On Mon, 26 Nov 2018 at 21:39, Bernhard Ströbl <bernhard.stro...@jena.de> wrote: > > Dear all, > > I want to apologize, this has become an extremely long mail... > > A lot of discussion has been going on about the recent reimplementation > of the node tool in QGIS 3.
Hi Bernhard, Thanks for the detailed proposal, and for taking the time to come up with a constructive way forward here. Can I encourage you to copy the contents of your proposal across to the "QEP" repository: https://github.com/qgis/QGIS-Enhancement-Proposals/issues ? I think that's the correct channel to discuss these ideas so that the conversation is kept central and recorded permanently for reference. Nyall > > I see two reasons for this: > 1) The way the tool works is very different from the way it used to work > in QGIS 2: > a) in QGIS 2 it was choose feature - choose node(s) - do something > whereas in QGIS 3 it is choose node - do something > b) to move a node was click - (keep pressed) - move - release which was > changed to click - release - move - click - release > 2) There have been several bugs (as could be expected with a new > implementation). These, however, were used to question the whole feature > (most of the bugs are fixed now). > > Apart from bugs and people not being used to the new tool the critics > concentrate around: > 1) Probably most annoying: Mouse movements for choosing an existing > vertex/adding a new vertex at the middle of the line are not well > defined (especially important if features and its vertices are very > close together). Imagine a polygon surrounded (or even worse: > overlapped) by others, now try to click a particular vertex. You will > fail if always the neighbouring polygon is highlighted. The workaround > is to select the vertex with a mouse window while its feature is > highlighted (or previously select the feature e.g. with the > Select-Feature tool). For overlapping features it is even harder. > 2) Highlighting effect is disturbing. > 3) Adding a new vertex puts the new vertex on the mouse ready to be > moved but user has no intention to move it but to leave it where it has > been added (e.g. for topological reasons). > 4) Vertices are not visible all the time but only when the feature is > highlighted. This can make choosing a particular vertex difficult (see > also 1). > 5) It is easy to accidentally add or move a vertex because the most > intuitive way of selecting something is to click it. But when you click > a vertex/segment/cross while being highlighted you are already on your > way to move it. > 6) The behaviour is not consistent: > a) If you want to move _one_ vertex, try to grab it when it is > highlighted then move it; if you want to move several vertices, first > select them, then click them, then move them. > b) If you want to delete a vertex, try to grab it when it is > highlighted; if you want to delete a segment, do not try to grab it when > it is highlighted but select its two vertices and delete them. > > The German user group thinks that the points raised above are valid, > even if all pending bugs are fixed. The node tool is still not perfect > (it wasn't in QGIS 2 either). > > So we propose a change in the way the node tool works and would like to > hear other users' s opinions. > While the click - move - click change has valid reasons (use advance > digitizing panel, pan or zoom map while moving vertices) the dropping of > the first choose feature - then choose vertex workflow to immediately > move a vertex has no real reasoning (except that it is less clicks in > those cases where the node can be easily grabbed in the first place). > But this new workflow is the main cause for the problems listed above. > > Therefore we would like to see the old workflow reimplemented with some > of the new ideas added plus some new ingredients. This is the draft for > how the tool might work in the future: > > 1) While the mouse is moved around features are highlighted to indicate > they can be edited. Furthermore eventual vertices, segments or crosses > are highlighted, too (as in QGIS 3). > 2) While a feature is being highlighted, it can be chosen with a left > click (new). > 3) If the user makes a right click instead, another (adjacent) feature > is highlighted and can be chosen with a subsequent left click and so on > (new). > 4) As soon as a feature is chosen, the Vertex-Editor panel is opened (as > in QGIS 2). > 5) A chosen feature is the only feature whose vertices can be edited at > that point* (as in QGIS 2). The chosen feature and all its vertices stay > visible until the end of this feature's editing session (as in QGIS 2). > If a vertex was highlighted it is immediately selected, if a segment was > highlighted, its two vertices are immediately selected, if the middle of > a segment was highlighted with a cross a new vertex is created there and > immediately selected (new). > 6) A vertex is selected by left clicking on it (as in QGIS 2). > 7) Several vertices are selected by using a mouse window (as in QGIS 2 > and 3). > 8) A click on a segment selects its two vertices (as in QGIS 2). > 9) Vertices can be selected via the Vertex-Editor panel, too (as was in > QGIS 2) > 10) Every new vertex selection clears any previuos selection except if > Crtl is pressed which adds the new selection to the current if vertices > were not selected or subtracts them from the current selection if they > were selected (as in QGIS 2). > 11) Selected vertices can be deleted (as in QGIS 2 and 3). > 12) Selected vertices can be moved by clicking either of them, thus the > vertex (the vertices) are attached to the mouse and can be dropped with > another left click (as in QGIS 3). A right click aborts the moving > operation but the vertices are still selected (new). > 13) A new vertex can be created by double clicking on any segment (as in > QGIS 2 and 3), the new vertex is immediately selected (new). > 14) A right click ends the chosen feature's editing session, if another > feature is within reach it is immediately highlighted, continue as in 1) > (new). > 14b) To be discussed: Left clicking another feature immediately chooses > this feature (as in QGIS 2). > > * topological editing is still posssible, of course > > We see the following advantages in this approach: > 1) The new quick editing possibilities are preserved, there is just one > additional click (compared to current QGIS 3) to move an existing vertex > or segment or to create and immediately move a new vertex. > 2) It is easier to create a new vertex in place. > 3) It is a lot easier to graphically choose the feature to edit. > 4) The highlighting indicates, which feature will be chosen by an > immediate click, no surprises for the user. > 5) It is easier to graphically select the vertices to edit. > 6) The workflow is always the same: Choose feature - select vertices - > do something with them. > 7) The workflow is consistent with creating a new feature (right click > to finish editing). > 8) The application is more consistent because graphically selecting > vertices works the exact same way as graphically selecting features with > the Select-features tool. > > I appreciate your feedback > > Bernhard > > > __________ Information from ESET Mail Security, version of virus signature > database 18443 (20181126) __________ > > The message was checked by ESET Mail Security. > http://www.eset.com > > > _______________________________________________ > Qgis-user mailing list > Qgis-user@lists.osgeo.org > List info: https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-user > Unsubscribe: https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-user _______________________________________________ Qgis-user mailing list Qgis-user@lists.osgeo.org List info: https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-user Unsubscribe: https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-user