Infinite pan (navigation improvement / feature request)

[Maarten Bakker]

(Changed bug description to make it easier to understand)

In short how the function could work:
1) Hold down a hotkey
2) Move your mouse to pan the schematic or board layout

Additional:
*) Hotkey should be assignable
*) The mouse cursor remains stationary on your screen when you pan
*) Be able to use the Scroll wheel to zoom when you pan
*) The panning has no screen edge boundaries

This Reduces unnecessary mouse movements, and makes navigation and dragging components more pleasant and efficient. Mouse cursor can remain at the center of your screen, this is where you want it to be. (not forced to center of course)

Using nightly version: kicad-r9376.be70ce7d4-x86_64.exe

[Nick Østergaard (nickoe)]

Please add version information.

[Nick Østergaard (nickoe)]

You can pan by using the scroll wheel and either shift or ctrl.

[Maarten Bakker (maartenjb)]

Hi Nick, thanks for your response, I think you did not completely read my suggestion ;-) I've added the kicad version.

[Nick Østergaard (nickoe)]

Thank you, but I don't understand what new navigation method you are suggesting.

[Maarten Bakker (maartenjb)]

In short how the function could work:
1) Hold down a hotkey
2) Move your mouse to pan the schematic or board layout

Additional:
*) Hotkey should be assignable
*) The mouse cursor remains stationary on your screen when you pan
*) Be able to use the Scroll wheel to zoom when you pan

This Reduces unnecessary mouse movements, and makes navigation and dragging components more pleasant and efficient. Mouse cursor can remain at the center of your screen, this is where you want it to be. (not forced to center of course)

[Nick Østergaard (nickoe)]

Can you reference any other cross platform app where this behavior is implemented?

[Seth Hillbrand (sethh)]

@Maarten-

Currently, you can hold down shift and use the mousewheel to scroll up and down or hold down Ctrl and use the mousewheel to scroll left and right.

I can understand how your request makes sense for a trackball-based navigation system. We'll keep it on the wishlist for the next version.

[Maarten Bakker (maartenjb)]

@Nick
Don't know any, probably altium, which does support the space pilot I believe. But I never used altium and probably never will.

@Seth
Yes, it might work best with a trackball, but I think it should work great with the standard mouse as well. I know the function you mention and use it a lot, but I always struggle to choose the right key for up/down or left/right.

Thanks.

[KiCad Janitor (kicad-janitor)]

KiCad bug tracker has moved to Gitlab. This report is now available here: https://gitlab.com/kicad/code/kicad/-/issues/2103