Inkscape

Bug #264912
Comment #3

Comment 3 for bug 264912

Revision history for this message

Mark Chernev (mchernev) wrote on 2008-09-05:

prkos: No, I mean I'd like to be able to right click on a layer name in the Layers dialog and select "Copy" from the pop-up menu (alternatively, left clicking on the layer's name and hitting CONTROL-C should also work). Then I would switch to another file I have open in Inkscape, click on one of the layers in the Layers dialog and hit CONTROL-V to paste the layer I'd copied above (or below) the layer I had just left-clicked on.

Now, this copy/paste operation wouldn't just copy the objects from one the layer to another, but create a whole new layer in the destination file. This new layer should contain all of the objects and sublayers of the original layer.

If this operation was done all in the same file, then the behavior should be to create a new layer (above or below) the selected layer. If the original layer's name was "foo" the new layer name could be named "foo copy".

I hope this explanation is a bit clearer.

mahfiaz: I've never messed around with Inkscape's XML, so I couldn't say if the process you describe would achieve what I'm looking for. But, regardless, this kind of low-level file manipulation kind of defeats the purpose of using Inkscape at all. I'm sure everything Inkscape does could be done by manual low-level file manipulation, but the whole point of using Inkscape is that what the user is looking to achieve is streamlined and made much easier, quicker, and more intuitive via Inkscape's GUI. I don't think "go edit the XML" is the right answer to give to users when they ask for a new feature.

Now, as for "cluttering up the useful UI space", I don't think this feature needs clutter up the UI at all. You wouldn't even need to touch the Edit menu. The feature could be accessible by keyboard shortcut only (CONTROL-C and CONTROL-V) right after the user selects a layer by left-clicking on it in the Layers dialog. Also, adding "Copy" and "Paste" options to the layer's right-click menu wouldn't clutter it up at all since it only has four options right now (Rename, Add, Raise, and Lower Layer).

As to your claim that this feature would rarely be used, I don't see how you could possibly know that.

prkos:  No, I mean I'd like to be able to right click on a layer name in the Layers dialog and select "Copy" from the pop-up menu (alternatively, left clicking on the layer's name and hitting CONTROL-C should also work).  Then I would switch to another file I have open in Inkscape, click on one of the layers in the Layers dialog and hit CONTROL-V to paste the layer I'd copied above (or below) the layer I had just left-clicked on.

Now, this copy/paste operation wouldn't just copy the objects from one the layer to another, but create a whole new layer in the destination file.  This new layer should contain all of the objects and sublayers of the original layer.

If this operation was done all in the same file, then the behavior should be to create a new layer (above or below) the selected layer.  If the original layer's name was "foo" the new layer name could be named "foo copy".

I hope this explanation is a bit clearer.

mahfiaz:  I've never messed around with Inkscape's XML, so I couldn't say if the process you describe would achieve what I'm looking for.  But, regardless, this kind of low-level file manipulation kind of defeats the purpose of using Inkscape at all.  I'm sure everything Inkscape does could be done by manual low-level file manipulation, but the whole point of using Inkscape is that what the user is looking to achieve is streamlined and made much easier, quicker, and more intuitive via Inkscape's GUI.  I don't think "go edit the XML" is the right answer to give to users when they ask for a new feature.

Now, as for "cluttering up the useful UI space", I don't think this feature needs clutter up the UI at all.  You wouldn't even need to touch the Edit menu.  The feature could be accessible by keyboard shortcut only (CONTROL-C and CONTROL-V) right after the user selects a layer by left-clicking on it in the Layers dialog.  Also, adding "Copy" and "Paste" options to the layer's right-click menu wouldn't clutter it up at all since it only has four options right now (Rename, Add, Raise, and Lower Layer).

As to your claim that this feature would rarely be used, I don't see how you could possibly know that.