Feature request: list of features
Intro
Hello!
So I am working in InkScape for quite some time now and I've got some thoughts about how to make some "quality of life" improvements as well as some features proposals. All compiled in a list below:
1. Reset value buttons:
It would be pretty useful to have some small reset buttons here and there: a) Fill & Stroke: Blur bar - reset to 0.0 b) Fill & Stroke: Opacity bar - reset to 100.0 c) Layers: same as above reset buttons. I would see those as small square-shaped buttons on the right side of the bar control - one click and value is reseted. The bar is really functional, but if You are using this over and over again, one click instead of dragging all the way up to 0.0/100.0 (which might be laggy if big calculation is required).
Similar resets might be handy on colour sliders as well.
2. Text & Font dialog:
If You have a lot of fonts, working with this window is a real nightmare. I would suggest to add an option in preferences to turn off rendering fonts in font list and use default UI font there. This way list will load so much faster, will scroll so much faster and I can see the selected font in preview area anyway.
Additionaly - if I have a big text, the window is unable to resize to fit in the screen. I can only maximize it to be able to use it. Otherwise it is too big and can not get it smaller, because it keeps as big as the selected object.
3. Fill & Stroke dialog always active:
It is really annoying - You draw something, then unselect, then would like to change color/stroke/etc. before I start painting next object. Impossible, because dialog is inactive. So my proposal is - have a "default style" object hidden in svg structure, which will always automatically select if nothing on page is selected. This default style will then be used whenever I start painting new object. There might be several defaults - separate for different tools. Now it seems that program remembers some default settings for tools, but does not allow to change them before use.
4. Styles manager:
Pt.3. leads me to pt.4. which is styles manager. My proposal is again simple:
- As "style" I consider the set of features on fill&stroke dialog (same as copy, then "paste style"),
- I'd like to have two pools for styles - local and global. Local would be saved along with svg. Global would be saved in program's settings.
- on Fill&Stroke window - divide it into Tabs:
- Tab 1: Fill & Stroke as it is now
- Tab 2: Local styles list
- Tab 3: Global styles list
- From Tab1 I can "add to local" or "add to global" styles.
- From Tab2 or Tab3 I can - select the style and edit name, or doubleclick it to use it as current style - that will copy properties to selected object (and to Tab1). This will allow to keep projects a lot more organised. As it is now - the ability to name gradients is wonderful thing. This leads me to think, that organising and naming styles would also be very helpful. Additionaly - it might be handy to be able to organise styles in folders on those lists.
5. Layer list - lock/unlock:
This is not really a feature, but I still wonder... Why sometimes the lock/unlock registers my click, and sometimes not. Then I have to click several times for it to register. Mostly it works on second time. So just writing it here, because maybe it might require a look into code.
6. Path effects - collapse:
Path effects is a handy tool. But it is so easy to mess it up. So my suggestion would be to have a button there to "apply" all effects. That would apply all effects converting it all to normal objects and list would clear itself. This would be so handy, because then, after "collapsing" the effects, I could work with them again not worrying, that they will break - as it happens if I edit them while there are some path effects applied. This is especially annoying if I apply effects to selection/group, and the try to work with single object - mess up guaranteed.
7. Mesh fill - editing:
This is most wonderful tool in InkScape for me. I use it for literally everything. So I would really like to be able to work with it more efficiently. The annoyance is that while I can edit beziers by dragging control points, I can not by dragging the lines themselves. It is so handy for bezier objects to be able to edit by dragging the line itself instead of it's control points. The same principle would make mesh gradients so much more convenient.
Second thing is the ability to select few points and set their color. As it is now - with colour picker I can select a node, then set the colour. I can not select two or more nodes and set their colour this way. But if You have conical gradient - the way it is made is that there are two nodes in same spot and setting the colour of one of them is impossible without moving it away first. So - ability to select few nodes (in mesh edit mode), then switch to colour picker without losing that selection would be really handy.
8. Mesh fill - bitmaps:
I understand it might get dumped into trash immediately, if it does not go along with the svg definition. But anyways... It would be pretty nice feature to be able to select a bitmap as the source of data for meshes. That would allow to make fills with bitmaps and deform them as required to create fake 3D like wrappings and so on.
9. Rec & play:
This feature might be handy, but I imagine it would be a big deal to implement. Some other software has those, so not impossible though :). It might be handy to be able to record actions and then play them. Like record a set of transformations, then select some object and replay them on it.
That is all I have for now.
The list is arranged in order from most important to least. This list was made basing on 0.92.4. Thank You for Your attention.