Currently the command key adds any nodes you click or marque over to the set of selected nodes. It doesn’t subtract.
It’s conventional within Adobe apps and Finder and elsewhere that shift is the modifier key for adding or subtracting from selections with more than one node at a time, while in Finder Command Key allows you to remove or add a single file from a selection of files in a Finder window. I’d prefer that shift be the modifier for adding/removing nodes from the selection using marquee operations for consitancy and familiarity for those of use that use or have used graphics and 3D software a lot. shift for click add/removes too i suppose, or clicks could go to command key I’m not concerned about that.
Currently Option has the curious function of sweeping nodes away to clear an area on the graph canvas, but it just sweeps nodes into a pile on top of each other, perhaps it will be upgraded at a time when expanding and contracting Macros are available to Vuo users. Interested to see what direction that one goes in later on.
So yeah, there are several cases where the Vuo Editor behaves differently than the Mac conventions.
Vuo Editor is pretty much using the default behavior of Qt for keyboard modifiers, so changing it will entail overriding or patching that. It could either be very easy or very difficult. To be safe, I’ll mark this feature 2-dot complexity.
(The thing where Option-dragging sweeps nodes out of the way was one of those default behaviors of Qt, oddly enough. We thought about fixing it, but then thought maybe it would be useful. Alastair, you’d mentioned wanting to neaten the sweeping. I think that’s beyond the scope of this feature request, which is about following Mac conventions, but could be a separate feature request if you’d like to create it.)
Thanks for explaining the context, Jaymie. If it’s a few weeks work even i am not going to vote for this. If it’s easier then i would vote for it, it’s fundamental to how i interact with so many applications already.
I’m not concerned about the sweeping behaviour, it just seemed to like ‘odd’, as you described it, feature. If that idea i had for expanding macros that repositions surrounding nodes to make space for a window in window set-up ever got implemented I guess it could also be applied to option dragging, till then prob the last thing i want Vuo to look at :-)
I would emphasise the legacy of Adobe products on just graphics designers, but also many 3D apps that have continued with this selection modifier regime.
There’s currently no way to TOGGLE the selection state of more than one node at a time. Even using unconventional key combos. I need this for my sanity! Please consider voting peoples.
Shift is a conventionally a marque selection mode (Finder, 3D apps, DTP and drawing apps, etc etc) which should TOGGLE the selected state of EVERYTHING inside the marquee region.
So if an object is inside the region when mouse is released ::
if current state of object is selected → make object unselected
if current state is object is unselected → make object selected
(Either totally inside or partial inside marquee, different apps default to different implementations, see below*)
* In Adobe Illustrator for example, you only have to cover a part of the object using the group selection arrow tool (Black selection arrow or white + arrow). Where as if you have the direct election tool (white arrow) only the anchor points inside the marquee region will be selected.
So in terms of Vuo nodes would either get selected state TOGGLE by drawing the marquee over them entirely or just cutting through them (as it exists today for selecting but not deselecting), depending on implementation.