I've been using Inkscape for six months, after using Micrografx Designer/Corel Designer for 30 years.

Just yesterday Inkscape started this odd behavior: The first bit of regular text entered immediately snaps to the upper-left page corner (bottom text center is fixed at the corner). If I try to move the text away, it snaps right back. The second and later bits of regular text start at the page upper left corner, no matter where the cursor is placed. Those, too, can't be moved from the corner, they snap right back. Flowed text and other objects behave normally.

In old files, regular text behaves normally, but any new regular text snaps to the cursor position that the first bit of new regular text was entered, so the new ones all start piling up on top of the first new one. They, too, can't be moved as they snap right back.

What I've tried: Rebooting and starting Inkscape with no other software running, uninstalling and reinstalling Inkscape, Uninstalling Inkscape, cleaning the registry using CCleaner (several Inkscape entries found), rebooting, starting Inkscape before any other software, and testing the open, blank document with no changes to settings.

My computer is an HP Elitebook 840 G3, 64 bit, processor is i7-6500U, 2.5 GHz, 8 GB ram, running Windows 10 enterprise, version 1909, build 18363.1016. The computer passes malware scans with nothing found. It exhibits no other odd behavior.

I don't know if this will help, but here is the text version of a simple new .SVG file made with the last clean Inkscape install, with two regular text and one flowed text entries.

Thank you for any advice you might have.

Kurt Hollocher

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<svg
   xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
   xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#"
   xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
   xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
   xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
   xmlns:sodipodi="http://sodipodi.sourceforge.net/DTD/sodipodi-0.dtd"
   xmlns:inkscape="http://www.inkscape.org/namespaces/inkscape"
   sodipodi:docname="Text problem.svg"
   inkscape:version="1.0 (4035a4fb49, 2020-05-01)"
   id="svg8"
   version="1.1"
   viewBox="0 0 210 297"
   height="297mm"
   width="210mm">
  <defs
     id="defs2">
    <rect
       id="rect835"
       height="37.431818"
       width="52.465909"
       y="71.181818"
       x="58.909091" />
  </defs>
  <sodipodi:namedview
     inkscape:window-maximized="0"
     inkscape:window-y="1600"
     inkscape:window-x="306"
     inkscape:window-height="1200"
     inkscape:window-width="1920"
     showgrid="false"
     inkscape:document-rotation="0"
     inkscape:current-layer="layer1"
     inkscape:document-units="mm"
     inkscape:cy="561.25984"
     inkscape:cx="396.85039"
     inkscape:zoom="0.86234568"
     inkscape:pageshadow="2"
     inkscape:pageopacity="0.0"
     borderopacity="1.0"
     bordercolor="#666666"
     pagecolor="#ffffff"
     id="base" />
  <metadata
     id="metadata5">
    <rdf:RDF>
      <cc:Work
         rdf:about="">
        <dc:format>image/svg+xml</dc:format>
        <dc:type
           rdf:resource="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/StillImage" />
        <dc:title></dc:title>
      </cc:Work>
    </rdf:RDF>
  </metadata>
  <g
     id="layer1"
     inkscape:groupmode="layer"
     inkscape:label="Layer 1">
    <text
       style="font-size:7.05556px;line-height:1;font-family:Arial;-inkscape-font-specification:'Arial, Normal';text-decoration:none;text-decoration-color:#000000;letter-spacing:0px;word-spacing:0px;text-anchor:middle;white-space:pre;shape-inside:url(#rect835);fill:#000000;stroke-width:0.264584"
       id="text833"
       xml:space="preserve"><tspan
         id="tspan837"
         sodipodi:role="line">Flowed text example, this works normally</tspan></text>
    <text
       id="text841"
       y="33.75"
       x="38.352272"
       style="font-size:7.05556px;line-height:1;font-family:Arial;-inkscape-font-specification:'Arial, Normal';text-decoration:none;text-decoration-color:#000000;letter-spacing:0px;word-spacing:0px;text-anchor:middle;white-space:pre;shape-inside:url(#rect1011);fill:#000000;stroke-width:0.264583"
       xml:space="preserve"><tspan
         style="stroke-width:0.264584"
         id="tspan839"
         sodipodi:role="line">Regular text snaps to upper-left of page</tspan></text>
    <text
       id="text845"
       y="42.034088"
       x="51.852272"
       style="font-size:7.05556px;line-height:1;font-family:Arial;-inkscape-font-specification:'Arial, Normal';text-decoration:none;text-decoration-color:#000000;letter-spacing:0px;word-spacing:0px;text-anchor:middle;white-space:pre;shape-inside:url(#rect1011);fill:#000000;stroke-width:0.264583"
       xml:space="preserve"><tspan
         style="stroke-width:0.264584"
         id="tspan843"
         sodipodi:role="line">Later regular text does the same thing</tspan></text>
    <text
       id="text849"
       y="41.727272"
       x="52.465912"
       style="font-size:7.05556px;line-height:1;font-family:Arial;-inkscape-font-specification:'Arial, Normal';text-decoration:none;text-decoration-color:#000000;letter-spacing:0px;word-spacing:0px;text-anchor:middle;white-space:pre;shape-inside:url(#rect1011);fill:#000000;stroke-width:0.264583"
       xml:space="preserve"><tspan
         style="stroke-width:0.264584"
         id="tspan847"
         sodipodi:role="line" /></text>
  </g>
</svg>

