Re: Some features to consider
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 8:22 pm
Hi Eric
I love waking up to a new beta
View is perfect. I tried on a really big drawing that is normally quite slow to move around in – so I have it split into layers and only one layer visible at a time. With all the layers visible, I can zip around very quickly with the new View menu. Another useful point is if you get "lost" when zooming or scrolling, it's quicker to go back to a View than it is use ⌘F and then zoom in again.
There is one tiny glitch – the zoom ratio bottom right doesn't change when you go to a new view. I was at 50 zoom and went to a view at 200 zoom – it stayed at 50 in the little zoom box. It knew it was at 200 OK, because if I hit the zoom-in icon it goes to 400. It's not very important.
Predictably I have a few points with the Command Line
1. I honestly don't think using tab and shift-tab to navigate through the boxes is viable: you have to look at the boxes to know where you are; it's a bit slow; and if you overshoot, it's a real pain to do a shift-tab, specially with one hand. Shift-tab must be the most under-used set of keystrokes on the keyboard! Somehow, you really do want to be able to hit a single key to take you to the box you want, without having to look or count how far you've gone. But see Edit at end!
2. I had wondered about using the same shortcuts twice for different things. I guess I'd hoped that it would be OK technically – I really don't think it is at all a problem in terms of use. I don't find, for example, using L to access the Line tool and then using it to get to a length box, once I am in the Line tool, a problem. Maybe others would .... But if it can't be done technically, then that's another problem.
Maybe we could use the letters we do have left; or numbers? Not so good mnemonically, but I guess one would soon memorize them. I suppose we can have "A" back, now we have Esc for the arrow selection tool (great improvement )
3. I think x0, y0 and x1, y1 should be x1, y1 and x2, y2 so they are the same as the Edit panel
4. There's a couple of glitches with trying to draw a perpendicular line:
(a) It's not getting x0 right – I guess because snap activates a short distance away from the line you are drawing the perpendicular from – see image below. x0 should read the same as x1 in the Edit panel, but it doesn't. So the perpendicular lines starts from the wrong place. C and E seem to be just fine.
b) And because y0 isn't "live" (doesn't change as you move up and down the line to draw your perpendicular), the y position of the perpendicular reverts to the original y0, rather than where you want it to be.
c) And you can only effectively draw a perpendicular to a vertical line, unless you enter an angle (because it defaults to 0º) - which defeats the whole purpose of having a perpendicular modifier tool – which brings me to Point 5!
5. I think the Command line boxes need to be "live" like the Edit panel, so they always have real data in them as you draw and you only have to specify and change those that you want to; the others stay as drawn.
6. Perhaps to simplify things just the most commonly used bits could have keystrokes. The others are accessed manually before you start to draw, if you wish to. Or with tab/shift-tab as a last resort. So just these attributes are accessible by keystroke:
For the Line tools: Length (J), Angle (A)
For the Arc tool: Radius (B)
For the Circle tool: Radius (B)
For the Oval tool: Length (J), Width (W)
For the rectangle tool: Length (J), Width (W)
For the Rounded rectangle tool: Length (J), Width (W), Radius (B)
Other attributes are set as now in the Edit panel after you have drawn the object – or by physically dragging some part of it (like you commonly do wth an arc to set the start and end points, included angle etc).
To make life even better these Attributes could be the default when the tool is selected, so you have a head start, and for perpendicular lines, circles and arcs you only have to enter the data, not worry about a keystroke.
Edit: If it defaulted as above, we wouldn't even need keystrokes – it wouldn't be a problem to tab from the default to the others – it's only one tab in the case of a Free Line, Oval and Rectangle – and two tabs for the Rounded Rectangle – even I can count up to two
Again - as ever - just suggestions .... George
I love waking up to a new beta
View is perfect. I tried on a really big drawing that is normally quite slow to move around in – so I have it split into layers and only one layer visible at a time. With all the layers visible, I can zip around very quickly with the new View menu. Another useful point is if you get "lost" when zooming or scrolling, it's quicker to go back to a View than it is use ⌘F and then zoom in again.
There is one tiny glitch – the zoom ratio bottom right doesn't change when you go to a new view. I was at 50 zoom and went to a view at 200 zoom – it stayed at 50 in the little zoom box. It knew it was at 200 OK, because if I hit the zoom-in icon it goes to 400. It's not very important.
Predictably I have a few points with the Command Line
1. I honestly don't think using tab and shift-tab to navigate through the boxes is viable: you have to look at the boxes to know where you are; it's a bit slow; and if you overshoot, it's a real pain to do a shift-tab, specially with one hand. Shift-tab must be the most under-used set of keystrokes on the keyboard! Somehow, you really do want to be able to hit a single key to take you to the box you want, without having to look or count how far you've gone. But see Edit at end!
2. I had wondered about using the same shortcuts twice for different things. I guess I'd hoped that it would be OK technically – I really don't think it is at all a problem in terms of use. I don't find, for example, using L to access the Line tool and then using it to get to a length box, once I am in the Line tool, a problem. Maybe others would .... But if it can't be done technically, then that's another problem.
Maybe we could use the letters we do have left; or numbers? Not so good mnemonically, but I guess one would soon memorize them. I suppose we can have "A" back, now we have Esc for the arrow selection tool (great improvement )
3. I think x0, y0 and x1, y1 should be x1, y1 and x2, y2 so they are the same as the Edit panel
4. There's a couple of glitches with trying to draw a perpendicular line:
(a) It's not getting x0 right – I guess because snap activates a short distance away from the line you are drawing the perpendicular from – see image below. x0 should read the same as x1 in the Edit panel, but it doesn't. So the perpendicular lines starts from the wrong place. C and E seem to be just fine.
b) And because y0 isn't "live" (doesn't change as you move up and down the line to draw your perpendicular), the y position of the perpendicular reverts to the original y0, rather than where you want it to be.
c) And you can only effectively draw a perpendicular to a vertical line, unless you enter an angle (because it defaults to 0º) - which defeats the whole purpose of having a perpendicular modifier tool – which brings me to Point 5!
5. I think the Command line boxes need to be "live" like the Edit panel, so they always have real data in them as you draw and you only have to specify and change those that you want to; the others stay as drawn.
6. Perhaps to simplify things just the most commonly used bits could have keystrokes. The others are accessed manually before you start to draw, if you wish to. Or with tab/shift-tab as a last resort. So just these attributes are accessible by keystroke:
For the Line tools: Length (J), Angle (A)
For the Arc tool: Radius (B)
For the Circle tool: Radius (B)
For the Oval tool: Length (J), Width (W)
For the rectangle tool: Length (J), Width (W)
For the Rounded rectangle tool: Length (J), Width (W), Radius (B)
Other attributes are set as now in the Edit panel after you have drawn the object – or by physically dragging some part of it (like you commonly do wth an arc to set the start and end points, included angle etc).
To make life even better these Attributes could be the default when the tool is selected, so you have a head start, and for perpendicular lines, circles and arcs you only have to enter the data, not worry about a keystroke.
Edit: If it defaulted as above, we wouldn't even need keystrokes – it wouldn't be a problem to tab from the default to the others – it's only one tab in the case of a Free Line, Oval and Rectangle – and two tabs for the Rounded Rectangle – even I can count up to two
Again - as ever - just suggestions .... George