom in function – it would be better if Eric made ⌘= map directly to the function, because modern laptop keyboards no longer have the numeric key set alongside the main keyboard – where the direct ⌘+ would work.

They don't have separate Enter and Return keys either – which makes it useless to use some of the assigned keystrokes in the Tools menu. For example if you are entering Text and want to get out of it you have to click somewhere on the screen (which is a bit quirky sometimes) – if you hit Enter, you get a Return which is not what is wanted at all! I'd better make that a separate Post I think!

George
Mikerosen
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Re: Zoom in, zoom out

Post by Mikerosen »

George,
Thanks. I know about the creating my own keyboard shortcuts; I use them extensively in Finale. My point was the ⌘+ and ⌘- work fine in every other program that I know about.

In many other programs, the ESC key takes you out of the current tool. It seems to be an oddity of RC that you have to "finalize" your input, by clicking elsewhere on the drawing, before using the ESC key. If you haven't done this, ESC erases your input. It's this extra click that seems to be a problem for me. It might just be something I have to get used to. But man, was I frustrated last night....
Mike Rosen
Seattle, WA, USA

Mac OS Ventura 13.1, iOS 11.4.1 on iPad Pro
debenriver
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Re: Zoom in, zoom out

Post by debenriver »

Hi Mike:

Didn't mean to teach my grandmother how to suck eggs! Maybe that is a Englishism??

I've never really used the Esc key for anything – only Force Quit, a forced restart, and similar last resort stuff. Bit like the Ctr-Alt–Delete in Windows. None of the programs I have had, really used it at all. Experimenting with it now, I see what you mean – it does have pretty unpredictable results. But doesn't it in most mac programs?

I find that the problem for me is really the combined Return/Enter key on most laptops nowadays – they were always separate. Enter always completed a process (without clicking somewhere) whereas Return just put in a return to a new line in text mode. Now Enter is accessed as fn-return and Return is accessed as return.

So if you are typing text and want to move to drawing a line (in RC) you have to hit fn-return to exit from the text tool, and then L to enter the line tool. For some reason that annoys me and I am always forgetting to do it! I just want to hit the Enter key and then the L key (or any of the other letter-nominated tools)!

That's a mac problem really – not an RC problem.

I have similar troubles with entering numbers. I have to enter in a lot of three-place decimal numbers in most all the programs I use – and the numbers along the top and the decimal point right down the bottom of the keyboard is a real pain. I used to attach a keyboard with a numeric keypad to my laptops – but somehow that seems to defeat the object. I know you can get little add-on numeric keypads and I have thought about that – never got around to doing it however.

Ho-hum ... :D
Eric Pousse
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Re: Zoom in, zoom out

Post by Eric Pousse »

Thank you George for the tip about short keys.

Mike,
On Mac the right way is to click or 2x click to end an action.
The ESC key comes from Windows side and, therefore, I don't use it very often in RealCADD.
I will test it more.
For ⌘=, I will see if I can add it.

Thanks.
Eric Pousse
Mikerosen
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Re: Zoom in, zoom out

Post by Mikerosen »

Thank you, both. I think a lot of my frustration was due to not feeling well (bad cold), as well as tired and sweaty at the end of a day in the shop.

In any case: George, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound short with you. Your help has been incalculable as I struggle to learn a new app! And yes, I will program the ⌘= myself, just to stay consistent.

The program I use most, probably a couple of hours a day, is Finale. There, the ESC key takes you out of any keyboard state, and back to the selection tool. And so, that's sort of a reflex.

Eric, I really DO like the program. There are some issues, but you've been great about trying to solve them, or helping me learn the correct methods. (BTW, another issue in another post!)
Mike Rosen
Seattle, WA, USA

Mac OS Ventura 13.1, iOS 11.4.1 on iPad Pro
debenriver
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Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:19 pm
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Re: Zoom in, zoom out

Post by debenriver »

No worries Mike! No worries at all. I know plenty about sweaty days in the workshop or out on a job. Life isn't all about outsourcing to China or whatever – it still can be about simple honest hard work here at home in the USA!

You don't so often find the combination nowadays, that you and I seem to share, of computer literacy and reasonably high-end computer usage, plus shoving timber through the thicknesser to make something real, usable, touchable and long-lasting. So we need to pat ourselves on the back occasionally!!

Add in music and you have a true polymath (for me just listening, not playing or singing unfortunately – but I truly love music)

George
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