usability improvements to common standards

[nobody]

- panning :
  - 'c' key moves view center to cursor position;
  - moving mouse with pressed right key does panning;
- mouse wheel :
  - without pressed buttons shifts up-down;
  - with 'Shift' - left-right;
  - with 'Ctrl' - changes view scale;
- rotation :
  - 'r' key rotates selected element/block clockwise by 45 degrees;
  - 'Shift-r' rotates counterclockwise;
- scaling :
  - '-'/'_' scales down;
  - '='/'+' scales up;

[nobody (nobody-users)]

that would be very cool!

[nobody (nobody-users)]

Common Standards?

I think the mouse wheel priority without pressed key is wrong!
It should remain as it is: without pressed buttons zooms in and out of cursor position!
This is already implemented very well and is enough as it allows to get to any point very quickly!

But lets add the following to the list: Ctrl-c, Ctrl-v, Ctrl-x for copy, paste and cut.
These of course require a standard based _Object Selection System_ where:

The user is able to select items (in Schematic, PCB or Library editors) that then are being highlighted differently for the time they are selected!

Ideally before selection dynamic highlighting of elements having the mouse pointer above them indicates a selectable item and it shows its selectability by some form of highlight!

If shift or control is pressed: further refining of the selection should be possible!
If a right click is performed: access to methods of the selected objects should be given, and applied to the whole selection as applicable!

A drag gesture should directly drag the element it is executed on
If items are selected and the drag initiates on one of the selected items these should be dragged all together.

A right click on selected objects asks the Objects which methods can be applied all of them.

The marque 'lasso' as it turns up currently should _only happen_ when the drag is initiated above clean deskspace (above nothing selectable)! It should not by default result in a question to move, but if a drag follows on one of the selected components the drag should be performed on all selected components!

[Thorsten Gensler (thorsten-gensler)]

Please reconsider the use of the middle mouse button. Many graphical operating programms like gimp, inkscape, eagle, blender, professional CAD programs using the middle mouse button for panning if pressed or at least with a modifier (blender shift + mmb). I find this so common that using kicad isn't comfortable at the moment.

[Lorenzo Marcantonio (l-marcantonio)]

On Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 03:27:10PM -0000, Thorsten Gensler wrote:
> Please reconsider the use of the middle mouse button. Many graphical
> operating programms like gimp, inkscape, eagle, blender, professional
> CAD programs using the middle mouse button for panning if pressed or at
> least with a modifier (blender shift + mmb). I find this so common that
> using kicad isn't comfortable at the moment.

Already present in development (look in the general options)

I find more easy to zoom back with the wheel and then zoom back in, but
the option is there.

--
Lorenzo Marcantonio
Logos Srl

[Thorsten Gensler (thorsten-gensler)]

Do you mean hold middle mouse button and drag around in any direction while the view is panning in the same direction? Or do you mean hold shift/ctrl and scroll?