How about a simple mod-key (or combination) to make the mouse not select any object within the document, but still allow the freehand tool to make a stroke. Simple? Possible? Impossible? If possible, it could make freehand much more useful.
Bill >On 11 Jan 2009, at 2:45 AM, Richard Stahlhut wrote: > >> >> Thanks for explanation Christiaan. Too bad the PDF standard doesn't >> support smoothing. >> >> BUT... i just noticed something that might make freehand writing >> workable, and not hard to implement (probably). The main problem is >> not the lack of smoothing (although that would be great), but the fact >> that separate strokes frequently grab the previous (currently >> selected) stroke and drag it around. >> > >I mentioned this in another recent mail, this is a feature, not a bug. >You select the previous stroke when you grab near it (up to 4pt from >the center), otherwise you will start another one. Otherwise it would >not be possible to move/delete/join strokes. > >> And ... I've noticed that writing letters/strokes very close together >> is no problem at all IF you first deselect the previous stroke (i.e., >> make the blue box vanish). >> > >That must be your illusion, it makes absolutely no difference whether >a stroke was already selected or not. Given what I said above, it >wouldn't even make sense (the whole point is that you must be able to >select a previous stroke when it's not selected). > >> So, that suggests an easy (?) fix: In "handwriting mode" (maybe >> it's own button to avoid confusion with normal freehand) Skim >> immediately deselects a stroke once it's completed. you draw the >> line, skim recognizes when you've stopped that stroke, as usual, then >> it immediate deselects the stroke so your next stroke won't drag it >> around. >> > >... and therefore this is no solution. > >> I assume that's fairly simple programmatically. > >Even though it would be easy to implement... > >> and i think it would >> work. > >...it wouldn't work. > >> If it is a different note type, then the difference in >> interaction could be reasonable. > >Even if you would call it a different note type (which by itself is >confusing, because the user sees the same and the implementation is >also the same), the same requirement holds that you MUST be able to >select it. > >> Maybe it's just me, but because of >> the kind of research I do, i live with PDFs a big part of my days. >> the ability to interact with them in a very natural manner would be >> really helpful. And I'd love to be able to just pick up the pen on the >> graphics tablet and not have to switch a lot from it to the keyboard >> and back. >> >> - Rick > >You can. Just make sure you keep the strokes sufficiently separated, >at least at the start of a new stroke. > >Christiaan > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. >It is the best place to buy or sell services for >just about anything Open Source. >http://p.sf.net/sfu/Xq1LFB >_______________________________________________ >Skim-app-users mailing list >[email protected] >https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/skim-app-users ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It is the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://p.sf.net/sfu/Xq1LFB _______________________________________________ Skim-app-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/skim-app-users
