Selection works incorrectly when editing a footprint

Usually when I hold CTRL down and click objects, only those objects are selected. And if I keep shift down and select first and last objects, all those objects are selected. Footprint editor is just the opposite

Ctrl+click is net highlight, not selection. Unfortunately highlighting is visually identical to selection, so this is a bit confusing.

To add to your selection, use shift+click.
To remove from your selection, use ctrl+shift+click.

KiCad should be work as the rest of Windows does. This is a Win10 machine.
By the way, there too many ways to select something. You can select object with atleast two ways, then there are highlights. Isn’t it enough to just select things.

Highlighting is conceptually different from selection. Namely it’s persistent, which is a helpful. It’s just unfortunate that it looks the same as selection because the two are easily confused.

I agree that the keys are not optimal, and particularly that highlight on ctrl+click is confusing (I opened an issue for it a while back, but it’s not going to be addressed for v6).

The key modifier situation is quite messy and I don’t envy the developers here. It’s very difficult to map all the desired functions onto a limited set of keys and make it all work cross-platform. It took a lot of effort to get to the current state of affairs and I don’t think there’s an appetite to keep adjusting at this point.

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Well, we have tried. I have now given my feedback and I just have to live with it…

That was my feeling as well :slight_smile:

You say like you know better then anyone else how everything should be done. Do you?

My thoughts on this.
The first question: Should KiCad work the same on each system?
I assume that there are lot of people who (from some reason) uses PCs with different systems (for example other at home and other at work). So my answer is that it would be best if you can sit at any KiCad installation and need not to have a problems with what you are used to working with it at other machine.
If we assume this and there are some things that users of different systems are used to do differently then we have to select how to do it in KiCad.
If you look into KiCad Download you will discover that Windows distribution is only one of 12 distributions. Are you sure the Windows behavior is the best one to use?
I know only Windows so may be my assumption of different skills is wrong.

And the other thought (assuming we consider only one system (like Windows) behavior).
Easily reachable key combinations are all used for some typical tasks in typical applications (word editors, graphic editors).
And now - what to do if you are designing new application and you have some need not existing in other applications. This is the key functionality of your application that will be frequently used by most of its users. There are no easily reachable and not used anywhere else key combination.
From what you say I understand that you think that the best would be in such situation to give up and let your users to reach that functionality each time via menu.
Sorry but I have completely different opinion. Important, frequently used functionalities of such application like KiCad should be easily accessed without need to go through menu. As all key combinations has already some functions assigned in other applications then the only solution is to use one of them making it not

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Swapping Shift-click and control-click is bug. Nothing else.
Years ago I used a PCB CAD which used function keys as shortcuts, when the user learnt them it was very easy to use, because those shortcuts were well planned and logical.

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