Control select is the behavior for selecting within a group. It suggests that the layer is actually a group. Check the status bar and the icons in the Layers/Objects panel.
In scenario where "objects & layers dialog". has many layers, and change needs to be made to a bunch of objects at a same time taht are located across multiple layers,
selecting them can be next to impossible.
Using objects & layers dialog, means that user would need to scroll, expand layers, and look for corresponding layer name. So if there's like 5 object between 3 different layers, in a 20 layer document, it's becomes impractical to select like that.
For me the current work around is to treat entire document as single layer with similar object named/matched alphabetically for easy selection and re-stacking.
[ctrl+a] selects everything in the current layer i.e. the layer name shown in the bottom status bar. Add another object to the selection from another layer with [shift+ctrl+click].
Was using that as well, sorta annoying with multiple selections, easy to miss shift and lose all selections.
What would be nice, is a aim at object -> click to select it mode, you know, the "traditional" way a vector editor would behave.
All this automated, grouping layer selections are very distracting for me. I'd rather there was special shortcuts for all that unconventional selection "logic" that's default in inkscape right now.
Seems that if someone wants to select whole layer, that's when Layer and Object menu should be used, but why would a whole layer be selected by default based on a single object clicked, is beyond me.
Seeing how not once else is struggling with this, guessing it's just me :(
If you need repeat the same complex selections, then you might appreciate [Object > Selectors and CSS...] dialog. Create a CSS class and give it a meaningful name. Objects can be added to and removed from multiple classes to give you different selection sets.
Select everything, start new Inkscape document. paste everything.
You can now Select normally as you would expect in typical vector editor..
Never use layers/grouping again.
inkscape will still autogroup stuff no matter what, you'll just have to manually ungroup over and over again.
All replies in this thread do not address/solve the underlying issue as far as I am concerned. Anyone willing elaborate, expand, will be greatly appreciated.
Hoping to tackle this in a fork some time in near future.
I haven't noticed this behaviour myself though I use layers and groups all the time and regularly convert one to the other. Some extensions will yield grouped shapes and an imported svg file is always placed in a new group, but otherwise I don't see autogrouping. I wonder what we're doing differently. Please describe your workflow and maybe upload a problematic file for interrogation.
Beginners' Questions selecting object. not all objects on layer
Inkscape.org
How to I select object, not all object on layer?
Maybe this should be a default behavior?
Perhaps the layer is actually a group. Please provide an example file or a screenshot of the entire Inkscape window.
ok, it's control select.
Who else thinks that this should be reversed. Control-select to select layer, and just select object when using selection tool.
Perhaps we need control -> drag select? to override layers/other selection settings.
Control select is the behavior for selecting within a group. It suggests that the layer is actually a group. Check the status bar and the icons in the Layers/Objects panel.
Wasup Tyler!
Actually I was stuck believing that inkscape auto-makes groups,
here: https://inkscape.org/forums/questions/inscape-unwanted-auto-grouping-is-this-really-not-bothering-anyone-else/
and https://inkscape.org/forums/questions/inkscape-auto-grouping/
Until new layer menu (in 1.3) allowed me to see what was happening. it was just selecting entire layers.
I never made any groups. I don't want any groups. I would like to be able to just disable anything resembling auto-grouping in inkscape.
Here's case scenario:
Layer 1
object 1, object 2, object 3
Layer 2
object 1, object 2, object 3
User needs to select:
all objects on layer 1,
and object 1 on layer 2.
How does one go about it? (especially with Preferences set to allow drag selections on current layer only)
I'd try the objects & layers dialog.
right. so that's the 'only' way of doing this with given scenario.
Thanks for your help as always Tyler.
just came back to report this:
In scenario where "objects & layers dialog". has many layers, and change needs to be made to a bunch of objects at a same time taht are located across multiple layers,
selecting them can be next to impossible.
Using objects & layers dialog, means that user would need to scroll, expand layers, and look for corresponding layer name. So if there's like 5 object between 3 different layers, in a 20 layer document, it's becomes impractical to select like that.
For me the current work around is to treat entire document as single layer with similar object named/matched alphabetically for easy selection and re-stacking.
[ctrl+a] selects everything in the current layer i.e. the layer name shown in the bottom status bar. Add another object to the selection from another layer with [shift+ctrl+click].
Thanks Paddy_CAD.
Was using that as well, sorta annoying with multiple selections, easy to miss shift and lose all selections.
What would be nice, is a aim at object -> click to select it mode, you know, the "traditional" way a vector editor would behave.
All this automated, grouping layer selections are very distracting for me. I'd rather there was special shortcuts for all that unconventional selection "logic" that's default in inkscape right now.
Seems that if someone wants to select whole layer, that's when Layer and Object menu should be used, but why would a whole layer be selected by default based on a single object clicked, is beyond me.
Seeing how not once else is struggling with this, guessing it's just me :(
ah, found this.
https://alpha.inkscape.org/vectors/www.inkscapeforum.com/viewtopic1d85-2.html?t=32872
https://inkscape.org/forums/beyond/cant-click-or-select-an-object/
https://alpha.inkscape.org/vectors/www.inkscapeforum.com/viewtopic0408.html?t=12108
If you need repeat the same complex selections, then you might appreciate [Object > Selectors and CSS...] dialog. Create a CSS class and give it a meaningful name. Objects can be added to and removed from multiple classes to give you different selection sets.
so for anyone stuck in this limbo,
only work around at the moment I found was:
Select everything, start new Inkscape document. paste everything.
You can now Select normally as you would expect in typical vector editor..
Never use layers/grouping again.
inkscape will still autogroup stuff no matter what, you'll just have to manually ungroup over and over again.
All replies in this thread do not address/solve the underlying issue as far as I am concerned. Anyone willing elaborate, expand, will be greatly appreciated.
Hoping to tackle this in a fork some time in near future.
I haven't noticed this behaviour myself though I use layers and groups all the time and regularly convert one to the other. Some extensions will yield grouped shapes and an imported svg file is always placed in a new group, but otherwise I don't see autogrouping. I wonder what we're doing differently. Please describe your workflow and maybe upload a problematic file for interrogation.