Add TRIM and EXTEND functionality

[Rockstar1707]

This RFE is actually a duplicate of

RFE => [ 1534420 ] new features for inkscape

I'm posting it because in that one horkana asked for a
detailed description of a problem, but i couldn't
upload the picture.

Therefore I'm adding a sketch of what's ment by TRIM
(sometimes called CUT, Virtual Segment Cut etc.) and
EXTEND.

I hope this is useful.

[Horkana-users (horkana-users)]

Thanks for providing more information, this should make it
much clearer and help encourage a developer to try and
implement this.

Copying comments from other report (and closing it in favour
of this one):

hi! i'd like to know if it's possible to add some new
features to inkscape such
as "cut" , "link", "extend", etc.. as you can find in
AutoCad!?
Thanks.
Gianni.

https://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=1534420&group_id=93438&atid=604309

[Popolon2 (popolon2)]

a cut on a segment can be done by a shape used with :
path=>cut path on segment.

[Kjohrf (kjohrf)]

This would be great!

[Marcel Partap (empee584)]

[...] and even in 2011, it continues to would be great!

[Craig Esterhuizen (craigesterhuizen)]

I want to get rid of a section of path between intersections with other paths. It seems like I cannot do this as there is no way to add nodes automatically to intersection points. This to me would be a very basic need and yet it is not addressed. I hope I am wrong about this...

[Vitaliy (vitaliy-a-timoshenko)]

I need "virtual segment delete" analog in inkscape, too. Can't work with those Path that we have now.

[Erik Streb (wicking)]

Extend is implemented in Inkscapes developement version (ready in 0.49)! Assume you have two paths A and B. Path B is ready, path A should be prolonged linear (linear to its handle, that means in the same direction like the handle) and snap to path B. With the node edit tool (F2) drag the closest end node of path A to path B while pressing Ctrl+Alt at the same time.

Trim is a bit more complicated. Assume you have two paths A and B which intersect each other. You want to cut path A at the intersection of path A and B. Then you have to:
• Duplicate path B (select path B and press Ctrl+d)
  (This copy of path B is now over path A; good because the copy of path B is the knife that cuts path A)
• Select both path A and the copy of path B and press Ctrl+Alt+/ (cut path)
• Path A is now divided in two parts. Now remove one of the parts ⇒ trimmed!

The problem: Not very intuitive. But after you have done it once, you will remember always.

For the trim to be intuitive it would be nice to have these intersection tools: http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Intersection_Tools

[Erik Streb (wicking)]

Oh, there is a much easier way to achive both trim and extend.

• Just select path A (which should be trimmed or extended/prolonged), then press Ctrl and drag at the diagonal arrow in the direction you want.
• If you have enabled snap to path and snap to cusp node, you can shorten (trim) path A if it was to long (intersecting path B). And you can extend (prolong) path A if it was to short.

For a sketch and more details see the answer from Roger Attrill at stackexchange: http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/21750/how-to-prolong-a-straight-line-or-path-in-inkscape/21758?noredirect=1#21758

This bug should be closed, as this workflow is really intuitive.

[Erik Streb (wicking)]

Another hint: If you want to extend one end of a curved path, just put a new path to this end (F6) while pressing the Ctrl key. This snaps the new line to a 0 degree prolongation (same direction as handle) if you move the mouse in about the direction of the handle. Ctrl is for snapping to 15 degree steps (0°, ±15°, ±30°, ±45°, ±60°, ±75°, ±90°, …).

Close this bug and add some tutorials. Or how could we make this more intuitive?

[Erik Streb (wicking)]

Just a hint to my comment at https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/171479/comments/8

That easy way only works, if you use the geometric bounding box and not the visual bounding box (which is the default in Inkscape). You can change that in the Tools section of the Inkscape preferences dialog.