Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

crosshatch · Postby **crosshatch** » Mon Apr 03, 2017 5:04 am

I'm used to the Adobe interface and holding down the SHIFT key when I want to draw on a rotational snap (perfectly horizontal, perfectly vertical, various preset angles, etc.) or keep a 1:1 aspect ratio (drawing perfect squares and circles, etc.) when drawing shapes.

I finally figured out that Inkscape uses the CTRL key for that.

I know how to customize shortcuts by editing the .xml files with those settings, but this doesn't seem to be on those files.

Is there a way to make this change?

BlueKnight · Postby **BlueKnight** » Mon Apr 03, 2017 5:47 am

crosshatch wrote:Is there a way to make this change?

As InkScape is opensource, then the answer is probably "yes".

Not sure if there is an easier alternative.

Moini · Postby **Moini** » Mon Apr 03, 2017 7:31 am

This is hard-coded, as far as I know. You'd need to change it in the source code and compile your own version, or create a bug report, where you ask for this to be configurable.

tylerdurden · Postby **tylerdurden** » Mon Apr 03, 2017 8:56 am

Hmmmm.....

You might check this out...

You can change the keyboard shortcuts used by Inkscape by editing or replacing the file share/keys/defaults.xml.

There are a number of alternative shortcuts available. To use them, simply rename the file to defaults.xml.

http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL ... -Shortcuts

Moini · Postby **Moini** » Mon Apr 03, 2017 9:21 am

@tylerdurden: It won't work for things that do not have a 'verb' associated with them :-(

(type 'inkscape --verb-list' on the command line to see all of them).
All the shortcuts in the file you mentioned are available via Edit -> Preferences -> Interface -> Keyboard Shortcuts. No need to edit the file anymore

crosshatch · Postby **crosshatch** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 3:57 am

Moini wrote:All the shortcuts in the file you mentioned are available via Edit -> Preferences -> Interface -> Keyboard Shortcuts. No need to edit the file anymore

On a Mac (or at least Sierra), you still have to edit the files. I can see the shortcuts in the preferences window but cannot change them.

Also, as you note, the key I want to change is not one of the changeable ones anyway.

Thanks, folks.

Moini · Postby **Moini** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 7:42 am

What happens when you click on one of the shortcuts on a Mac?

crosshatch · Postby **crosshatch** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 7:50 am

Moini wrote:What happens when you click on one of the shortcuts on a Mac?

Nothing.

If I click on the column where the actual keystrokes are shown, the field changes to "New Accelerator", but I can't seem to type anything in it.

Moini · Postby **Moini** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 7:54 am

:-/ - that's annoying. As in the gif above, it doesn't show while typing, only after. But that's not the issue, right?

Would you create a bug report for this at https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape ?
It would be good if someone tested it with more recent development versions. Tim Sheridan has worked hard to make Inkscape available as dmg again for the next version, and it would be nice if it were fully functional with the shortcut editor.

crosshatch · Postby **crosshatch** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 7:58 am

Hm. I did just get something to enter accidentally. It turns out I had to hold down my mouse/tablet pen WHILE entering the actual keystroke, not typing the strokes. In other words, I had been trying to type "CTRL+W" instead of keeping the mouse button held down and entering the actual strokes for the CTRL key and W key.

Is that supposed to be how it works, or is that a bug?

Moini · Postby **Moini** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 8:14 am

I don't need to hold the mouse button down, but yes, you are supposed to just 'do' the shortcut, not type it out.
If it needs an extra mouse action, then it's still worth a report, I think.

crosshatch · Postby **crosshatch** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 8:16 am

OK, I'll report that.

Postby **brynn** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 8:25 am

Maybe having the tablet attached makes it work differently? I might have missed it, but I didn't realize you had a tablet attached. You mean graphics tablet, right? not ipad?

I don't understand the difference between typing Ctrl W and entering Ctrl W. Do you mean you're using a keyboard on the tablet screen, and tapping it with your tablet pen?

I don't know -- maybe that's how it works with a tablet attached?

Moini · Postby **Moini** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 8:34 am

Typing it out means you press the keys 'C' 't' 'r' 'l' '+' 'W' on your keyboard. Just entering means you press 'Ctrl' and 'W' for a short moment.

crosshatch · Postby **crosshatch** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 8:37 am

brynn wrote:Maybe having the tablet attached makes it work differently? I might have missed it, but I didn't realize you had a tablet attached. You mean graphics tablet, right? not ipad?

It's a WACOM graphics tablet. But it wasn't making a difference--whether I was using the mouse or using the pen equivalent of a mouseclick, it required that I hold the mouse button down (or the pen equivalent) to make the change.

The WACOM tablets work pretty flawlessly on Macs. I doubt that would be the issue.

But here's the weird thing--now that I have changed ONE shortcut successfully, it's now working as it should, i.e., clicking without holding the mouse button down now allows me to change the shortcut.

Previously, as soon as I completed the click (released the mouse button/pen equivalent), "New Accelerator" would disappear, and I wouldn't be able to edit the field. Now the "New Accelerator" prompt stays after the click.

brynn wrote:I don't understand the difference between typing Ctrl W and entering Ctrl W. Do you mean you're using a keyboard on the tablet screen, and tapping it with your tablet pen?

LOL, sorry--at first, I was actually trying to type "CTRL+W" (the actual characters C T R L + W, not the keystroke CTRL+W) because I thought I had to enter the actual code for the keys. Because of the mouse issue, it took me a while to realize I had to enter the keystrokes, not type out the code for the keystrokes. Make sense?

Moini · Postby **Moini** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 9:24 am

(wish my new gif recorder worked together with the keystroke-and-mouse-buttons-indicator... but they don't play together nicely, so I can't show which keys I'm pressing in the gifs)

This is a read-only archive of the inkscapeforum.com site. You can search for info here or post new questions and comments at inkscape.org/forums

This is a read-only archive of the inkscapeforum.com site. This feature is no longer available.

InkscapeForum.com

Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Re: Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Re: Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Re: Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Re: Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Re: Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Re: Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Re: Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Re: Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Re: Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Re: Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Re: Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Re: Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Re: Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Re: Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Re: Any way to change "snap" key from CTRL to SHIFT?

Who is online