Perplexing text-tool behavior

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2021-09-28 20:33:56

Hi all. Just installed Pixelmator.

I went to add some text to a composition, and I'm baffled by the text-tool's behavior. I pick the text tool from the palette, click on the canvas, and then start typing... and instead of text appearing on the canvas, the palette/inspector area start gyrating through different selections and layouts.

Then, if I select the plain picker (arrow) tool and select the text, no text-related controls appear. At the moment I have the text object selected, but the inspector area shows gradient fills, strokes, and shadow options. There's nothing font- or text-related.

Actually, this seems to be a widespread issue... I drew a shape with the pen tool, and noted the shape-related properties available in the inspector. Later I reselected the shape with the picker (arrow) tool, and the shape-appropriate properties did not reappear.

Do we seriously have to select an object, then hunt down and select the tool that was used to create it in order to tweak its properties?

Thanks for any insights!
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2021-09-28 20:54:26

Select your Text tool (there are 4 of it) and double-click onto the canvas and type away; the first click activates the text tool on canvas the second click highlights the example text which will be overwritten by typing. Hope this makes it clear.
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2021-09-28 21:06:42

Thanks! But the question remains: Why? The first click actually does place a text object on the canvas, so why don't characters appear there if you start typing?

And why aren't the appropriate controls presented when you select an object (such as text) on the canvas?
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2021-09-28 21:16:50

And why aren't the appropriate controls presented when you select an object (such as text) on the canvas?
They switch immediately with changing the tools here. Maybe you have a different workspace layout enabled.
What´s wrong with a double-click I might ask?
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2021-09-28 21:37:30

I think the more appropriate question is what's wrong with a single click? Why is the text object in a limbo state after being placed?

Why would a user guess that he has to double-click? That's what's wrong with it: It's not only nonsensical, but it defies the standard set by the vast majority of applications that allow you to add text to a composition. I just tried the same thing in Affinity Photo, for example; and after you click to add text to the canvas, you can type merrily away.

I'm using the default workspace, so if the appropriate controls aren't displayed upon selecting an object... the default behavior is poor.
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2021-09-28 21:47:42

This is a thing you might ask the devs: https://help.pixelmator.com/pixelmator-pro/2.1/#1291
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2021-09-29 08:49:53

This is expected behavior and it's dictated by the singe-window interface Pixelmator Pro uses. Clicking a layer doesn't automatically choose appropriate tools for editing because there can be more than one tool that can interact with that layer. For instance, if selecting text layers would always choose the Type tool, you couldn't, say, change the style of your text or transform it.

In one of our recent updates, however, we've made it possible to select the Type tool by double-clicking the text layer thumbnail (the "T" icon) in the Layers sidebar. Perhaps it'll be helpful in your editing.

Why double-click the text to start typing? Typically, to move an object in Pixelmator Pro, you need to select the Arrange tool. So, to avoid switching back and forth between the tools (Arrange to move text and Type to enter text), text layers have two editing modes — arranging and editing. Once you add your text, you can move and arrange it on your canvas (the arrange mode is active). To activate the editing mode, you double-click the text layer.

That's the architecture of the app at the moment, and it really wasn't built to purposefully trip up users or anything like that. Of course, we realize there's always room for improvement when it comes to the usability of the app and we do our best to take user feedback into account when working on updates. Thanks for taking the time to share yours — I'll make sure to pass it on to the team. :pray:
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2021-09-29 17:26:14

Thanks for taking the time to reply.
it's dictated by the singe-window interface Pixelmator Pro uses.
Hm, I don't understand this assertion. All of the other applications I use also have a single window (fortunately the floating-window fad is over).
Clicking a layer doesn't automatically choose appropriate tools for editing because there can be more than one tool that can interact with that layer.
I don't expect it to change tools; I expect it to show appropriate properties in the inspector. If I select a text object, I expect to see text-related properties in the inspector or toolbar. An "inspector" shows the properties of whatever you've selected.
Once you add your text, you can move and arrange it on your canvas (the arrange mode is active).
But I can't add my text; the initial mode doesn't allow text entry, so how can I arrange it? Until I've typed it out, I don't know how much space it takes up. After choosing the Text tool, I've initially clicked on the general area where I want the text to go. Until I've entered text, I obviously can't make final adjustments to its position, can I?

Anyway, thanks for communicating this to the team. I like to support alternatives to Adobe's offerings.
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2021-10-11 12:31:54

by GHS 2021-09-29 14:26:14 I don't expect it to change tools; I expect it to show appropriate properties in the inspector. <...>
After choosing the Text tool, I've initially clicked on the general area where I want the text to go. Until I've entered text, I obviously can't make final adjustments to its position, can I?
I understand what you mean. For a behavior like this, we'd probably need to have a separate Tool Options view that shows layer editing options regardless of what tool is selected. And it would probably make sense to have this mode available for text and shape layers only (when you select an image layer, what editing options should be displayed?). Either way, that certainly gives us food for thought.
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2021-10-11 17:46:11

Thanks for that, Aurelija. I'd say it's just a traditional inspector; "tool options" sounds like settings that change the behavior of a tool (like brush width or pressure sensitivity).

Many types of objects you can select on the canvas probably have a "native" tool, the tool that's used to create objects of that type. It might be sufficient to show the toolbar or object properties that would be shown when the user is using that tool, even though the user is only selecting things with the arrow tool. This is generally how it's done in similar applications. This allows you to click on objects of any kind with the arrow tool, one after the other, examining or editing their properties in the inspector and then moving on to the next one.

For more-basic objects like a pixel layer (which have no special tool to create them), you just present the normal transformation and translation settings (and things like opacity) that are common to all objects.