[impdev] [kokua-team] Picking good keystrokes for Qarls align tool.

McCabe Maxsted mccabe at kokuaviewer.org
Sun May 12 14:47:14 PDT 2013


Tool selections should always have shortcuts. You don't want to break the
builder's flow by forcing them to repeatedly interact with the UI when they
don't have to. Dropping it entirely would be a bad idea.

My choice of CTRL+A was that it's simple (you can do it with only your left
hand on a QWERTY keyboard), it doesn't actually interfere with other parts
of the UI (that is, you can't select inworld prims and the UI
simultaneously), and all the prim manipulation shortcuts are non-standard
anyway. A bit of a copout, I know, but the list of open shortcuts was tiny.
I'm sure you could steal a different key combo from one of the windows
(which don't need a shortcut nearly as much anyway). CTRL+G would probably
be a better option, looking back.

-- MC


On Sun, May 12, 2013 at 9:24 AM, Nicky Perian <nickyperian at yahoo.com> wrote:

> iirc qarl put up a youtube video detailing usage and there was no mention
> of shortcut keys.
> IMO lets drop the keys. I don't think it is used enough to justify tying
> up keys.
> nicky
>
>   ------------------------------
>  *From:* David Seikel <onefang at gmail.com>
> *To:* impdev at lists.imprudenceviewer.org; kokua-team at lists.kokuaviewer.org
> *Sent:* Sunday, May 12, 2013 10:30 AM
> *Subject:* [kokua-team] Picking good keystrokes for Qarls align tool.
>
> I'm opening this up to both teams, since Kokua will have this problem
> to if this align tool is / has been added.
>
> http://redmine.kokuaviewer.org/issues/948 is the original problem.  A
> conflict with the use of Ctrl-A.  Lots of software uses that to mean
> "Select all", and Imprudence is no exception.  So that should stay.
> McCabe added a patch from Ascent viewer that assigned Ctrl-A to Qarls
> prim alignment tool.  This is what caused the bug report, one
> keystroke, two functions attached to it, and both triggering at the
> same time.
>
> McCabe suggested to move it to some other key, but there's a problem
> with that.  Which is why I'm looking for discussion on this one.
>
> The main problem is that the align tool is actually two tools, align, or
> pack.  Align mode means that prims are squashed together so that they
> all start at the same place.  Pack mode is similar, except overlapping
> prims are moved so they are no longer overlapping.  I think, may be the
> other way around, I've never actually used it.
>
> So we really need two keystrokes.  Then there is two modes of
> having the tool active, temporary as you hold down the keys, and
> permanent if you select the radio button at the top of the edit
> floater.  Some of those radio buttons are selected by modifier
> keys, which are in short supply.  So it gets complicated.
>
> Position, rotate, stretch, select face, align.  Each can be selected
> from the radio button group with a mouse click.  No problems there.
>
> Once align is selected, holding down shift changes to pack mode,
> otherwise it's align mode.
>
> Holding down Ctrl puts things into rotate mode.  Holding down
> Ctrl-Shift stretch mode, Alt into focus mode, and any combination that
> involves Alt also is focus mode.  Focus mode is not part of that radio
> group.  Shift by itself is not used, unless a text box is focused, then
> it's used for usual shifted text.  In each of these cases, it does not
> matter which mode it was in, and the previous mode is returned to once
> you let go.
>
> This last one is what the patch from Ascent does, temporarily shift to
> align / pack mode while Ctrl-A/Ctrl-Shift-A is held down.  It should be
> noted that the Select faces radio button in this group has no similar
> hold down method, don't think it makes sense there anyway.  Position,
> the top and default, also has no hold down.
>
> Once in align mode by clicking the radio button, Ctrl and Ctrl-Shift no
> longer temporarily shift to rotate and stretch.
>
> Yes, horrible UI bolted together over the years from various sources,
> but we are stuck with most of it.  Old parts are in peoples muscle
> memory.  My fingers keep trying to use these keystrokes in Blender.  lol
>
> I had thought of the idea of using Ctrl-Shift-A for align, and
> Ctrl-Shift-P for pack.  Ctrl-Shift-P is already used for Advanced menu
> -> UI -> Print selected object info, an obscure debugging option that
> could probably afford to loose it's hot key.  Sticking with shift used
> to switch between align and pack gives us Ctrl-P and Ctrl-Shift-P, but
> now we conflict with Ctrl-P for preferences.
>
> Currently it does not mention anywhere that there's a hot key to
> temporarily switch to align/pack mode anywhere on the UI, though it
> mentions that once you have ALREADY switched.  Not really enough space
> for these things, since there's two of them.
>
> So we are caught between a rock and a hard place if we want two hot keys
> to temporarily switch to align or pack mode.  No available friendly
> mnemonic in both shifted and unshifted modes, or it gets clumsy to hint
> at if using different keys.
>
> What are your thoughts?
>
> McCabe thinks we should have a key.  Though it's two keys needed really.
>
> I want to be lazy and just drop the keys, the radio button works.  B-)
>
> --
> A big old stinking pile of genius that no one wants
> coz there are too many silver coated monkeys in the world.
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