Hello everyone. I've been using Inkscape for a while under Linux and have run across a problem. Google searches turned up nothing as did searching here, looking through the manual was no help either. After creating and editing the paths of several connectors ie lines if I try to add a new line or connector with the connector tool all previous editing is undone. Perhaps I am doing something wrong, can anyone help? Thanks in advance.

Hi persev,
Welcome to InkscapeForum!

Hhhmmhh, I get the same result! I'm on Windows 7, 64-bit and Inkscape 0.48. It must be a bug, I'll check Launchpad, and brb with info....

Edit
Well, here are all the Connector tool bugs and wishes: https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bu ... o_package=

Judging by the titles, this bug has not been reported (if it is a bug). Although I did not read all the bugs, so this could be reported within another bug. Or it could be in language that I don't understand (technical).

~suv, our local "bug expert" should be along to tell us what's happening, before too long

I running a 64bit linux distro. I was getting some errors but will play with it some more this weekend and check the bug reports.

persev wrote:After creating and editing the paths of several connectors ie lines if I try to add a new line or connector with the connector tool all previous editing is undone.

Manual edits of connector lines is not supported: all manual edits (inserting nodes, dragging a path segment) are undone the next time automatic rerouting is triggered. You can edit the style of connectors but not their shape (i.e. the automatic routing is an inherent feature of connectors, not a bug. As commented by one of the developers in the bug tracker, what is missing is a command to convert a connector line into a static path to retain a custom shape).

Related feature request:

• Bug #168748 “Connectors with manual node edits should retain their shape”

Ah-Ha!
~suv is also an expert on what's NOT a bug, lol
Thanks ~suv!

~suv wrote:

persev wrote:After creating and editing the paths of several connectors ie lines if I try to add a new line or connector with the connector tool all previous editing is undone.

Manual edits of connector lines is not supported: all manual edits (inserting nodes, dragging a path segment) are undone the next time automatic rerouting is triggered. You can edit the style of connectors but not their shape (i.e. the automatic routing is an inherent feature of connectors, not a bug. As commented by one of the developers in the bug tracker, what is missing is a command to convert a connector line into a static path to retain a custom shape).

Related feature request:

• Bug #168748 “Connectors with manual node edits should retain their shape”

That really doesn't make sense. All editing is manual, so what you are saying in effect is that editing is not allowed. I have no problem editing paths, adding nodes, etc the problem is that once I use the "Edit Paths by Nodes" tool I can no longer add a path with all the editing being undone. Here is a link to a short clip of the problem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77rudoDhDDE

persev wrote:

~suv wrote:

persev wrote:After creating and editing the paths of several connectors ie lines if I try to add a new line or connector with the connector tool all previous editing is undone.

Manual edits of connector lines is not supported: all manual edits (inserting nodes, dragging a path segment) are undone the next time automatic rerouting is triggered. You can edit the style of connectors but not their shape (i.e. the automatic routing is an inherent feature of connectors, not a bug … ).

That really doesn't make sense. All editing is manual, so what you are saying in effect is that editing is not allowed.

You are aware of the difference between connector lines [1] and regular paths drawn with the pencil [2] or pen [3] tool?


[edit]

[1] Connector lines draw with : automatic layout/routing, no manual edits of the shape
[2] Lines/curves drawn with : manual edits with ok
[3] Lines/curves drawn with : manual edits with ok

[/edit]

I just compared the behavior of manually edited connector lines between Inkscape 0.47 and the current stable 0.48, which includes an updated connector tool (based on this blueprint and developed as GSoC project in 2009):

Apparently the new connector tool in Inkscape 0.48 enforces a recalculation of the connector routing every time a new connector is added, whereas in Inkscape 0.47 - with the old connector tool (which had fewer features: no orthogonal layout, no curvature) - the rerouting was only triggered if one of the connected objects (or an object which is "avoided" by connectors) was moved.

This doesn't change the fact that connector lines do not support manual edits because the automatic routing is their core feature. However, the automatic (re-)routing is much more often triggered with the updated connector tool in Inkscape 0.48. But this change in 0.48 could explain your surprise that what appeared to work in older Inkscape versions (unconnected, manually edited connector lines did not revert unless edited with the connector tool) suddenly fails in the current stable version.

If you want to create line-based drawings or art work and manually edit the curves or nodes with the node tool, use the pen tool, not the connector tool (keep that one for its special uses e.g. to create organization charts or flow diagrams).