In the example above, when I select the lines at the top, the status bar indicates they are "text in shape".

When using the text tool for normal text, do you click on the canvas and begin typing, or do you drag a rectangle and then begin typing?  Inkscape only requires a click on the canvas with the text tool to begin typing standard text.

More info here: https://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Release_notes/1.0#Text_Tool

For regular text I just click on the canvas, giving me a vertical line, flashing cursor. For flowed text, I click and drag to make a rectangle. I have never used "text in shape", which I guess is like putting text inside of a circle or something, so the text fills the circle to its edges. I don't even know how to do that.

Kurt

Here are the default text preferences settings. Do yours look the same?

It's possible the user preferences are scrambled. I'd rename the preferences.xml (in the user directories) to "preferencesOLD.xml" and restart inkscape to text the text.

They are almost the same:
Use user's fonts directory is unchecked (I don't have any of my own fonts).
This tool's own style: Fill is set to black (000000).

Because this is a new Inkscape 1.0 installation, I assume these are defaults as I have not changed any preferences.

I did what you asked, and it seems to have fixed the problem. I've tried old and new files. It's interesting that the old regular text, in files that I saved earlier today, still snaps back to the origin. However, new regular text behaves properly.

Thank you so much for your help!

Kurt

Just a note on the problem with regular text snapping to the upper-left corner of the page: It's happened again. I know how to fix it now (delete preferences.xml, so it gets rebuilt), but clearly there is a chronic problem, at least on my computer.

Kurt

I have the same problem i can not fix it.

I have the same problem on windows and mac computer, install inkscape 1.01

I have not the problem on my windows computer with version inkscape 0.92 

delete already Preference settings on window computer and mac, but this is not the solution.

Kris

@Kris38 , Please share an example file.

Here is the same example that I sent before as plain text, pasted into the message. I installed Inkscape 1.01 just before reading message #9, and have found that the problem doesn't occur, at least not yet. In Inkscape 1.00, deleting the preferences.xml fixed the problem for awhile, but not permanently, as mentioned above.

I think I've attached the actual file that is the same as the pasted text of the file, sent previously. I'll let you know if this problem comes back in Inkscape 1.01.

Kurt

Normal is text on top of 1234 1234 ....

Kris

There is a documented issue that seem related. That issue involves "Document cleanup"... any chance that feature has been used in your documents?

Deleting the preferences.xml is a blunt hammer I would prefer to avoid, but it can be helpful in some cases.

The issue might also be avoided by using "Last style used" instead of "This tool's own style". Using this mode may require assigning fill/stroke to the text more often, but may help.

Text that is in the upper left corner can be set free to move by selecting the text and using Menu: Text>Unflow (Shift+Alt+W). 

I don't know why it happens in the first place, yet.

i have not used "Document cleanup", also not used "Last style used" instead of "This tool's own style"

When i open it on windows computer with Inkscape0.92 is there no problem, it is just in the newer versions.

I would try "last style used".

The 1.0+ versions approach text very differently. If you can use the earlier (.92.xx) versions, you can probably avoid this issue.

Response to #12

I routinely use File/Clean up document before saving.

Kurt

Cleanup is generally best practice, and I would suggest using an earlier version to avoid this issue. https://gitlab.com/inkscape/inkscape/-/issues/776

PS. I am confident it is not an issue of operator error. The style seems to be arbitrarily adding the new flow element to the style.

shift -alt-w is the solution.

Thanks

Kris38

shift -alt-w is the solution.

A remedy, but not a cure. 

We still do not know why it is happening.

I am using Inkscape 1.2, and when ever I try add new to text, where ever I click, it doesnt matter, the text always appears at 0,0.

@run_the_race, before proceeding further, I'd reset the Preferences and relaunch Inkscape.