Make Locked Objects Selectable Only When Needed
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I’d like a quicker way to switch between two behaviors for locked objects in VectorStyler:
- Ignore locked objects. Clicking or dragging a selection box skips locked artwork, so I can see exactly what’s editable.
- Allow selection of locked objects. I can click a specific locked object and choose Unlock. The object stays protected from edits until I unlock it.
Right now, Select → Options → Allow Locked Objects makes it easy to pick an object to unlock, but it also brings locked artwork into my everyday selections. That makes it harder to tell at a glance which objects I can edit.
Could we have either a keyboard modifier I can hold while clicking to temporarily target a locked object, or two radio options in the canvas context menu so I can quickly switch between Ignore Locked Objects and Allow Locked Object Selection?
My preference is the modifier. I could hold it, click the one object I want to unlock, then release it and go straight back to working with unlocked artwork.
Earlier discussion about adding Unlock to the context menu
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@Boldline I will think of a solution.
Should this work in the default Transform tool or in other tools also (like the Node tool)?
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@VectorStyler
I’d like this in both the Transform and Node tools. I run into the same issue with the Node tool when I’m trying to select a vector shape on top of a locked shape or raster image. I’d like to switch between Ignore Locked Objects and Allow Locked Object Selection from the contextual menu bar.Could the contextual menu bar also offer Add to Locked Objects? It’s similar to my earlier request for an Add to Selection option like Affinity 3 offers. Here I’d be adding to the set of locked objects.
When artwork overlaps, I sometimes need several passes to lock everything I want. If a later selection includes both a locked object and an unlocked one, the current Lock/Unlock shortcut can unlock the first object. With Add to Locked Objects, I’d choose the option from the contextual menu bar and both objects would end up locked.
The existing Lock/Unlock shortcut already works well for everyday use. I’d like these options to appear in the contextual menu bar when relevant, which saves permanent toolbar space and gives me one less shortcut to remember.
Addendum: One more option for selecting locked objects would be a modifier I can hold while clicking or drag-selecting in either the Transform or Node tool. That would let me include locked objects when I need to. Once I release the modifier, normal selection would skip them again. The objects would stay locked until I explicitly unlock them.
