How do I get Inkscape to remember the size and layout of docked windows (Fill and Stroke, XML Editor, Transform, etc.)? I have not found anything in Preferences which effects this behaviour.
Inkscape always opens the docked window at the same size. I then have to widen the docked window. Then I have resize the panes in the XML Editor to be able to see and edit the nodes.
I have to repeat this resizing every time I open a file. Surely, there must be a way for Inkscape to remember this and let me get on with my work...
As far as I know, Inkscape can't remember the size/position of docked dialogs.
Edit menu > Preferences > Interface > Windows
Saving Window Geometry is for the main Inkscape window, as far as I understand, and does not affect the dialogs. I don't know....possibly it would affect floating dialogs, but I have not tested. Saving Dialog Status remembers whether the dialog was open or closed, but I don't think it remembers size or position.
Yeah, I always have to resize the XML Editor and the panes, every time I open it. However, I don't usually need to open it. I'm curious what you're doing where you need to open it very often. Maybe there would be a different approach? Maybe such as using a text editor? Actually I don't have my XML Editor docked. I keep the larger dialogs undocked.
But for the other dialogs, I don't think there is any way to remember the size or position.
However.... You know, there might be a way to improve your experience though. It's a tricky feature to both use and explain. I think I made a video for someone once, to show how it works. It depends on where you drop the mouse, when you dock the dialogs, as to how they are arranged within the dock. For example, you can have some dialogs side by side within the dock, and others on top of each other. If you use that feature, it might remember position a little more than if you don't use it. Let me try and find that video...
I found the video, but it's really hard to see (because of my darker theme color). So I'll try to explain a little.
When you grab the dialog bar (not the titlebar), you can see a dashed line rectangle over the docking area. If it's a long skinny rectangle, you will create dialogs side by side. If it's wider than tall, you will create what I think of as traditional or regular docked dialogs (meaning that all the dialogs are open at the same time). If you move the mouse so that the rectangle is in the middle of the dialog, you will create stacked dialogs, where only one is open at any given time, and the others are stacked at the bottom.
I have a couple of videos that show different parts of this. I suggest putting the videos in full screen, so you can see the dashed line rectangle better. Actually I haven't tried to embed a video in this forum....I don't think these will embed, but just click and they should open for you. Cross fingers!
So what I'm thinking is that if you have them stacked or side by side, they may stay that way every time you open the file. I don't know, I haven't tested. But it looks like each dialog has its own instructions, so it seems like it should.
Thanks Brynn. I think I follow what you're saying (watched the first video; the second does not open). I've tried the various docking methods. As far as I can tell, the issue appears to be that Inkscape does not remember the width of the docking pane between executions. This can be observed by launching Inkscape, expanding the width of the docking pane and closing Inkscape. Upon relaunch, Inkscape will always reset the docking pane to some predefined width.
The situation is somewhat better when using floating windows. It will remember size (but not position) of the window between open/close. It will remember (somewhat) split pane layout between window open/close. However, split pane layout is completely lost between Inscape executions.
Don't really have the time to dig into the code. Perhaps the GUI (GTK? which I know nothing about) is not capable of or not configured to remember split pane layout between executions...
Beginners' Questions Remember Docked Window Size
Inkscape.org
How do I get Inkscape to remember the size and layout of docked windows (Fill and Stroke, XML Editor, Transform, etc.)? I have not found anything in Preferences which effects this behaviour.
Inkscape always opens the docked window at the same size. I then have to widen the docked window. Then I have resize the panes in the XML Editor to be able to see and edit the nodes.
I have to repeat this resizing every time I open a file. Surely, there must be a way for Inkscape to remember this and let me get on with my work...
Welcome to the forum!
As far as I know, Inkscape can't remember the size/position of docked dialogs.
Edit menu > Preferences > Interface > Windows
Saving Window Geometry is for the main Inkscape window, as far as I understand, and does not affect the dialogs. I don't know....possibly it would affect floating dialogs, but I have not tested. Saving Dialog Status remembers whether the dialog was open or closed, but I don't think it remembers size or position.
Yeah, I always have to resize the XML Editor and the panes, every time I open it. However, I don't usually need to open it. I'm curious what you're doing where you need to open it very often. Maybe there would be a different approach? Maybe such as using a text editor? Actually I don't have my XML Editor docked. I keep the larger dialogs undocked.
But for the other dialogs, I don't think there is any way to remember the size or position.
However.... You know, there might be a way to improve your experience though. It's a tricky feature to both use and explain. I think I made a video for someone once, to show how it works. It depends on where you drop the mouse, when you dock the dialogs, as to how they are arranged within the dock. For example, you can have some dialogs side by side within the dock, and others on top of each other. If you use that feature, it might remember position a little more than if you don't use it. Let me try and find that video...
I found the video, but it's really hard to see (because of my darker theme color). So I'll try to explain a little.
When you grab the dialog bar (not the titlebar), you can see a dashed line rectangle over the docking area. If it's a long skinny rectangle, you will create dialogs side by side. If it's wider than tall, you will create what I think of as traditional or regular docked dialogs (meaning that all the dialogs are open at the same time). If you move the mouse so that the rectangle is in the middle of the dialog, you will create stacked dialogs, where only one is open at any given time, and the others are stacked at the bottom.
I have a couple of videos that show different parts of this. I suggest putting the videos in full screen, so you can see the dashed line rectangle better. Actually I haven't tried to embed a video in this forum....I don't think these will embed, but just click and they should open for you. Cross fingers!
https://inkscapecommunity.com/jd/vids/dock.mp4
https://inkscapecommunity.com/jd/vids/dd.mp4
So what I'm thinking is that if you have them stacked or side by side, they may stay that way every time you open the file. I don't know, I haven't tested. But it looks like each dialog has its own instructions, so it seems like it should.
Thanks Brynn. I think I follow what you're saying (watched the first video; the second does not open). I've tried the various docking methods. As far as I can tell, the issue appears to be that Inkscape does not remember the width of the docking pane between executions. This can be observed by launching Inkscape, expanding the width of the docking pane and closing Inkscape. Upon relaunch, Inkscape will always reset the docking pane to some predefined width.
The situation is somewhat better when using floating windows. It will remember size (but not position) of the window between open/close. It will remember (somewhat) split pane layout between window open/close. However, split pane layout is completely lost between Inscape executions.
Don't really have the time to dig into the code. Perhaps the GUI (GTK? which I know nothing about) is not capable of or not configured to remember split pane layout between executions...
Yeah sorry, I had the wrong url for the 2nd video. It's fixed now. It shows what the 3 different dashed line rectangles do.
Most of these settings are saved in %APPDATA%/inkscape/preferences.xml (or the Linux equivalent)
It registers the dock/window presence but not the position.
Your dock/window layout is saved everytime you quit Inkscape, unless you make the file readonly.
But that means you can't easily change it )):