X for toggle fill and stroke does not work in shape editor mode

Ingolf

@b77 Shortcuts for global feratures like toggling fill/stroke using the key X should and must be reserved for this one purpose only whatever feature is active. This is a very bad workflow and usability decision. I don't think WordPerfect for DOS went this far when users had manuals with pages of shortcuts. No one will remember these multi-function context sensitive shortcuts even if VS will be the only program they use.

I can see you are right - I found broken paths in my document.

I will probably always have a node selected the when I use the X key as part of the (rather mundane) workflow, so that does not make sense anyway.

Boldline

@b77 said in X for toggle fill and stroke does not work in shape editor mode:

When in shape editing mode (shortcut: A), pressing X breaks the path at the selected node.

I didn't know that tip - thanks for sharing that!

b77

@Ingolf Do you frequently need to switch between fill and stroke when in node editing mode?

Anyway, I for one consider node/shape editing a whole thing in itself (the vector mechanic's toolbox), so I'm fine with having the X shortcut used here for something different.

(Btw, the right-click menu when in node editing mode has a few other shortcuts that "overlap" — J, for instance, joins two paths or closes an open pat, otherwise it is the shortcut for the Rectangle tool).

b77

@Boldline There are lots of other useful shortcuts in the right-click menu when in node editing mode.

Ingolf

@b77 said in X for toggle fill and stroke does not work in shape editor mode:

@Ingolf Do you frequently need to switch between fill and stroke when in node editing mode?

Yes, it is normal for me to hand trace something and to make fine adjustments with the node editing tool. I have traced the contour of whatever I am hand drawing with the pen tool and to finalize it I toggle the pen color and fill color to make it a solid shape where I will often add a gradient to the fill.

It still is a total no go zone to disable the shortcut of a key feature in a graphics program and assign it to something else there. Bread and butter features are sacred. And they are firmly stored in muscle memory.

b77

@Ingolf Maybe swapping the stroke of the object with the fill, which is done with Shift-X, can help? It works even in node editing mode.

Boldline

@Ingolf said in X for toggle fill and stroke does not work in shape editor mode:

Yes, it is normal for me to hand trace something and to make fine adjustments with the node editing tool. I have traced the contour of whatever I am hand drawing with the pen tool and to finalize it I toggle the pen color and fill color to make it a solid shape where I will often add a gradient to the fill.

Would you be willing to do a video demo of this process? I'd be really curious to see the process you use and how the x option would factor in - thanks!

Ingolf

@Boldline said in X for toggle fill and stroke does not work in shape editor mode:

@Ingolf said in X for toggle fill and stroke does not work in shape editor mode:

Yes, it is normal for me to hand trace something and to make fine adjustments with the node editing tool. I have traced the contour of whatever I am hand drawing with the pen tool and to finalize it I toggle the pen color and fill color to make it a solid shape where I will often add a gradient to the fill.

Would you be willing to do a video demo of this process? I'd be really curious to see the process you use and how the x option would factor in - thanks!

Quick'n'dirty illustration:

Movie

Both X and I for color picker works instantly here in Affinity. So much easier program to hand trace in. I am not going to slow down this workflow for any price or reason in another program.

Ingolf

Even faster - mouse, X and I keys used

Video

Draw with pen (red for visibility and to show how great it is to have I key ready to activate color picker)
Node editing tool activated making pseudo adjustments
Pressing I for color picker
Grabbing color from other eye (to stroke)
X
Grabbing color from eye (to fill)

Done in a few seconds, no roundabouts. This is the essential part and one of the reasons why Affinity is so popular - these workflows are so easy and fluid. I could almost forgive Serif for the lack of vector features for these well thought out workflows.

Seriously, I work twice as fast sometimes in Affinity compared to Corel and Adobe.

b77

@Ingolf You're using the Pen tool to draw that shape, then you hit X to bring the Fill button to the front, right?

The same works here in VS when drawing with the Pen tool — I close the shape, hit X and the Fill button becomes active: https://recordit.co/4BogrL8YJU

In the second part of the video I simply Option-click the color wheel directly and the color gets assigned to Fill color if the Stroke button is active.

Ingolf

Yes, in the pen tool. But the second you activate the node tool you have to leave the fast workflow and remember what they keys do know.

The 'simply' part complicates what I described above. Simply is the most dangerous word I know.

Ingolf

I am not looking for the color wheel - I am often about to pick a color from the photo or scan.

b77

@Ingolf That also works here — I draw the shape with the Pen tool, I don't hit A to switch to the Shape Editor — I hit X directly to enable the Fill button, then press I and Shift-click the bitmap to pick color for the fill from it.

Quick video here: https://recordit.co/0LCMQvhJGL

b77

So if I understand correctly, after closing the shape with the Pen tool you switch to the Shape Editor (A) to adjust the nodes, still without a fill so you can see what's under it, then apply a fill only afterwards, and there comes the problem with the X shortcut.

Boldline

@b77 @Ingolf With standard keyboards, if you hold down the command key while using the pen tool, you get the node edit arrow and can adjust nodes on the fly. As soon as you let go of the command key, it switches back to an active pen tool immediately and you can then conitinue drawing or go in and swap to a fill

Ingolf

It is a general design issue with keys switching functionality (or as a consequence thereof has no effect) from panel to panel or feature to feature. Same goes for the layers panel and for example the spacebar shortcut.

Whatever workaround there is, I have to memorize additional workarounds, and it is bad and non-standard practice that disturbs workflows that will be repeated hundreds of times on hundreds of objects in some drawings/designs.

But thanks for the tips!

VectorStyler

@Ingolf Changed the shortcuts to have X always for the color swap.