Joao S. O. Bueno (gwidion@mpc.com.br) wrote:

Ok, for startting:

Closing paths should definitely be a matter of one click starightforward thing.

So it must be doable on the default "extending mode" without any extra modifier key. I know you have beiong strugling with it - the previous ctrl_alt_shift_click, and the current ctrl + drag show you have being trying around.

However, while I think the ctrl+click+drag as it is could be usable, it gives margin to gratuitous undefensable gimp bashing to whoever is learning it.

I disagree for the following reason.

While closing a curve is an important operation it is by no means as important as moving nodes. So the click-drag on an endpoint IMHO has to have precedence over the closing of a curve.

So here is my proposes solution: your "mode 2" add-insert point is not too feature loaded. It works correctly, I'd propose that in this mode it would be possible to extend the path, just as in mode 1. I mean, when one clicks in apont not already ona node or on a segment, that a new node would be created there.
And, on this (insert/delete) node:
if one clicks on an existing node, wihtout a modifier for deleting: if the current curve is open, then it would close the current curve on that node. if that node already had two segments going out add a new node overlapping it, with the same coordinates.

This kind of behaviour is one of the reasons why I did hate the old path tool. I just wanted to adjust the placement of a node I created earlier and accidentially was in the wrong mode I have created a new node and it was a major pain to get rid of it.

I hope you can understand why this is so important to me. Pretty much every vector program has a very direct click-drag-to-move behaviour (correct me if I'm wrong there) and I definitely want the Gimp to behave more like vector-oriented-programs with paths.

the mode extend/move could stay as it is. The ability to add new nodes when clicking outside the curve would be avaliable on both this mode and the add/isnert, but I don't think that would be a problem. If it becomes a problem, them leave this mode to move only, and let extending the path up to the insert delete mode.

The latter is not an option for me, as explained above I think that creation of nodes and adjustment of existing nodes go hand in hand.

I am undecided if the Insert/Delete Mode should be able to extend a stroke. Just duplicating certain features in different modes might blur the distinction between the tools and make it harder for users to get an idea on how to use the tool. Not sure about that though.

In any case, the default mode should become the insert/delete (now a insert/extend/delete) mode.

Please, give this a serious though ... I think the ability to straightforward closing a curve segement is worth it.

I appreciate your comments. I certainly do hope that you can understand my reasoning why I dislike your proposed behaviour. I am open to discussion though.

A different issue is:

On the MOVE mode, if there is a node with the handles collapsed, they won't come out unless you grab and bend one segment that connects to that node. However, clicking on a node, holding shift, and dragging is "unused"- I mean, it has got the same behaviour than clicking and draggin without shift. Therefore, I suggest that shift clicking on a node with collapsed handles and dragging become equivalent to shift-click on a handle of that node.

Shift click on the "move/stroke mode" is yet unnused. I suppose you will link that to stroking, as it is on the mode name.

In the Move mode you move an individual stroke by default. If your path has multiple strokes you can move them together when using SHIFT.

I hesitate a bit to add obvious edit functionality (dragging out control handles) to the move mode. I have a vague idea on how to solve that, but I have to think about it a bit more.

I think that is it for now.
I think that it is obvious, but since I am writting I will mention that there seens to be no way of currently making the GIMP redisplay a vector once it is hidden. I will assume you are working on that.

There is: Doubleclick on the vectors preview to activate it. I want to have it change on single click, but I need to dig a bit in the code to do that.

Another issue is that, as in the 1.2 series, maybe even worse, working wirth vectors leave dirty pixels everywere on the image, until it is refreshed. It is of nearly ultimate importance that this doesn't happen in gimp 2.0 final. Mark those tiles as dirt with no mercy. :-)

Oh? I certainly don't have artefacts in the image area. There is a known bug when speaking of the area in the image window outside the canvas, but this is not related to the path tool.

Maybe your X-Server is buggy? Some brands seem to have problems there.

Also I hope you are aware that selecting another vector on the paths toolbox is all but ignored by the editing tool right now.

This is the Doubleclick thing from above if I understood you correctly. Yeah, I want to have that changed.

Thanks for your comments. Simon