I'm struggling a bit with my first attempt to use layers. At the stage shown in my screenshot I've added a second one, Notes, and populated it with four text entries on the left. But why do two of these (58 and 37) have 'subordinate' layers', with names like 'tspan 8369? Neither '76' or '18' show this issue.
Also, I must have made some error because I can no longer select the 'Vol+' object, no matter which layer I select first.
In the layer and objects panel, each type of object has an icon to the left to indicate what type it is.
The page icon is a layer, the T icon is text. Circle icons are circles or ellipses and Paths are represented by a small bezier curve icon with handles.
The next bit is a bit technical
With reference to tspan.
In the .svg format it is not possible to have line breaks or changes in style within a simple text element.
The tspan element is used to achieve this. So for example if you wanted to have a blue word with a red letter in the middle you might put the middle letter into it's own tspan to set a colour style for that letter and leave the other two parts of the word alone, or you could do it in the opposite way by putting the start and end parts in their own tspan and leave the middle alone.
In fact all text elements which are created by Inkscape have a single tspan inside them. ( Imported .svg files might be different )
Initially the single tspan is hidden from the user in the layers / objects panel.
I suppose the question is when to show them. Generally if you have done something to create a tspan - such as pressing enter to create a line break it is visible in the panel.
Also the initial tspan which was previously hidden is then shown also.
If you then delete that line break by editing the text then the new tspan vanishes, but the single tspan (which was always there) remains visible.
As a user you don't have to worry about these things, you only need to pay attention to the text element entry and edit the text on canvas as normal.
You should always be able to click the parent text element in the panel to select the text element. Just ignore the sub tspans unless you have a reason to.
Thanks @inklinea, appreciate the fast reply, although your opening comments have left me even more confused!
If the newly added text entries are not in the new layer Notes, why are they all shown in red under that layer? And it doesn't seem to make sense that text cannot be in a layer?
As for the 'tspan' issue, I'll take your advice of ignoring it for the moment. Way outside my skill level. I wasn't aware of creating those two any differently, but at this stage of my learning I could well have done something like press enter and then backspace to delete it. Not exactly intuitive is it? 😉
Any thoughts on my other question about being unable to select 'Vol+' please?
Sorry, I mean to say the Text8375 etc is not a layer but an object and tspan1234 is not in a new layer, just a child of Text8375.
To select 'Vol+' you can either left click the Text entry in the layers / objects panel.
Or you can double left click the black area of the 'Vol+' text ( its stroke ) on canvas, if it's too small to click on just hold down `Ctrl` key and roll with the mouse wheel to zoom in or out.
Or you can hold 'Alt' and hold left click at the same time to draw a red line which will select anything it touches.
Or you can click the canvas and repeatedly hit 'Tab' key to cycle through all elements in that layer.
Lots of ways - but you can't learn everything in a day :)
To select 'Vol+' you can either left click the Text entry in the layers / objects panel.
Don't know its identity!
--------------------
Or you can double left click the black area of the 'Vol+' text ( its stroke ) on canvas
My normal method, but doesn't work for this object
--------------------
Or you can hold 'Alt' and hold left click at the same time to draw a red line which will select anything it touches.
Doesn't work for this object
--------------------
Or you can click the canvas and repeatedly hit 'Tab' key to cycle through all elements in that layer.
Doesn't work for this object; selects successive entries (starting from the bottom) but jumps over text4452!
====================
Before seeing your follow up, what I actually did was click each entry in the layer list, in my case starting from the top. That successfully selcted the object. It could then be de-selected by the normal left click. And could then only be selected again from the layer list, now that its identity was known.
Beginners' Questions Puzzled over text in a new layer
Inkscape.org
I'm struggling a bit with my first attempt to use layers. At the stage shown in my screenshot I've added a second one, Notes, and populated it with four text entries on the left. But why do two of these (58 and 37) have 'subordinate' layers', with names like 'tspan 8369? Neither '76' or '18' show this issue.
Also, I must have made some error because I can no longer select the 'Vol+' object, no matter which layer I select first.
Screenshot
BTW, am I right that images on this forum must be shown using the link tool, and cannot be embedded?
