View Issue Details
| ID | Project | Category | View Status | Date Submitted | Last Update |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0009099 | Scribus | Usability | public | 2010-05-11 21:20 | 2019-11-07 17:32 |
| Reporter | alexandre | Assigned To | |||
| Priority | normal | Severity | minor | Reproducibility | have not tried |
| Status | new | Resolution | open | ||
| Product Version | 1.5.0 | ||||
| Summary | 0009099: A better Path tool | ||||
| Description | There are lots and lots of things that are wrong with the Path/Bezier Curve tool. I always used to say something in the lines of "Just copy Inkscape's tool" before, which is never welcome for one reason or another :) So instead here is a brief proposal. Feel free to ask me for a full spec. Let's start with definition of issues. Problems with drawing a new path. 1. The only ways to finish drawing a path are Escape and right-click. The usual way is actually to double-click. 2. It's impossible to close a path when drawing it, unless, of course, I have to buy the user guide to find out some obscure way to do it. In both Inkscape in GIMP all I have to do is to target the pointer to the starting node and double-click (with GIMP — click with a modifier). The only way to accomplish the task is to select two end nodes and click a button in the palette. Problems with editing an existing path. 1. The whole idea of editing nodes and their control points separately is absolutely horrible. I rarely manage not to swear every time I deal with this. 2. Adding and removing nodes via switching to specific modes is absolutely counter-productive and a waste of time (yes, AI does it too, and no -- this is not welcome). Double-click anywhere on path line to add a new node, select and press Del for removing -- that's the ticket. 3. Separate/symmetric shifting of CPs should not be done with specific modes as well. This is what we have modifiers for. Check Inkscape. 4. Mirroring paths is not required in this palette at all. This should be in Object menu, because this is an essential function for all types of objects currently available for them from XYZ tab of PP solely. 5. Same for shearing -- this is an essential function for other types of objects, at least shapes. 6. Rotation and scaling -- the very same thing again. 7. "Activate Contour Line Editing Mode" -- what is it? In seven or eight years that I've been using Scribus I could never figure out what on Earth it does. As far as I can see it does nothing. 8. Confirmation of editing a path, just like restoring position of a node or its CPs is nonsense. This is what properly implemented undo/redo system is for. So, let's see what could be done about this: 1. All the generic shape deformations (scaling, shearing, rotations) can be moved elsewhere (menu, PP or both) to be available for all shape/image objects. 2. Nodes and CPs can be always editable without switching to the "Move Control Points" that currently enables editing of both. 3. Adding nodes would work by double-clickin anywhere on path line. 4. Removing nodes would work by selecting nodes and pressing Del. 5. Ways of moving CPs can switched with Ctrl/Alt/Shift/whatever modifiers, status bar would give a hint on that. That gives us a very compact palette that contains: 1. Two buttons to break/join a path 2. Two spinboxes for X and Y values of a selected node Additionally there could be buttons to change types of nodes (cusp, smooth etc.) which Scribus doesn't quite provide yet despite of providing means to draw different types of nodes. Such a small palette could definitely be implemented as on-canvas widget like text tool options in GIMP 2.7 (origin/master). | ||||
| Tags | text to path | ||||
| Patch | |||||
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Or, and the third thing in the reworked pallette, of course, would be absolute coords switcher. |
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Please provide programmers or patches for these requests.. we have no spare resources. |
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should scribus become a vector drawing app or should it interface in the best way with exising drawing apps? personally, i have no problem with scribus being less "user friendly" than inkscape as long as i can do the work in inkscape and import without hassles into scribus. |
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OMG. I'm not talking about Scribus becoming a vector editing app. I'm talking about very basic drawing tasks. Seriously, the existing tool is plain PITA and has not been touched in years. I'm amazed to see "we have no spare resources" tagline when things like DRW/CGM importers, meshes and symbols are being added. "We are not interested" -- that I can understand, because FOSS is a lot about personal interest. At least it would be honest. |
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Alexandre.. Franz has time for his interest projects outside of his work. Jean and I have about 1-2h per day each.. that is it. |
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@cbradney: Yep, point taken. |
| Date Modified | Username | Field | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-05-11 21:20 | alexandre | New Issue | |
| 2010-05-11 21:24 | alexandre | Note Added: 0023900 | |
| 2010-05-11 22:00 | cbradney | Note Added: 0023903 | |
| 2010-05-12 14:09 | ale | Note Added: 0023909 | |
| 2010-05-12 17:07 | alexandre | Note Added: 0023912 | |
| 2010-05-12 17:52 | cbradney | Note Added: 0023915 | |
| 2010-05-12 20:20 | alexandre | Note Added: 0023918 | |
| 2016-04-19 19:46 | Kunda | Tag Attached: text to path | |
| 2016-04-25 11:38 | Kunda | Relationship added | related to 0009096 |
| 2016-05-14 22:10 | Kunda | Relationship added | related to 0009101 |
| 2019-11-07 17:32 | ale | Relationship added | related to 0015926 |