The text is not in a new layer.
In the layer and objects panel, each type of object has an icon to the left to indicate what type it is.
The page icon is a layer, the T icon is text. Circle icons are circles or ellipses and Paths are represented by a small bezier curve icon with handles.
The next bit is a bit technical
With reference to tspan.
In the .svg format it is not possible to have line breaks or changes in style within a simple text element.
The tspan element is used to achieve this. So for example if you wanted to have a blue word with a red letter in the middle you might put the middle letter into it's own tspan to set a colour style for that letter and leave the other two parts of the word alone, or you could do it in the opposite way by putting the start and end parts in their own tspan and leave the middle alone.
In fact all text elements which are created by Inkscape have a single tspan inside them. ( Imported .svg files might be different )
Initially the single tspan is hidden from the user in the layers / objects panel.
I suppose the question is when to show them. Generally if you have done something to create a tspan - such as pressing enter to create a line break it is visible in the panel.
Also the initial tspan which was previously hidden is then shown also.
If you then delete that line break by editing the text then the new tspan vanishes, but the single tspan (which was always there) remains visible.
As a user you don't have to worry about these things, you only need to pay attention to the text element entry and edit the text on canvas as normal.
You should always be able to click the parent text element in the panel to select the text element. Just ignore the sub tspans unless you have a reason to.
Thanks @inklinea, appreciate the fast reply, although your opening comments have left me even more confused!
If the newly added text entries are not in the new layer Notes, why are they all shown in red under that layer? And it doesn't seem to make sense that text cannot be in a layer?
As for the 'tspan' issue, I'll take your advice of ignoring it for the moment. Way outside my skill level. I wasn't aware of creating those two any differently, but at this stage of my learning I could well have done something like press enter and then backspace to delete it. Not exactly intuitive is it? 😉
Any thoughts on my other question about being unable to select 'Vol+' please?
Sorry, I mean to say the Text8375 etc is not a layer but an object and tspan1234 is not in a new layer, just a child of Text8375.
To select 'Vol+' you can either left click the Text entry in the layers / objects panel.
Or you can double left click the black area of the 'Vol+' text ( its stroke ) on canvas, if it's too small to click on just hold down `Ctrl` key and roll with the mouse wheel to zoom in or out.
Or you can hold 'Alt' and hold left click at the same time to draw a red line which will select anything it touches.
Or you can click the canvas and repeatedly hit 'Tab' key to cycle through all elements in that layer.
Lots of ways - but you can't learn everything in a day :)
I've added a feature request to not expose the tspans in the Layers and Objects dialog. It's confusing and not consistent with earlier versions.
https://gitlab.com/inkscape/inbox/-/issues/7482
inklinea,
To select 'Vol+' you can either left click the Text entry in the layers / objects panel.
Don't know its identity!
--------------------
Or you can double left click the black area of the 'Vol+' text ( its stroke ) on canvas
My normal method, but doesn't work for this object
--------------------
Or you can hold 'Alt' and hold left click at the same time to draw a red line which will select anything it touches.
Doesn't work for this object
--------------------
Or you can click the canvas and repeatedly hit 'Tab' key to cycle through all elements in that layer.
Doesn't work for this object; selects successive entries (starting from the bottom) but jumps over text4452!
====================
Before seeing your follow up, what I actually did was click each entry in the layer list, in my case starting from the top. That successfully selcted the object. It could then be de-selected by the normal left click. And could then only be selected again from the layer list, now that its identity was known.
Here's the file if you're curious:
The SVG file
JFYI, images can be attached with the paperclip icon.
They can also be placed inline by dragging from a file manager (e.g windows explorer) into the text reply/post area.
The Vol+ object is locked. Note the padlock icon in the Layers& Objects panel.
It is because the text element has been locked, if you right click the text element - the following context appears.
You can also see the in the layers / object panel it is locked :)
Tyler, @inklinea,
Duh, so it is, completely missed that!
Tyler,
Dragging to the compose box does the job, thanks. By 'paperclip icon' I assume you mean the one I've been using, marked 'Link'?
There is an icon/button at the bottom of the textarea, to the left of "Please read the Code of Conduct..."